Between Overs

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29339, 19 October 1960, Page 13

Between Overs

D. J. McKendry's six for 19 for Lancaster Park against |Sydenham on Saturday was

his finest performance in senior cricket but twice last season he had six in an innings—6 for 54 against West Christchurch - University, 6 for 44 against Old Collegians. Against Sydenham on

,Saturday, and on the first day. McKendry was remarkably inexpensive as well as destrucItive. His full match figures iwere 40.2 overs, 20 maidens, 34 runs, 8 wickets. The names of at least six of this season's senior cricketers will be familiar to those who have followed the I game in the last 30 years. B. R. Hopkins of West Christ-church-llniversity is a son of H. C. Hopkins, of the West Christchurch side soon after the war; B. A. Bolton’s father, I. Bolton, played seniors for Riccarton; B. R. Hope (Old Boys) is a son of R. W. Hope, the former West Christchurch and New Zealand player; P. Andrews (Lancaster Park) isi a son of S. Andrews, who played for Riccarton and Canterbury; j. w. Klddey’s father, 1 F, S. Klddey, was a very wellknown Christchurch Suburban senior; and B. G. Hadlee (Old ißoys) is a son of W. A. Hadlee, the Canterbury and New Zealand captain, who will probably be playing seniors again later this season. Since arriving in Christchurch from the West Coast in 1958, the young West Christchurch off-spin

bowler M. Behan has gone from strength to strength. In 1957- he played one match and did not take a wicket; in 1958- he had 10 senior games, for only 16 wickets. But

last season, in ■ seven matches, he took 33 and has started this season brilliantly with 11 wickets in the first match. His seven for 16 last Saturday was remarkable; he took four wickets in his last seven balls. Behan has twice before taken seven wickets in !an innings, both times against East Christchurch, last season. i It was a case of heads you lose in the Old Boys-Old Collegians match. B. M. J. Dineen lost his wicket when he drove a ball hard on to A. R. Mac Gibbon’s head, the ball ballooning up for the bowler, B. Farrant, to take the catch. On the first day of the match. J. G. Leggat went for a top edge to a short ball from G. Perry, and the ball, after hitting his face, was deflected to a fieldsman, who made the catch.

u. ueuin, wno played only twice for West Christchurch - University last season, but who topped the senior averages with his 14 wickets for 85 runs, may be available again for the third round. • ★ The first four of the 27 runs R. J. B. West scored for Old Boys against Old Collegians

took him to his first 1000 in the senior grade. West has not fulfilled his early promise as a forcing, attractive batsman, but he still has plenty of time to make his mark. A popular and

enthusiastic member of his club, West had his best season in 1958-59, when he scored 346 runs at an average of nearly 29. ★ Three members of the East Christchurch-Shirley team enjoyed the dubious distinction of starting the season with batting pairs. The players who failed to score twice were POakes, M. Willis and M. Adamson. C. Harper against West Christchurch-University had a similar unhappy experience.

At Hagley Oval on Saturday, many of the wickets which fell so rapidly were lost because batsmen, on a pitch which often made the ball hang and lift, slowly, tried to play off the, front foot too often. In such circumstances, they would have been better advised to have got bn to the back foot as much as possible, to watch the ball on to the bat. When he bowled C. Smart on Saturday, I. McK. Sinclair, the former New Zealand

off - spinner, claimed his two hundredth senior wicket Until last season, Sinclair played for East Christ- 1 church, and took 184 of his wickets for that club. He is one of the few who

has taken, nine senior wickets in an innings; that was against Old Boys, in 1852-53, his first senior season. Before that. Sinclair had bowled with success in North Canterbury. A very vigorous and useful batsman. Sinclair also remains one of the finest of fieldsmen, with a very swift and accurate throw.