Between Overs

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29985, 21 November 1962, Page 15

Between Overs

A major success has eluded the New Zealand pace bowler R. C. Mots in club cricket this season. On Saturday he bowled 15 overs for Riccarton without securing a wicket and seldom appeared really dangerous, although at the start of second spell he bowled a particularly good over to J. D. Capstick. Probably Motz is still feeling the effects of his ankle injury; certainly he has yet to reach full pace. ¥ ¥ ¥ With seven dismissals so far this season, the Lancaster Park wicket-keeper, I. P. Anderson, is now only four short of his century. When the Old Collegians batsman, P. C. C. Sheppard, was bowled for a duck by D. H Hicks against Old Boys on Saturday, it reduced his batting average this season from 172 to 86. In his three previous innings in the president's grade Sheppard had scored 77, 26 not out and 9 not out ¥ ♦ ¥

The ground fielding by Old Boys on Saturday was exceptionally good and none was better than B. G. Hadlee, who has taken over B. A. Bolton's position in the covers Hadlee chased the ball with great heart and his returns to the wickets were swift and accurate.

Wellington will almost certainly be without the former Canterbury player, J. St J. Parson, in the Plunket Shield matches this summer Parson, who had shown useful earlyseason form, has burst a blood vessel in a leg and will be out of action for many weeks * ♦ # If there was a batting storm at Ensors road when F. G. Hobbs scored his eentary for West Christ-chureh-Cnivenuty in the president's grade on Saturday. there was comparative calm on the adjoining pitch, where Technical Old Boys were engaged in a game vith High School Old Boys in the second grade A competition. Hobbs scored his hundred in under the hour, and hit four huge sixes. ’ In this match, with Technical. 46! runs were scored for seven wickets in 279 minutes; in the other game, in which play went on for 375 minutes. !5 wickets fell for 399 runs.

Two useful senior players will be leaving Christchurch soon. J. North, t Sydenham, will be leaving in mid-December for Hamilton, and G. Lane (St Albans) will also be lost to Christchurch cricket in the next few weeks. ¥ ¥ ¥ Three Canterbury batsmen reached personal milestones in club cricket - on Saturday. They were G. T. Dowling, who brought his club aggregate to 2000 runs, B. A. Bolton, who reached 2500, and B. A. Haworth, whose tally is now more than 3500.

Although he scored only 14, P. J. Andrews indicated in his return to the Lancaster Park team on Saturday that he may now be able to fulfil the great promise he showed as a boy at Christ’s College. Andrews has played little cricket for the last two or three years, because of business commitments.

The difficulties of ! wicket-keeping when the j ball is both lifting sharply ■ and keeping very low ■ were fully emphasised at J Burwood Park where East i Christchurch-Shirley is ■ playing Riccarton on the J new senior pitch. There J were 57 extras during the ■ day, 35 of them byes, but J the respective wicket- J keepers J. Huston and E. ■ T. FuUer were not wholly ■ to blame. While a com- • mendable advance is being J made in the preparation of a the Burwood pitch, at pre- ■ sent it is still a little too J lively for comfort * * * The luckiest captain in ■ senior cricket is M. B. j Poore, and this is not only ■ because he has under his • control a particularly ! cheerful and likeable team, ■ Poore is the only senior ■ captain to have won all J three tosses this season. ! Old Collegians have won ■ three times, but on Satur- ■ day there was a new cap- ■ tain. J. E. England, to re- ! place the injured A. R. ■ Mac Gibbon.