North Canterbury's Cricket Goes Ahead

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29222, 4 June 1960, Page 5

North Canterbury's Cricket Goes Ahead

FOR the real cricket enthusiast the winter months, with their fogs and frost and Rugby, hockey, soccer and other sports, are no more than a breather between overs, for in the shorter days and the longer nights there is much that occurred during the previous season worthy of discussion. Most Successful In the North Canterbury district which last season completed one of its most successful seasons ever—23 teams competed—much of the between-season cricket talk will centre round the performance of the representative side which won the Sub-associa-tions’ Shield and the junior team which won the Junior Cup, and the great battles in the club games.

The senior competition was full of interest with Ohoka achieving what is believed to be its first win of the senior championship, after playing attractive cricket throughout. Although J. Blakely and E. Blakely were considered by many to dominate the batting, other players did their part well and the team was much more evenly balanced than was generally realised. Two of the tearh gained representative honours, Jim Blakely being included ill the North Canterbury senior team and W. Vette, the side’s best bowler, in the North Canterbury juniors. The enthusiasm of the players was such, their fielding seldom let their side down.

Cricket in North Canterbury has a long history, dating back to almost the very beginning of the settlement, with matches being played at fairly regular intervals between Rangiora and Kaiapoi. The first recorded game between the two towns was played late in 1853 while Don Hawkins, in his book “Beyond the Waimakariri,” gives the date of the founding of the Rangiora club as 1859. The club must be among the oldest in the Dominion and it is a pity its centenary was passed almost unnoticed.

The forerunner to the present North Canterbury sub-association, the Ashley County Cricket Association played a representative match against Carisbrook, Dunedin, in 1881, and the association’s challenge cup dating from 1892 is still the symbol of supremacy in the sub-association. Earliest Records The earliest reference to Ohoka in the sub-association’s records is in the 1912-13 season. The club dropped out of the competitions in 1924 and did not play again until 1947-48, when it combined with Swannanoa. In the next year it was again playing as an independent club and by the 1955-56 season was sufficiently strong to win the senior B grade. In the next season it was promoted to the senior A competition. Although this year’s senior B grade resulted in a fairly comfortable win for Oxford this team had to struggle hard for wins against Rangiora High School and Loburn-Sefton. The junior grade was won by Amberley rather too easily and it appears this team

would profit by being promoted. The entry of the Rangiora High School second XI into this grade added interest and it was noted several of the team had been in the schoolboys’ grade the previous season. Shield Win The North Canterbury senior side regained the sub-association shield, after losing it the previous year, beating Malvern in the final. The team won all its matches and particular satisfaction was gained from its win over a Christchurch XI at Hagley Oval at Labour week-end, giving North Canterbury its third successive victory in this fixture. The junior representatives again won the Junior Cup, which they have held for eight of the last nine years. Two members of the team, C. Reid and G. Wood, gained selection for the Canterbury Brabin Shield team, which toured the West Coast at Easter. A pleasing feature is the increasing interest clubs are taking in the condition of their grounds and last season Ohoka and High School followed the lead of Woodend in providing grass pitches. The Rangiora club intends to provide a grass pitch for next season, too, and it is understood other clubs are giving the matter serious consideration.

The provision of grass pitches should prove of great benefit to North Canterbury cricket. Batsmen will learn to adapt themselves to varying conditions, while bowlers will always have a good foothold and a smooth even runup, which should result in greater accuracy.