Mr L N. Saunders Was A Versatile Sportsman

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31407, 28 June 1967, Page 15

Mr L N. Saunders Was A Versatile Sportsman

'THE untimely death of Mr L. N. Saunders in a car accident on Sunday deprived Canterbury of a talented all-round sportsman and a popular personality. In the last decade he was actively associated with many different sports—men’s basketball, table tennis, cricket, Rugby and softball were the main ones —and he showed considerable playing ability at them all.

At the age of 30 he still commanded much respect as an A grade player in both basketball and table tennis and played cricket for Shirley in the suburban competition. He was stationed on the West Coast for five years up to the end of 1963 and there his great versatility was given its biggest test. • He played in the senior grade of four sports, Rugby, basketball, table tennis and softball, and won representative honours in all but Rugby. His ability to adapt himself to any sport with the minimum preparation was his greatest asset, although some persons believe that had he channelled his ability into a single sport he could have risen much higher than he did.

Once, when asked what sports he played, Mr Saunders said: “You name it, I have played it.” However, in recent years it was men’s basketball which held most of his interest, especially in the win-

ter. He was in his second season as chief coach-selec-tor of the Canterbury Men’s Basketball Association and was returning from a South Island championship game in Invercargill when the accident which claimed his life occurred.

It was as a player that he first made his mark in the sport. He learned his basic fundamentals at the Christchurch Y.M.C.A. at the relatively early age of 11 and played in his first competition games while at St Andrew’s College. When he left school two years later he became a member of the B.G.H. (now Y.M.C.A.) A grade team and shortly afterwards won a place in the Canterbury representative team.

In 1959 he was transferred to the West Coast and on his return to Christchurch five years later immediately regained his place In the provincial side. In 1965 he was again chosen for the Canterbury training squad but voluntarily withdrew when a 10-year-oid ankle injury began troubling him. It was then that his interest in coaching began. He assisted the then selectorcoach (Mr P. Doogue) and became the regular team mdhager. When Mr Doogue moved to Auckland the following year he was a natural choice as chief selectorcoach, a position he held until his death.

Although retired from representative basketball, he continued to play A grade, first for his old dub, Y.M.C.A., and more recently for Rex. He was a very efficient mid-court player and was the leading scorer in his team.

As coach of the representative side, Mr Saunders had a most difficult task. Most of the top club players were not available because of university and family commitments and he was, at the outset, a comparative novice at this facet of the game. Yet he showed ability to get the best out of the players he had and his success with the team was greater than many basketball supporters thought possible. He was also prepared to do his share in the administration of the sport and, until coaching took up his time, was a member of the Canterbury association’s executive.