A breakthrough in cricket pitch management was an unexpected bonus for club chairmen who met in Wellington last night expecting to discuss the future of club cricket in the Capital.

Debate over Cricket Wellington's (CW) desire to look at improving the quality of club cricket feeding into its representative team wasn't sufficient to gain a feeling on the issue and another meeting has been scheduled for a fortnight.

CW chief executive Ervin McSweeney said there was time for some strong views to be expressed on the district cricket option but other nuts and bolts issues that related to club cricket had limited the time available for discussion.

Instead, Wellington City Council, which has often been at loggerheads with city cricket clubs over the state of pitches, provided the star turn of the evening.

"We received a fantastic offer from the WCC. We have been talking with them all winter on the dual issue of getting the resources to get wickets to the standard cricketers would like and the vagaries of playing cricket in Wellington.

"I didn't know what to expect when they came to the meeting. I knew they were talking about clubs purchasing the extra services they required from the Council. That is something that has not been available in the past. I expected that to be at quite some cost.

"But they said they will do the work clubs want on their wickets on Saturday mornings of games for nothing.

"It was a fantastic offer. They've taken the first step and I hope the clubs appreciate it," McSweeney said.

As far as the future format of club cricket was concerned, McSweeney said: "We are trying to find out what relevant issues there are for club cricket.

"We know via correspondence we have received that there are views out there that club cricket needs attention."

Of the matters being mooted some clubs had clear views on one of the models that could be used, district cricket.

"It is pretty clear that the process has to be one of consultation and we have to develop appropriate models to meet the needs of clubs.

"We have to have a scheme that tries to make sure clubs don't disappear off the face of the Earth.

"It needs to be a scheme that protects the existence of clubs but which meets the objectives of club cricket which is to produce Wellington and New Zealand players from a good competition.

"It all needs some analysis and sensible logic," he said.

Moves are also in place to boost women's cricket by implementing a combined competition with Central Districts.

"Numbers are dwindling at the top level in Wellington and the teams we do have are heavily reliant on schoolgirls.

"We are in the throes of setting it up with Central Districts. It may mean teams have to travel a bit but it will mean a much more interesting competition.

"It will be centralised, possibly in Levin, Palmerston North or Wanganui," he said.

Wellington has also attempted to get its men's clubs to entertain the thought of putting a team in a women's senior reserve competition. It has provided a financial inducement to do that.

A women's cricket forum has been meeting in Wellington over the winter with a view to improving participation and this week national women's coach Mike Shrimpton and leading player and women's development officer Katrina Keenan are in the Capital on promotion exercises.

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