WANTED: A WICKET-KEEPER Three More Players Not Available

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30898, 3 November 1965, Page 23

WANTED: A WICKET-KEEPER Three More Players Not Available

(By

R. T. BRITTKNDE.]

If the present course of events continues, the Canterbury Cricket Association may soon be advertising in the “situations vacant” column, on something like these lines:

“Wanted, a wicketkeeper for Canterbury’s Plunket Shield team. Must be active and energetic, preferably of independent means. Little previous experience necessary.”

The search for this season's wicket-keeper is at least narrowing. It began with the temporary retirement of J. T.

Ward, the New Zealand player. And a strange chain of circumstances have made the finding of a replacement difficult. Anderson Retired I. P. Anderson, almost certainly the best of the Christchurch 'keepers, retired at the :end of last season. S. C. ‘Guillen, who might conceivably have been recalled to Canterbury, decided, when appointed captain of St. Albans this season, to give up Wicket-keeping. Yesterday J. E. England, who has had Plunket Shield experience, was asked if he

would be available for consideration for the Plunket Shield team. He said that for business reasons he could not consider becoming a candidate. T. L. Haydon, who played his first senior game on Saturday since his return from England, was also asked if he could consider becoming a Canterbury shield candidate. He, too, said he could not consider making himself available for selection, for business and personal reasons. Kept Under Guard And from Ashburton came news of B. Tutty, an opening batsman and wicket-keeper, whose performance in Christchurch on Show Day was expected to give a firm pointer to his chances of selection. Tutty has had an operation for peritonitis, and is not expected to be playing cricket again much before Christmas. The three principal candidates now are G. R. McAulay, K. N. Priest and R. K. Allen. The cricket association might be well advised to keep them under armed guard.