CRICKET P. B. Wight Will Coach In City

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30190, 23 July 1963, Page 22

CRICKET P. B. Wight Will Coach In City

Some of the dash and sparkle associated with West Indian cricketers may be injected into the game io Canterbury in the coming season. Ait a meeting of the Canterbury Cricket Association's management committee law evening, it was announced that the 33-year-oid Somerset batsman. P. B. Wight, had been appointed as the association's professional coach for the 1963-64 season.

The steam of six-day-a-week cricket has often robbed many batsmen of their nrtiurai instincts but this is not so with Wight. Not only is he one of the most consistent batsmen playing county cricket—be has a career average of 43.3—but be is also one of the most entertaining. Wight, who was bom in Georgetown. British Guiana. 33 years ago. has been Somerset's most successful batsman since he joined the county staff in 1963 (for a one-year

qualafving period). From then until la* (Engktah) season. Wight has scored over 14.000 runs in county cricket Before the present seaeon. his total in all first-claes cricket —which includes one match tor Britash Ginsno in the 1960-51 season—-u 15.454 runs In 1959. against Kent, he made his highest score of 222 not out. The beet season Wight has bad for Somerset was in 1960 In all matches tor the county that year be scored 2316 runs, a record trite was beaten the following year by the Australian-born lefthander, W. E. Alley. Wight, who made 109 not out in his first match tor

Somerset—against the 1953 Australian team—is primarily a batsman but is capable of taking valuable wickets with hue not-too-terious offspinners. He has taken 56 wickets in first-class matches —at an average of 35 runs each—and his beat analysis is six tor 29. against Derbyshire in the 1957 season