Two New Caps In Canterbury Team

Press, Volume CI, Issue 30007, 17 December 1962, Page 16

Two New Caps In Canterbury Team

Two new caps are included u< the Canterbury team to play Otago in the first of the season’s Plunket Shield matches, at Dunedin at Christmas. They are the St. Albans opening batsman, J. Ruston, and the Lancaster Park off-spinner, B. Irving.

The team is:— B. A. Bolton (Old Boys) J. H. M. Dawson (Old Collegians) G. T. Dowling (West Christchurch-Univer-sity) D. L. Gallop (Sydenham) B. G. Hadlee (Old Boys) P. G. Z. Harris (St. Albans) B. F. Hastings (West Christchurch - University) B. Irving (Lancaster Park) J. W. Kiddey (Riccarton) R, C. Motz (Biccarton) J. Ruston (St. Albans) J. T. Ward (Timaru). The captain will be appointed at a meeting ot the Canterbury Cricket Association’s management committee tomorrow evening.

Ruston, wiho is a righthand opening batsman, is 21 years old. He Showed particular promise when he was

a pupil at the Paipamui High School, and he went straight from school to toe St. Albans senior team. After two mediocre seasons, he began to make runs last summer, and this season he has developed into a very aggressive and successful batsman. Irving has been a regular member of toe Lancaster Park senior team tor several years. His inclusion in the team will be welcomed, tor he is a most papular and unassuming player, as well as one of gifts and determination. The twelfth man will probably be named on the morning of toe match. [By R.T.8.1 The omission of the Sydenham bailsman, K. Thomson, is quite the most startling feature in toe selection of Canterbury’s Plunket Shield team.

There seems no valid reason for his dismissal, although this has not been an easy season for selectors by any means. They had the task of choosing six from a list of 10 players in the training squad primarily for their batting. Of the 10, only Dowling, Bolton and Thomson seemed certain of places on current form.

Three years ago Thomson played for Canterbury for the first time, and made a lasting impression with his disregard for convention and his fierce hitting. That season he averaged nearly 30. played some spectacular innings, and of toe Canterbury players was second only to M. E. Chapple In the last two seasons. Thomson has done little of note, because of impatience and a penchant for hitting across toe line. But this summer his batting has been far more disciplined; without forsaking his liking for attack, he has improved immensely, and throughout the season he has been hitting straight. Thomson could not have been discarded on results; he is averaging 43.5 in club games this season, and only Ruston, of all the members of the squad, has a better result. It is not that he lacks experience; and with cricket crying out for aggressive batting, and for personalities it is disturbing to find he has been left out. Thomson, with the sharp improvement in his technique, and his highly, developed ability to cash in on toe loose ball, is a batsman to save or win a game He is also a useful change bowler, and a fast-moving fieldsman with a fine throw The selectors will not win much support for their belief that he is not good enough for this season’s team. There had to be some lucky batsmen, because several of those with reputations have been in unhappily erratic form. But apart from Thomson s exclusion, the side is very much as expected. Irving, who may well be twelfth man at Dunedin, has earned • S chance. On a wearing pitch, he could be very suecestui. On a plumb one, his application and determination will be distinct assets.