Between Overs

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 13

Between Overs

Riccarton has an extremely promising young left-hand batsman, R. Jefferson. A product of St. Bede’s College, Jefferson played one senior match early in the season, and returned to the team for the ninth round, when he scored an accomplished 61 against Sydenham. On Saturday Jefferson and another vastly-improved batsman. G. Barrett, scored 64 for the first wicket against St. Albans. Both batted well, and their running was very quick and well-judged. * * *

The Canterbury opening batsman B. A. Bolton, who has had a rather lean season, showed a welcome return to form on Saturday. He batted particularly well for a chanceless 41, his second highest score in club . cricket this season. Bolton also underlined his usefulness as an allrounder, his leg-spin bowling returning five wickets for 34 runs. * 4s *

With only one day’s play remaining in the senior cricket championship, there is keen competition for the distinction of having taken most wickets. At present the top 10 bowlers are covered by a difference of 10 wickets. The best figures are: D. J. McKendry 46, A. G. Duckmanton 45, R. C. Motz, B. A. Bolton 44, C. K. Smart, J. W. Kiddey 43, M. B. Poore, A. R. Mac Gibbon 40, B. Hopkins 39, A. C. Timpson 36.

The Brabin Shield representative, B. Hopkins (West Christchurch-Uni-versity) has enjoyed splendid success with the ball in his first full senior season. Hopkins missed the last round because of injury, and with one day remaining he has taken 39 wickets at an average of 12.6, and has consistently dismissed the top opposition batsmen. At Boys’ High School Hopkins showed promise as a batsman, and one or two useful innings this season suggest that he may develop into a genuine allrounder. 4t 4e

The top senior batsmen, like the bowlers, have only a few runs covering their aggregates. The totals this season are lower than they have been for some time. The best aggregates are those of S. C. Guillen (447), R. T. Dowker (440), W. A. Hadlee (435), K. Thomson (432), J. Crocott (427), and D. L. GaUop (426). 4s 4s 4(

As the Sydenham allrounder D. L. Gallop has increased his value to his team as a batsman in recent weeks, so has his bowling fallen away. In his last 10 innings Gallop

has scored 409 runs at an average of 45.4. But his last four matches have brought him only three wickets for 253 runs. 4s 45 4s

On Saturday, W. A. Hadlee, with his 38, continued an astonishing run of success. In his last nine innings he has not been out for under 20 runs.

Although he missed two rounds of matches, the Old Collegians off-spin bowler, B. A. Carpenter, has enjoyed considerable success recently. After the first two months of the season he had taken only two wickets for more than 100 runs. But a

match analysis of seven for 57 against West Christchurch - University, another of seven for 31 against St. Albans, and then eight for 99 against Lancaster Park, have helped bring his season's total to 28, at very moderate cost. 4s 4s 4t

R. T. Dowker (Lancaster Park) brought his season’s aggregate to 440 on Saturday, a very fine total in this competent player’s return to senior cricket. Since the third round Dowker has scored four half-centuries and three other scores over 25 in 10 innings. 45 45 45

West Christchurch-Uni-versity must have been very relieved to see G. E. Royfee out first ball on Saturday. Since he came into senior cricket in 1949-50, he has played 24 innings for Lancaster Park against West Christchurch and West Christ-church-University, and has scored 843 runs in them at an average of 42.1. Saturday’s duck was his first in these games; he has made one century, four other scores over 50, 11 others over 20, and in two of the smaller he was not out