Played cricket with zest

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32554, 13 March 1971, Page 14

Played cricket with zest

(By

N. L MACBETH)

THE convivial atmosphere of the C.C.A.’s presidents’ grade was chilled last week by the news of the sudden death of one of the grade’s more notable performers, J. V. Moor.

A regular member of the Old Collegians presidents’ grade side for about 14 years, Jock Moor took 441 wickets between 1956 and 1966 at 14 runs apiece, and twice in that period topped his team’s batting averages. In 1963-64, when the

team won the grade, and two seasons later, when the team finished second to St Albans, his opening bowling downwind was a major factor in the team's success. Aged 46 when he died, he had played his last game only two weeks earlier. Moor’s batting made up in force what it lacked in style. He was a man of unremarkable stature, but exceptionally strong in the wrists, who could flick an over-pitched ball with little apparent effort over the boundary. A characteristic “7-iron” shot of his, played on the south ground at Lancaster Park, carried over the iron fence

and across the road on the full, striking the mullion between two windows of a house. The former Canterbury bowler, E. T. Mulcock—who took five wickets against Old Collegians last Saturday—was not so successful ip the first-round game against that club in November. Moor took 26 runs from one over—mainly with a short-arm jab that landed the ball over the trees at mid-wicket.

The bowler could only shake his head in disbelief and say, in his deliberate manner, “but I was bowling well.” A few seasons ago Moor was fielding in the outfield at Hospital Comer when a vigorous partnership was in full cry. Scooping up a ball inches inside the boundary, Moor hurled it with an almost horizontal trajectory at the top of the stumps, and a waiting batsman was heard to say: “Grrh! Thrown him another pound of raw steak.” Moor certainly gave the impression on the field of animal energy, almost ferocity—particularly when bowling. A short run, with a characteristic hop, pre-, ceded a whip-like arm movement. He was for several years the fastest bowler in the grade; his wristy action enabled him to cut the ball sharply from the off and rear awkwardly from short of a length. Few batsmen in the grade relished opening against Old Collegians at Hospital Comer. Off the field Moor was one of the.mildest of men; in a grade' notable for the conviviality of its players, he was unusually reticent. He will be remembered for deeds, not words.