CRICKET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 65, 18 March 1937, Page 4

CRICKET

TEST MATCHES TEAM DISAPPOINTED RECEPTION TO M.C.C. WELLINGTON, March 17. The Government, City Council, Harbour Board, as well as every branch of sport played in New Zealand were represented at a Government reception to the English team at Parliament House this morning. The Hon. P. Fraser (Minister of Education) received the guests in the absence of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, who forwarded his regret at not being able to be present. Mr. Fraser said that such a function revived memories of previous visits 01 English cricket teams. The last occasion was the visit of Jardine's team, and he hoped that the present team would enjoy their stay in the Dominion as much as their predecessors. “We have watched your experi-ences-may I say vicissitudes—with deep interest,” he said. "We can say that in New Zealand cricket is a religion. Probably if we said Rugby football was a religion we might be nearer the mark, but cricket is pressing Rugby very closely. We had hoped that the iinal Test would be a little more exciting than it was. We know, allowing for everything and without expressing an opinion on the merits of play, that, generally speaking, you had bad luck, and in the final games we would have liked yt>u to have had better opportunities.”

The important thing, however, was not the way a team accepted victory, but the way in which they met defeat, and the English team was as great in defeat as in victory. (Applause.! The people of New Zealand expressed their admiration for them as sportsmen. The team had maintained the highest traditions of England so far as the sporting fields were concerned.

They would go back to their country knowing that they had performed creditably and with a splendid reputation. No team had been more popular, and New Zealand was pleased at the harmony which existed during the tour of Australia.

On behalf of the New Zealand Cricket Council and the manj' associations the council represented, Mr. A. Sim (president) extended a warm welcome to the team. Mr. Sim said he had paid many visits to England and had come into close contact with the M.C.C., and on each occasion he had gained more and more respect for the way in which the organisation conducted the game of cricket. The authorities, he said, regarded the game as 'I hat played in the street or on village greens, and not in the light of Test matches, and their administration was carried out accordingly. They had been called autocratic, but they were democratic in the way they watched the interests of the game.

The captain of the team, G. O. B. Allen, said that the team was honoured by the representative gathering. The tour in Australia had been a pleasant one, but the team were disappointed about the Test matches. After the third Test nothing seemed to go right for them. The tour had been a strenuous one, and they were pleased to be in New Zealand, where life seemed a little quieter. When he arrived in the Dominion four years ago he remembered thinking what a relief. If the present visit was half as enjoyable as the last one he would be completely satisfied. Mr. Allen wished the New Zealand team success during its tour of England. He had not seen many of them playing, but he was sure they would do well. Referring to the M.C.C., he said that this organisation tried to cater for cricket all over the world. They were not an autocratic body, as people tried to make them out to be. They were the people who put into force most of the regulations of the game, but before this was done these regulations. which were generally recommended, were fully considered. The functions closed with cheers and musical honours lor the Englishmen. POSITION IN ENGLAND LEICESTERSHIRE CLUB FACED WITH BANKRUPTCY LONDON, Feb. r*. That there is a likelihood of the Leicestershire County Cricket Club withdrawing from first-class cricket through being faced with bankruptcy was announced by Commander A. G. G. Webb, secretary of the club, wno explained this week: “Although we have reduced expenditure in 10 years from £11,500 to £7500, we lost about £2300 last year. We have a bank overdraft of £l3OO and we cannot oorrow further. I blame our position on the rain last summer, which reduced total receipts to £6OOO. We need at least £l5OO immediately to tide us over.” Leicestershire’s plight has revived the agitation for the abolition of the entertainments tax on cricket matches. In the past six years £lOO,OOO has been lost by the first-class counties, but very nearly the same amount has been paid in entertainment tax. Since the county cricket clubs are not run to make profit it is contended that they have a strong claim for exemption. Here are latest reports on the financial position of leading clubs: — Derbyshire. —“Although we won the championship our accounts for last year will show a loss. Entertainment tax took £6BO. We insured some of our matches against rain, and that helped us to some extent.” Essex.—“lf it were not for me entertainment tax we should be making a working profit of £2OO or £3OO a year. Cricket clubs are not profiteering affairs, and this tax ought to be removed.”

Gloucestershire. “The Leicestershire bombshell is one we can all see. Gloucestershire rose to fourth place last season, but we had a net loss of £1477 due to wet Saturdays at Bristol. The entertainment duty took £567.” Kent.—“We have not yet presented our balance-sheet, but it will show a loss. Rain hit us badly, and we had to pay nearly £9OO in entertainment duty.” Hampshire.—“We were one of the lucky counties with weather last year and our gates showed an increase of £lOOO, thanks to sunshine and Bournemouth, where we played five matches all in good weather.” Northampton.—“We have to face a

very heavy loss, but we mean to carry on.” Surrey.—“ Our new members have saved us. There is a public for cricket, but cricket is more dependent on the weather than any other games, and we had no gates to speak of until toward the end of July.”