CRICKET YOUTH

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31830, 7 November 1968, Page 9

CRICKET YOUTH

Second round matches in the junior advisory board’s Saturday morning cricket competitions were played" bn Saturday in fine, warm weather. The pitches were in good order and, especially at Hospital Corner, the outfields were fast and well-grassed. One disturbing feature of an otherwise pleasant morning’s cricket was the late arrival of groups of team members. Although this is occasionally unavoidable, it is both annoying for the opposition and disturbing to those members of a side who do arrive punctually. The St Thomas’s A grade side took full advantage of its opponent’s lateness by* conducting an intensive fielding practice with an emphasis on close-to-the-wicket fielding. The high standard bore out the necessity of practices of this nature, bn a day when the general standard of catching and throwing was poor. Although one requires a certain amount of skill to bat or bowl, the art of fielding can be mastered by practice and concentration. Ob Saturday many teams were inaccurate in returns to the wicket. This is [not only worrying to the wicketkeeper, but it also increases the batsman’s confidence.

However, one fieldsman who stood out for his throwing and even more for his catching was the Mairehau B player, John Kenny, who, fielding at backward point, took a brilliant catch off a full-blooded square cut. In the C grade match between Sydenham and Xavier, Vincent Kirwan and his partner, Graham Lapsley, enjoyed a fruitful partnership. Both boys, particularly the former, who scored 20 runs in six hits, showed a willingness to attack the bowling. An interesting feature of the' A grade competition this season is the presence of two East-Shirley sides. Under the watchful eye of the coach, Mr D. Steere, boys from a wide range of primary schools are keenly developing their cricketing potential to the extent that some are also playing in the open grade competitions in the afternoon. One batsman who revealed good temperament on Saturday was the B grade player for Hornby, lan Creamer, who displayed both vigilance and aggression in correct proportions while wickets were falling regularly at the other end.

In their B grade fixture against Loreto College, the Xavier opening bowlers, Paul Soper and Richard Leech, were both steady and accurate. and, had they been better supported in the field, might

have broken through the opposition, completely. With Christinas holidays drawing near, the selection of a Canterbury team for the South Island tournament will be made soon. Good performances and keen fielding will be of vital importance in gaining nomination for the squad which will not necessarily be comprised solely ’of A grade players, as the selector will be taking a close look at all grades.