The Beginnings
In March 1863 one of the first games of cricket was played in the South Canterbury area between the Timaru Club and a team from Arowhenua. Arowhenua scored fifty, to win by an innings. As Arowhenua was the original name for Temuka, or more precisely, that area east of the railway line, we must presume that this is the first report of a team playing a major game of cricket in the Temuka area.
The Arowhenua Cricket Club was thus formed as early as 1863 and reports appear in early editions of the Timaru Herald newspaper of general meetings of the club at this time. Early supporters of the game in Temuka included a lot of the town’s fathers many of whom have since lent their names to some of the town’s streets – Dr Rayner, Messers Dyson and Hornbrook among them. Other names included Velvin, Franks, Levens, Hayhurst, Fisher, Bryant, Thompson and McRae.
The Temuka correspondent of the “Herald” noted on 30 October 1869 that ‘the formation of the club will afford our young men in the long summer evenings now coming on, a harmless and most healthful occupation’.
This early club appears to have gone through some years of ups and downs with some apparent lack of opportunities and interest. The game itself went through a series of revivals, but regular matches were hard to come by with transportation and communication difficulties being faced by prospective organisers. Games at this time were played in Mr Young’s paddock, that area now equivalent to the Temuka Hotel car park, opposite the Temuka Saleyards.
A cricket club eventuated in 1878 but was then affiliated to the local football club. At the end of each playing season, the balance of club funds was transferred from the football club to the cricket club, and vice versa. The preparation and maintenance of cricket grounds must have been a major task in those early days, before motorized rollers and mowers.
It was not until 1884, however, that the Temuka Cricket Club came into being as a separate body, hence the 125th celebrations of the club are being held in 2009.
In September of 1884, a meeting was called in the Wallingford Hotel (sited at the south-east corner of King and Commerce Streets) for Saturday 20th by a Mr J.J.Heap. All those in favour of starting a cricket club were requested to attend. Because of the interest shown a further meeting was held a month later (20th October 1884). It was at this meeting that the Temuka Cricket Club was formed. It was decided to accept a challenge issued by the Geraldine Cricket Club, and play them on the following Saturday. A team was selected to represent the new club and the first of the 124 years of the club was about to commence. (Temuka lost).
The club, in fact, started with very few members but soon obtained a sound footing as the town grew and in a few years became one of the leading clubs in South Canterbury.
Others who were associated with the club at this period of its history were W.G.Aspinall, D.Ferguson, Chas. Austin, J.Beri, J. de Renzy and J.W.Twomey. Several of these later represented Canterbury at Cricket.Cricket’s following in the town around the turn of the century was quite strong. Prominent administrators included Dr Hayes, Mr W.H.Reeves, Dr Crawshaw, Mr Harbage and Mr Thos Buxton, M.P.
Annual meeting reports of the club tell of pleasant and profitable seasons of cricket.
By now the Oval was becoming the principal cricket ground in the area. Indeed, the ground at Temuka was largely used as a base for many games. T.W.Reese in New Zealand Cricket 1841 – 1914 (page 44) states ‘At Temuka the South Canterbury cricketers had a picturesque little ground which played quite true and fast”. Canterbury played South Canterbury at Temuka in 1898-1899 and again in 1902-03.
