Backwater-status danger

Perhaps the rest of New Zealand doesn’t know Palmerston North is home to almost 90,000 people. It seems to have escaped at least a couple of sporting bodies, which might have the city confused with a small town where the main sporting field is kept mown by farmer Brown’s sheep.

Granted, Central Energy Trust Arena, Memorial Park and Fitzherbert Park are sporting grounds from the dark ages, but on the whole Palmerston North has a vibrant sporting scene, and we want it to stay that way.

So news this week that the city was snubbed by cricket authorities and could be abandoned by top hockey was a shock.

When Central Districts cricket was formed, Palmerston North was its home. Matches have been limited for the past few years, but it comes as a blow that Palmerston North won’t see any first-class men’s action this summer.

The city will host two women’s one-day matches in March, which is a plus, and it’s encouraging that new Manawatu¯ Cricket Association chairwoman Carla na Nagara says she will ask Central Districts Cricket why Palmerston North missed out on men’s games.

Fitzherbert Park clearly needs money spent on it if the city is to host top-level cricket, but Central Districts should be spreading comparatively low-profile one-day and four-day matches around its associations for the good of the game.

Yes, there are only so many games a season, but that’s not a good enough reason for Central Districts to bypass its biggest city.

Possibly more worrying are plans from Hockey NZ to axe the Northland and Central teams from its top-flight competitions.

Manawatu¯ comes under the Central umbrella and it certainly can’t be said the region has disgraced itself down the years, with senior and age-grade wins.

On top of that Central – and Manawatu¯ – has produced more than its fair share of New Zealand players. But it seems Hockey NZ is desperate to consolidate the game into fewer centres, ignoring the damage this could do to the sport elsewhere, particularly at lower levels as players outside the elite programmes see no pathway to rep teams.

Sport Manawatu¯ chief executive Trevor Shailer says he hasn’t seen any clear rationale about why Central faces the axe and nor can we. We tried asking Hockey NZ this week to explain itself, but received only a disappointing ‘‘no comment’’.

Our sports associations must stand up for the city and not take these snubs on the chin.

Jimmy Ellingham jimmy.ellingham@stuff.co.nz