Vital Game For West

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 15

Vital Game For West

West- University faces probably its last hurdle in its bid for the club’s first senior cricket championship for more than 30 years, on Saturday. The competition leader with 50 points, WestUniversity will meet St Albans, which is second, but still 17 points in arrears. A win to West-University in this match would give it a

lead which could hardly be overtaken. The Plunket Shield players, G. T. Dowling, B. F. Hastings and N. A. Huxford, will return to West-University and the two in the Canterbury Kiwis, I. M. Walter and B. J. Patchett, will also be back. Two teams close together in championship points, High School Old Boys (20) and Sydenham (17), will meet at Sydenham Park and both are strengthened by the return of regular players. H. 5.0.8. will have C. L. Bull (for both days this time) and B. G. Hadlee back from Plunket Shield commitments, Sydenham similarly has K. Thomson and J. M. Mclntyre available again. With the return of its best batsman and best bowler, Sydenham is as strong as it has been all season: this will be Thomson’s first club match this season. Riccarton, although it has R. C. Motz back (labelled on the team lists as a spinner), and D. W. Stead, P. G Wall and R. W. Anderson available again, could meet with spirited opposition from Old Collegians (12 points). The latter showed very encouraging form in their last match against Sydenham and Riccarton, third with 31 competition points, could be fully extended.

East-Shirley (11 points), for the first day of the last round held sway against West-University and with regular players available could prove a match for Lancaster Park (19). B. R. Taylor is back and B. A. Haworth and T. R. Marshall return to the side. Lancaster Park will be without A. E. Dunlop and D. M. Macleod, two batsmen who made runs in the last match, but A. E. Collins, who has made much progress since his senior debut just before Christmas, will be back from Australia.