One more century for a record

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32566, 27 March 1971, Page 14

One more century for a record

(By

J. Borrell)

VARLY next month on the Newiands Ground in Cape Town, the Rhodesian all-rounder, M. Procter, will attempt to become the first man in first class cricket to score seven centuries in consecutive inn-

ings. The 24-year-old Procter recently scored 254 in Salisbury against the Western Province side to equal the record of six centuries in successive innings held by Sir Donald Bradman ana C. B. Fry. His crucial innings will be for the Rest of South Africa against the Currie Cup champion, Transvaal, in a three-day match beginning next Saturday. Procter’s success with the bat this season started at Bulawayo, in Rhodesia, on November 22, when he scored 119 against Natal B in the B section of the Currie Cup.

His scores then read:— Transvaal B 129, Orange Free State 107, North Eastern Transvaal 174, Griqualand West 106, and Western Province 254. Total 889; average 148. The first man to score six centuries in successive innings was Fry, the Sussex and England batsman. In the 1901 season his scores read: 106, 209, 149, 105, 140, 105. Total 814; average 135.6. This record stood until the 1938-39 season when Sir Donald was at the height of his career. Starting with 118 in a centenary match in Melbourne, he then proceeded to score 143 against New South Wales, 225 against Queensland, 107 against Victoria, 186 against Queensland and 135 not out against New South Wales. A total of 914 runs for an average of 183.8.

Procter’s feat in equalling the record is all the more remarkable because he is not simply a specialist batsman. As R. Simpson’s Australian side found during its 1966-67 tour of South Africa, Procter is an outstanding fast bowler. As a 20-year-old, his 15 wickets during the test series cost him about 17 runs each. Procter probably inherited a love of cricket from his father, Woodrow Proctor, who, while still at school, played for Western Province against the touring M.C.C. team in 1938-39. As a 12-year-old in his home town of Durban, Procter hit five centuries, including 210 not out against an under-13 Transvaal side.

At his best, Procter is the type of hard-hitting

batsman capable of turning the course of a match inside an hour. In the match against Western Province, Rhodesia had lost three wickets for five runs when Procter went to the crease. The rest is history. Procter accepted a position at the beginning of the season as Rhodesian national coach, and revived flagging interest in the game by moulding the side into one of the strongest combinations in Southern Africa. He has already signed on for a further season as national coach and is talking about settling in Rhodesia permanently. Although his batting has overshadowed his reputation as a fast bowler this season, his bowling has not deteriorated. He has taken more than 100 wickets this

season at less than 20 runs each.