Positive Approach In Club Cricket

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29792, 7 April 1962, Page 9

Positive Approach In Club Cricket

'THE senior cricket championship which ended on Saturday was one of the least exciting in recent memory. so far as competitive interest was concerned, but there was, for all that, a more positive approach, with a much higher proportion of completed matches than usual.

In winning the championship for the first time in six years. Old Boys showed a definite superiority over the other seven teams. They lost only once, and had eight outright wins in the other nine matches. The team

owed much of its success to the sustained accuracy of W. M. Duncan s bowling, and the startling form of B. G. Hadlee with the bat.

Old Boys seem certain to be strong for some seasons, for there is a long list of good, established senior players. as well as some go<>d young ones—Hadlee. M. L. Ryan, and a youth of particular promise. C. J. Stevens. Old Boys were always worth watching, for they batted briskly, they bowled and fielded purposefully. The team scored just twice as many runs a wicket as opponents scored against it. Sydenham’s supporters were pleased to see their side in second place, the best position it has won for many seasons. Under B. A. Sa t. the team played attractively and well. It was 25 points behind Old Boys after four rounds, and only five points further back xvhen the competition ended six rounds later, a measure of the good form Sydenham showed in the second half of the season. save for its unexpected loss to St. Albans. D. L. Gallop was Syd-n--ham’s best player, as he has been Canterbury’s best tn ‘he Plunket Shield series. His all-round skill brought him 38 wickets and 640 runs, a very fine double. C. R. Nicholson took most wickets, and Salt also bowled well D Truscott’s consistently good batting meant much to Sydenham. but K. Thomson had a disappointing season. Sydenham. at its best, could make a further advance next season.

St. Albans was a team whirfi advanced in fits and starts. Many of the batsmen showed good form in patches, none of them scored consistently well; so marked was this trend that A. R. Taylor, a stock bowler and a useful batsman late in the list, actually headed the averages of those who played regullarly. The return of P. G. Z Harris will benefit the team, which has two very fine prospects not long out of school —the wicket-keeper T Haydon, and an all-rounder M Clements. The bowling was of fair quality, with

Poore’s tantalising accuracy bringing him a whole heap of cheap wickets

Lancaster Park, after winning four successive championships. slipped to fourth place. This was largely through lack of batting. D. E. Woods did not show his best form, and was later out through injury; M. Randle, a batsman wno looks as if he should do very well indeed, had many failures; A. Harrison’s form also declined to such an extent that he was dropped from the senior side. The captain. A. G. Duckmanton, and the evergreen R. T. Dowker were the best batsmen. but in the second half of the season B. Noonan indicated that he will provide the side with many runs next season.

Again Lancaster Park relied ’lmost entirely on snin bowling. and this time Duckmanton and D. J. McKendry were unable to pin batsmen dowm as firmly as in recent seasons. However. B. Irving bowled particularly well, taking 50 wickets at nominal cost, and his 12 wickets against Riccarton was one of the feats of the season.

Riccarton, nearly always an enterprising team, also suffered chronically from lack of runs. G. T. Barrett, making a further notable advance, averaged 40. and is clearly fulfilling the high promise he showed a season or two ago. But if rumours that G. A. Bartlett will be with the club next season are well founded

and R. C. Motz is his opening partner, Riccarton will have an extraordinarily strong bowling side, with J. Kiddey and E. R. Hignett supporting the fast men. East Christchurch-Shirley finished sixth, and might have been higher had luck run its

way early in the season. It had some very narrow losses. But the scoring of maximum points in each of the last two rounds must have been highly satisfying to a young and eager team. The best of the East Christchurch - Shirley batsmen barely struggled to averages in the twenties, but the newcome, s. P. G. Coman and A. E. Dunlop, may well develop into fine cricketers, and so may the stylish T. Marshall. C. K. Smart bowled extremely well almost throughout the season, and the club

must be encouraged by I. Shewan’s improvement. West Christchurch - University was near the end of the championship list for most of the season, and again it was an extraordinary lack of batting which cost the side its chances. But B. F. Hastings cannot conceivably have another club season as bad as this one was for him.

The team habitually suffers from having too many players coming and going from senior ranks, and it seems that is inevitable. But the captain. A. C. Timpson, did his best with his changing team, and set a notable example with his steady leftarm bowling, this being his best season by far. The club must be pleased with its new young wicket-keeper, R. Allen, who showed distinct promise.

Old Collegians assumed last place in the ninth round, and stayed there. A. R. Mac Gibbon did not have his usual astonishing bowling figures, and J. H. M. Dawson enjoyed only moderate success with the ball. However. N. F. Curtis may improve further with his fast bowling. But the team needs more players of the calibre of B. J. Crichton, who batted with resource and a cheerful aggression on several occasions. A more positive approach, and a little more determination, could convert Old Collegians into a good team.