Riccarton Top; Park Last For First Time Since War

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30100, 6 April 1963, Page 9

Riccarton Top; Park Last For First Time Since War

TJICCARTON’S success, and the extremely dose competition, made the dub cricket season of 1962-63 one at the most enjoyable for years. When the last round began, any one of four teems could have won the championdrip. In fifth place for the first three rounds, Ricoarton effected an excellent recovery, and much of the credit for it belongs to the captain, I. McK. Sinclair. Deceptively quiet in speech and manner, Sinclair led the team mod efficiently; to win a competition when only two of the regular batsmen averaged more than 20 was a triumph. But Riccarton, half-way through the season, apparently came to the conclusion that the championdrip could be won, and from that point, attendances at practices were excellent The side also benefited from team talks at which ideas were pooled and discussed.

Riccarton will miss G. T. Barrett badly. This young batsman again topped the averages, and is clearly on the verge of representative selection. His transfer south is a tragedy for the club. W. E. Muncaater, dropped for the first two games, brought his cheerful batting back to the sen ior side with excellent effect But the other batsmen all struggled for runs during the season. The champion team's bowling was consistently good, with the tireless J. W. Kiddey again enjoying a personal triumph. R. C. Motz had a good season, and the bowling third man, D. Mclntyre, picked up wickets consistently, and gave the first pair the best of support A happy, enterprising team, Riccarton was a worthy winner.

With six representative players in the team, Old Boys were expected to win again, and the batting always looked strong; six players had averages over 20. All five of the principal bowlers had good seasons—but there was not one who stood out as a match-winner. There was more talent in the team than in any other senior side, but perhaps through a lack of assertiveness, the

early lead was not held. Patchy fielding also handicapped the team. Wert Chrirtchurch-Uni-versity was always somewhere near the top of the ladder, but it is difficult to

win a championship when 22 players have to be called upon. After a fine start, G. T. Dowling’s form fell away, and he missed three matches. D. G. Poulton, with his century in the last round, averaged 27, Dowling 29; the only other batting success was B. F. Hastings, who set a new post-war record with his aggregate of 817. His form was often magnificent. The bowling of B, H. Hopkis, J. M. McEwan, and A. C. Timpson was uni- c< formly good, and per- J haps this team should have J done better than third place. t Opportunities were there, « but they were not taken. { Except when J. E. J England struck a rich vein { of runs in three mid-season J matches, Old Collegians’ J batting was weak. A. R. * Mac Gibbon, missing five * matches through injury, was j not the force he usually is, 5 but it was a pity P. M. Hill * was not available for the } whole season. His breezy J batting was often distinctly J valuable. J. H. M. Dawson and N. J F. Curtis both bowled ably, * and Old Colleigans can look J forward to better things J next season. With Mac Gi- { bon fit, the improvement { shown by the off-spinner N. ' G. Clark, the form shoyrn { by tflie new wicketkeeper- J

batsman, J. S. Baird, the return of England, and the promise of the yowg leftarm spanner M. G. Lester, the side should improve from fourth place; it was within a touch of winning outright last Saturday, and finishing third. East Christchurch-Shirley scored only 13 points in five rounds before Christmas, 33 in the second half of the season, and its fifth place was an improvement on its performances in the last two seasons. P. G. Coman batted well, but in general the bowlers had a difficult time, with so few runs scored by the side. The team was out for under 100 three times. C. K. Smart again bowled efficiently, but one of the most pleasing features of the season was the advance made by the left-arm opening bowler, I. Shewan, who took 30 cheap wickets. The most disappointing team was Sydenham, which had four Canterbury bailsmen in the list. Until Christmas, Sydenham had a reasonable chance of taking the title. In the first four games, the team scored 30 points. In the last six, it could add only 14. This collapse was brought about, in the main, by the batsmen’s lack of application. Batting talents were simply squandered.

St. Albans, too, had better players than a seventh placing might suggest Eight batsmen had averages in excess of 30, but the bowiing was mediocre, and lacked a sharp spear-head. There is no reason to suppose, however, that a aide which can call on J. Rueton, P. G. Z. Harris, A. N. Baaley, the much-improved J. A. Mills, S. C. Guillen, S. N. McGregor and the highly-promising J. W. Burtt wild be short of runs next season. Strong in spin bowling, Sydenham needs a pace bowler of genuine quality.

The side was again well served by its Mttle wicketkeeper, K. Priest, who beaded the lirt for wicketkeeping dismissals in the senior grade. Lancaster Park, for so long a dominant force in senior cricket, finished last for the first time since the war. The bowling relied almost entirely co spin, and with the pitches so firm and fart, some sort of recession might have been expected. But its extent could be attributed mainly to the persistently poor batting, and to the fact that here, too. 32 players appeared for the senior teem.