Many Bowlers Candidates For Plunket Shield Team

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29058, 21 November 1959, Page 5

Many Bowlers Candidates For Plunket Shield Team

In little more than a month, Canterbury will begin its Plunket Shield programme. It is expected that the members of the training squad will be announced within a few days, and the composition of the group may throw some light on the methods by which the selectors hope to improve on Canterbury’s recent moderate record. For the bowling places there is keen competition, but there has been - a decided lack of batting of quality in the senior grades. The poor condition of the Hagley Oval pitches accounts for this in part, but the batting, nevertheless, gives rise to considerable concern. The first problem, and one which will have a decided effect on the composition of the team

as a whole, is the choice of an opening batsman to partner B. A. Bolton. Although he has been batting lower in the order, G. D. Alabaster seems to have the best claims for this place. He has had considerable experience as an opener, he has made some useful scores this season, and for lack of other strong claimants, he may win the posi-. tion.

Had he found form, M. B. Poore might well have returned to the shield side as an opening batsman, a position in which he did. well for Canterbury. J. G. Leggat has been in particularly good .form, but it is unlikely that he will be returned to the team.

He is young enough, at 33, but 1 he has been away from repre- j sentative cricket for a long spell, and his duties as a national 1 selector would probably pre- j vent hi.n from being available. , Last Saturday R. T. Hunt batted ■ so Well that once again the talk was of how he had come to be left out of Canterbury teams. But he lacks match practice at present, and like some of the other possibilities he might find a series of matches in a short period a little too much for him.

Experience S. C. Guillen has some experience as an opening batsman, but his talents are increased further down the list, and Alabaster seems the best prospect. If Alabaster is used there, it may resolve the problem of which off-spinner to use; M. Beban, A. F. Rapley, and B. Irving have all had spectacular success this season. Alabaster has also achieved startling bowling figures, and he is as steady as any of them.

Although he has had a succession of poor scores, G. T. Dowling must be retained as one of the batsmen. His advance last season was most encouraging, and he has earned the right to another chance. M. E. Chapple’s form last Saturday was first-class, and it brightened the batting picture considerably. Guillen has not had much success so far, and he could be challenged by several younger players, but on the scorfc of experience and his representative record, Guillen will probably go in again.

For the last batting place, the leading candidates are K. Thomson and D. Hill, with P. G. Z. Harris, B. A. Haworth and T. Bishop also possibilities. Thomson has the temperament to do well on any occasion, and the audacity to play his natural game instead of becoming a victim of convention. Hill is a very talented young player, but Thomson’s claims at present are perhaps a little stronger. Runs Needed Harris needs only a couple of long, sound innings to be a threat to Guillen or Thomson and although Haworth has an indifferent record in shield teams, there are few who try so hard. Bishop looks an outstanding prospect, but he has barely achieved success in senior ranks, and it might be unwise to rush him into a shield team too early. The return of A. R. Mac Gibbon will help Canterbury immensely, and J. W. Kiddey should share much of the bowling with him. These two should keep opposing batsmen under fairly firm control. The choice of the other pace bowler is not going to be easy. R. C. Motz has, close on

his heels, some fine young rivals —R. H. Prouting, R. Nicholson. R. W. Cole. But again, the fact •that Motz has had some success for Canterbury, will probably give him the position; he has started to bowl well again, and this season could see him make a considerable advance.

It is to be hoped that the selectors will not be afraid to include right-hand leg-spin, for its value will be increased by the new rule restricting on-side fieldsmen. W. Bell bowled well for Canterbury last season, without proper reward, and he should go back into the team. D. L. Gallop could challenge him again, if he should strike form.

The wicket-keeper will almost certainly be J. Ward, and he will help give Canterbury quite a useful list of batsmen at the end of the order.

But at this stage, few of the players are certainties. Events in the next two or three weeks, and form at the nets, could be decisive. But a team such as Bolton, Alabaster, Dowling, Chapple, Guillen, Thomson, Mac Gibbon, Kiddey, Ward, Bell and Motz seems a useful one—except that it has rather an embarrassing number of bowlers.