Technical Cricket Club Seeking Senior Status

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29798, 14 April 1962, Page 9

Technical Cricket Club Seeking Senior Status

TT is now 48 years since the Technical Old Boys’ cricket club was formed, a.d it may well be that by the time the club is 50 years old, it will have a team in the senior competition. It certainly deserves recognition, for in rather difficult circumstances it has done remarkably well, topping off its performances by winning the second grade A comoetition in the season just ended. Technical is anxious to win senior status and will be applying for it before the start of next season. Its chances,of success are debatable, for it would probably be felt that the inclusion of a ninth team would cause too many difficulties to be acceptable. Soon after the war, a promotion and relegation scheme was brought in. But the very first season it was to have applied, it was abandoned. presumably because the club which would have dropped out was old-estab-lished, and with traditions.

It would be a pity if no effort was to be made by the

Canterbury Cricket Associai tion to encourage clubs to seek higher standing. A club which knew it would have its' chance of promotion would be immensely encouraged, and it would, moreover, have a better chance of attracting to it all those players eligible for membership. Technical is a good example of this. It is not a closed club now, although its membership comes largely from former pupils of the college. Some of the best of them, however, play for other clubs, where they can be in senior teams. A Technical team with senior prospects would bring most of them back.

Tile Technical club is a particularly keen one. and it has been diligent in its efforts to win promotion. Its top team has a very good record in recent years. In 1953-54, it won the second C grade; in the next two seasons it was runner-up in the second B competition Then it won the second B grade, and in 1957-58 was runner-up in second A. After finishing fourth for two sea-

sons, it was again runnerup in second A in 1960-61, before winning in 1961-62, when its second team won the second grade D competition.

In the season just ended, the former Canterbury player, Mr J. Smith, was coach for the club. One of the members of the top team. L. Smith, was chosen for the New Zealand Brabin tournament team. The top team started badly, losing its first two games narrowly on the first innings, but then it improved immensely It won all five of its games after Christmas, under the leadership at R. Gray, who was also captain when it won its grade in 1956-57. Among the most successful players were P Bennetts, who took 56 wickets at 13.5 runs each, W. Charlton <46 at 12.1), M. Sibley <33 at 17.5 and 469 runs at 43», and L. Smith (430 runs at 33). The Technical club would be the last to claim it has a great senior side. All it asks is a chance to tackle further obstacles.