One More Wicket For His 250

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 20

One More Wicket For His 250

The least-known player to New Zealand spectators taking part in the Canterbury Cricket Association’s single-wicket tournament at Lancaster Park on Sunday will be the former Warwickshire player, R. V. Webster. But he could be one of the most colourful.

Webster, a 27-year-old fast < bowler, was born in Barba- 1 dos, the small island in the 1 West Indies group which lays i claim to being the champion 1 of world cricket. t Early next year, Barbados i is to play a Rest of the World 1 team. Dr. Webster—he graduated s from the University of Edin- i burgh and is a qualified prac- 1 titioner—possesses the exotic and romantic Christian names i of Rudi Valentin. 1 However, for the next two s years he will have a rather f more mundane title junior t registrar in the radiology de- < partment at Dunedin Public Hospital. 1 Webster, tall and slim, first 1 played for Scotland in 1961 t

and for Warwickshire the following year. Medical studies have interrupted the regularity with which he could play for the county, but in 1963 he took 80 wickets—in 18 matches— and another 70 in the season just concluded. If he plays for Otago this season, as he should, the first wicket he captures will be his 250th in first-class cricket. His best bowling performance was against Yorkshire in 1964 when he took seven for six in the first innings and 12 for 57 in the match. His batting is less-distinguished but creditable. Webster is drawn to play the Canterbury batsman. K. Thomson, in the first round of the single-wicket tournament.