Reliance on the performance of the national men's cricket team to help the funding performance of major associations is providing concerns for Cricket Wellington.

Chief executive Ervin McSweeney commented in the annual report to be presented at next week's annual meeting, "Cricket Wellington's ongoing dependence on the international product (which now dominates the market), is a risky and unsustainable model if we hope to deliver on a positive set of cricket development initiatives with any level of consistency.

"Income from gate sales, membership and corporate hospitality at, or attached to, international events are major budget items all of which remain vulnerable to negative perceptions of the international programme and, of course, competition from other major events," he said.

While suffering a financial loss last year, with an operating cash deficit of $33,000 which along with depreciation and prior period adjustments resulted in an operating loss of $64,000, the association's base cash reserves remained strong and relatively unscathed due to an aggressive cost control regime.

But it was the failure of the CLEAR Black Caps to attract greater support at home that baffled McSweeney.

"Following the Black Caps success in Kenya prior to Christmas, the lack of support for the one-day series was hugely disappointing and hard to understand.

"Perhaps there were too many ODI's for the market to cope with; had match-fixing scandals left a sour taste; were the teams in question perceived as bereft of star quality; was the pricing formula correct, what of marketing and promotion, who knows?" he asked.

"What was apparent, however, was an ongoing undercurrent of negativity in sections of the media, which the Black Caps and their management team found difficult to shake off.

"This must be addressed in the near future if local support is to be regained," he said.

Wellington's success in winning the Shell Trophy was lauded by McSweeney after a wait of a decade.

"The Firebirds exemplified all that is admirable in team performance - a fighting spirit, a positive approach, discipline, strong leadership, and the result was a growth in confidence and respect for one another, which should bode well for future efforts in all aspects of the game," he said.

Their success had been achieve despite the placid nature of the Basin Reserve pitch and the difficulty that created for outright wins at their home ground.

McSweeney was unhappy with the pitch provided for the Boxing Day Test with Zimbabwe.

"...it emerged looking like it had been imported directly from the Indian subcontinent. The conception of this strangely barren strip remained a mystery, however, it soon was regarded as contributory to the slow moving events unfolding in the middle," he said.

Expert advice has resulted in the pitch block being refreshed and work was done over the winter on the eastern side of the wicket block.

The success of the under-17 youth team in winning the national boys' tournament and the third-placing by the under-19 side were a great base from which to build on the success of the Firebirds winning the Shell Trophy, he said.

© CricInfo