Between Overs

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31206, 2 November 1966, Page 15

Between Overs

The St. Albans club has begun the extension of its pavilion, with the building of a veranda beyond the present, upstairs tea-room. It should offer a fine view of the cricket, and help ease accommodation problems. * * * Two of the complaints made about senior cricket so far this season have been on the quality of the Hagley Park pitches and the control of senior scorebooks by primary school boys. The pitches at Hagley have played well, and on Saturday the scoring was high. The two primary school boys looking after the books were doing an excellent job. It is doubtful whether adults have ever kept neater or more accurate books than those of Nicky Ainge, who scores for Riccarton, and Ben Frampton, of West Christchurch. $ $ # The loss of W. J. Mitchell, after the completion of the present round, will be felt by West Christ-church-University. This very talented young batsman will return to Hamilton, and it will be surprising if he fails to retain a place in the Northern Districts team. He played only three innings in Christchurch last season, and scored a half-century against St. Albans. His 129 not out against the same club on Saturday was one of the most attractive displays seen at Hagley Oval

The century scored by G. T. Barrett on Saturday was his eighth in the senior grade for Riccarton. Barrett needed one run, when the season began, to reach 3000 senior championship

runs for his club. There have been few more consistent batsmen in recent seasons than Barrett. His lowest average in his last five seasons has been 26.5. Three of his eight hundreds have been made from Old Boys’ bowling. * :k The scores by Riccarton and West ChristchurchUniversity on Saturday were the first in senior matches of over 300 since the final round of the 196465 season. For West Christ-church-University, it was a particularly notable occasion. The team had not reached 300 since the ninth round in 1963-64.

The considerable success of the former West-Univer-sity player, A. C. Timpson, in Auckland cricket last season has been continued. In his first match this season, Timpson took 10 wickets with his left-arm spin and must again lodge a strong claim to inclusion in the Auckland Plunket Shield team—an honour that he was most unfortunate to miss last season. The only senior captains to have won the toss in each of the three matches this season are B. J. Salt (Sydenham) and M. L. Ryan (Old Boys). Sydenham plays Old Boys in the fourth round.