Cricket Youth

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 19

Cricket Youth

WEEKLY REVIEW

With the festive sounds of the city’s annual Christmas pageant ringing in their ears and with dark threatening skies overhead, the young cricketers at Hospital Comer on Saturday morning were subjected to conditions which were hardly conducive to good cricket. Yet this comer of Hagley Park had an atmosphere of concentration and tense competition. The reason for this was that Saturday was the second day of the A grade grouping, and the representative selectors were present. It followed that there were some attractive individual performances as well as many determined team efforts. In the match between West-University C and Old Collegians B, the teams were

evenly poised. On the first day. West University had struggled to a total of 66 against some accurate bowling, especially from the Old Collegians player 1 Paul Johannsen, who took three wickets' with" his mediumpace deliveries, Stewart Harding who scored a courageous 18, was the mainstay of the West batting. The first day pattern was repeated on Saturday, and although the West bowlers led by Colin Borthwick, a tight medium pace bowler, had some early success, they were halted by a fighting stand between Brent Tyler and Donald Mac Neil who seemed intent on restoring the Old Collegians innings with some sound batting.

The East-Shirley A team which has, in recent seasons, gained a reputation for its all round talent-in-depth, seems likely to achieve similar honours this season. On the first day of its match against Lancaster Park, the side scored 114 with fine individual efforts from Brent Wallcroft (43) and Stuart Wells (41), declaring for the loss of only five wickets. In the field on Saturday, the East players again showed form.

Derek McLaughlin is a most mature left-arm spinner, while wicket-keeper, Michael Bristow, also gave a polished display to both fast and slow bowlers. For Park the only batsmen to resist for any length of time were Paul Brake, who batted extremely well, and David Gillespie, who looked likely to score well until he was dismissed played a shot which was uncharacteristic.

The Sydenham opening batsman Vaughan Brown, a left hander, who had scored 21 of his side’s first fifty runs, was a most accomplished looking player. The steady bowling of the East B team was not causing him great concern as he built his innings on a solid defence combined with some powerful leg side shots. One A grade side which appears to have some excellent bowling is the West A team. On Saturday, Anthony Brinkers, an unorthodox leftarm spinner proved far too mysterious for the Old Collegians opposition, as he took five for eleven off five overs. He was given excellent support from Mark Harris, whose off-spinners were wellflighted, and who demonstrated, with one particular dismissal, a good caught-and-bowled, the ability to “think” a batsman out. When the West team batted on the first day of this match, one of the younger members of the side, Bryce Nicholson stole the limelight with an enterprising 36. His determination and concentration were best illustrated by the fact that he came to the wicket with his side struggling at two down for only three runs, and did not leave until the total was in the seventies.

Two teams which were notable for their neat appearance and general liveliness in the field were the Hornby and the St Thomas of Canterbury A grade teams. Both teams are businesslike and enthusiastic in the field, which suggests that they are well-coached and wellcaptained.