Cricket: Capital boundary hunting

Neil Hood understood Cricket Wairarapa were aiming to upgrade to the standard anyway. Photo / Duncan Brown

If a proposal to redefine major association boundaries finds roots then it will affect Central Districts Cricket but chief executive Neil Hood doesn't see that happening any time soon.

"I think there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before we even consider the effect it's likely to have on CD from a financial perspective. It's far too early in the process to say it'll even get beyond a couple of news stories," Hood said yesterday amid reports Cricket Wellington were keen to woo Wairarapa and Horowhenua-Kapiti from CD's geographically fragmented eight-district catchment area.

Hood clarified Cricket Wellington had sent a letter of intent to New Zealand Cricket and other major associations asking to revisit their boundaries.

"NZ Cricket's response, as I understand it, is that the board will consider their letter before making a decision on whether they think this is something they need to look at or not and then a discussion will go from there."

He suspects Wellington's rationale is centred around building a "super city" as well as finding parity with a funding model agreed between all six major associations on the foundation of geography, population and player base.

"We're mature enough to say that if it is something NZ Cricket want to discuss then we'll do so but it isn't something that is in our radar at all."

In sounding out the CD districts, Hood had ascertained from the management that they were still aligned to CD.

"I think the Wairarapa angle is they are open to discuss cricket but the idea that Wellington Cricket are going to give them first-class cricket straight away is just not correct."

The only reason CD hadn't staged any first-class matches at QEII Park, Masterton, was because the venue didn't have a NZ Cricket warrant of fitness, although the CD Hinds women had played there in previous summers.

"Unless we have a warrant of fitness it's a bit of a red herring to suggest Wellington will instantly bring back [top-level] cricket there because it entails a lot of investment."

Hood understood Cricket Wairarapa were aiming to upgrade to the standard anyway.

"If it was up to standard we'd have no objections to Cricket Wellington staging some of their home matches in Wairarapa but that would have nothing to do with changing boundaries."

Past matches staged at Wairarapa and Palmerston North had been, technically speaking, Wellington games.

Hood said it was vital to emphasise Wairarapa and Horowhenua-Kapiti were "incorporated societies".

"They are not societies CD can dictate to. Technically they own us and not the other way around, just like NZ Cricket, from a constitutional perspective, can't [dictate to] major associations, who are the stakeholders.

"The legal ability for someone to impose boundary changes or allegiance to someone is something I'm not sure can be entirely done at the moment."

What it ultimately should come down to, Hood said, was what people thought and what was best for cricket in their region.

"You have to have a much stronger argument mounted than just the creation of a super city as the reason to affect our boundaries," he said, unsure if Wairarapa or Horowhenua would benefit by crossing the floor.