The Dunstan Cricket Club turned 150 in October 2013 but a lack of player numbers meant it had to merge with the Alexandra Cricket Club last season to form the Molyneux Cricket Club.
And this season the Clyde-Earnscleugh Rugby Football Club had to pull out of premier-grade country rugby competition due to a lack of front rowers.
There was a time when New Zealand perhaps liked to imagine its All Blacks and Black Caps as rugged country types able to fashion just about anything from a piece of No8 wire.
But everybody is busy these days and too busy, it seems, to play cricket or rugby.
"We tried real hard last year,'' O'Connor said.
"We put on a barbecue for home games and we made sure everyone brought a real good afternoon tea. But I'm not going to lie to you, it's not working.
"We're now reduced from two teams last year to one team. We had an A team and a reserve team and we've lost the reserve team this year and we are struggling to make one senior team.''
O'Connor even strapped on the pads again after 11 years away from the game to try to help out. He felt like the club had created a lovely family environment but conceded it was an uphill battle to keep people interested.
"In terms of the senior level, we don't have an answer yet. People just have other stuff on. But what we are trying to do is make sure the junior club is strong.''
Bill Ussher, the immediate past president of Clyde-Earnscleugh Rugby Football Club, remains hopeful the club will return to the premier grade next year and believes the club is still a focus for the community.
"We are trying desperately to put a team together for next season. At the moment it is looking quite promising,'' he said.
"I think the community actually misses the fact that we don't have a team.''
Clyde-Earnscleugh used to share its clubrooms with the Dunstan Cricket Club.
That helped keep the costs down but it now has to pick up the bills itself.
The club had a loss of about $2000 in the last financial period.
"We just have to absorb that if we want to keep going, I suppose. That is the way we are looking at it.''
"It [the clubrooms] was used as a facility for the kids but that was about all. There were a couple of events held in the front room but no real use of it, shall we say.''
