Bill Howell Was Fine Left-Hand Bowler

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29363, 16 November 1960, Page 15

Bill Howell Was Fine Left-Hand Bowler

WILLIAM Redford Howell, ’’ whose - death occurred in Christchurch recently, was one of a numbey of very fine left-hand bowlers Canterbury has produced. He first played in an era when Canterbury had four lefthanders—S. F. Frankish, to whom Howell was second string, with D. Reese and S. C. Orchard as change spinners. Howell made his first appearance for Canterbury against Otago at Dunedin in the 1902-3 season when his figures in the two innings were two for 15 and three for 28. A few days later against Wellington at Lancaster Park his returns were six for 50 and seven for 32. Howell and Frankish (three for 29) dismissed Wellington for 62 in its second innings. Performances

Strangely enough these performances were not considered good enough to gain Howell a place in the Canterbury eleven to play P. F. Warner’s English team at Lancaster Park. However, he was included in the South Island team which played against the tourists at Dunedin. He took one wicket at a cost of 34 runs.

Howell did not play against Otago in the first representative match of the 1903-4 season at Hagley Park. At the New Year he assisted S. J. Callaway in the sensational dismissal of Wellington for 22 runs. On a wearing wicket at the Basin Reserve, CaJlaway was almost unplayable and finished with six wickets for four runs, Howell’s contribution to the batting debacle being four for 15.

Later in the same season at Auckland he took four for- 53 and two for 54 in a most exciting match which ended In a win for Auckland by two runs. Then came the inter-island fixture in which Howell took three for 39 and two for 31.

Unfortunately for the game, Howell left Christchurch for some time and so dropped out of representative cricket when at the height of a brief but distinctly creditable bowling career. In later years he returned to play club cricket and was captain of the East Christchurch team for a few seasons.

Howell was in the engineering department of "The Press” Company for a number of years. .