Cricket boors

It is disturbing and saddening that Amy Ross and her friend had to endure physical and verbal abuse at the Basin Reserve (News, January 28).

Some years ago my daughter and I found it impossibly unpleasant to sit on the Bank because of the continuous stream of obscenities.

Also, it was de rigueur for every woman walking along the path to be battered by obscene chanting.

We moved, and at future matches chose carefully where we sat, but the Bank was always out of consideration.

Last Friday, when we were again there, this time with her three young children, we sat at the edge of the ‘‘Catch Zone’’ and remarked to each other how wonderfully improved the situation was from those earlier years.

We were treated with courtesy, and never heard an expletive of any kind. Young women came and went unmolested by obscene remarks. Most of the men were drinking but there was no sense of excess.

So while my sympathies are with Ross and her friend I would also like to congratulate the organisers of the event.

Conduct has improved dramatically over recent years and we hope, now that Ross has pointed to deficiencies, that these improvements continue.

Barry Doyle, Wellington

When will New Zealand Cricket and/or the host stadiums for Black Caps matches admit that alcohol is a major earner for them.

I have been to enough cricket matches to know that the loutish behaviour experienced by that young lady is no isolated incident. I like a beer or two but my wife and I now opt for the family oriented alcohol-free zones to get away from this drunken behaviour. Unfortunately, that immediately restricts choice of seats.

The authorities need to get serious about discouraging the culture of a significant minority. If they were serious about the issue they could (a) serve only lowalcohol beer or (b) reverse the relative areas given to drinking and non-consumption of alcohol so that the latter is the majority of the ground. But alas, that would hit their profits.

Mark Shepherd, Hamilton