East displaces Sydenham as senior cricket leader

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33386, 19 November 1973, Page 18

East displaces Sydenham as senior cricket leader

With the only outright victory of the day. East Christchurch-Shirk} displaced Sydenham at the top of the table in the senior cricket championship on Saturday. EastShirley, well led by the international, V. Pollard, deserved its success against Riccarton. Pollard scored 68 not out, and then took four wickets as he lured Riccarton on to the rocks.

There were few outstanding feats of arms. G. T. Dowling duly completed the century expected of him when he was 89 not out a week earlier, and J. Phillips made 50 for Old Collegians.

I B. G. Irving offered a firm > reminder of his class as he took six wickets for Lancaster Park against Old Boys. In general, the cricket was in low gear. Declarations ■based on minutes and runs ■ paid little regard to outfields ■ slowed by the week’s rain' and the pitches, on which! ■the ball often stopped and; !lifted slowly, making attack-! ing strokes difficult. Scores.— St Albans, 166 and 198 for 9 dec., drew with Burnside-West, 156 for 3 dec. 52 for 3. Sydenham, 194 and 170 for 9 dec., drew with Old Collegians, 197 for 8 dec. and 102 for 6. East-Shirley, 212 and 155 for 6 dec., beat Riccarton, 173 and 112 by 82 runs. Old Boys, 234 for 9 dec. and 94 for 8 dec., drew with Lancaster Park 144 and 137 for 4. Competition points are: i East-Shirley 43J, Sydenham; !36|, Riccarton* 34|, Old! Collegians 31 St Albans-

.30-4, Old Boys 24. BurnsideIWest 18|, Lancaster Park 18. IRVING'S SUCCESS Although there was some brisk batting, in patches, Lancaster Park trailed Old Bovs by 90 runs, because D. R. Hadlee bowled with sufficient accuracy to put the skids under the batting side. [ and M. J. Hadlee with off-spin wrapped the innings up swiftly. Old Boys in turn had batting difficulties. Irving gave a veryfine display. His movement away from the bat was its basis, but he straightened some, and now and then turned one back very sharply. So Old Boys struggled, and the declaration was not made until Lancaster Park needed 185 in 48 minutes and the last hour. This was a demanding assignment on a pitch not lending the batsmen much encouragement, and there was not much persuasion to attack in the field settings. However, R. J. Hadlee made some good clean hits, C. K. Baker batted fluently, and at the end R. M. Gearry and M. L. Ryan picked up runs easily. EAST'S VICTORY The spin of C. R. W. Dickel i ended Riccarton’s hones of a first innings lead. He and A. J. .Stimpson captured the last sixwickets while 34 were added. In East-Shirley’s second innings, there was another useful innings from J. W. Grocott, and Pollard found batting form for the first time this season. Selective but aggressive, he gave an entertaining and productive display. Pollard left Riccarton 137 militates to score 194, and when it

i was 28 at tea, without loss, there ’ was every chance of a good finish. But East-Shirley, with a mixture of attacking and alluring bowling, ran through the batting, with only L. D. Thorn—ll in 55 minutes—offering much resistance. The tail-enders, T. E. Cockburn and P. W. Hammant. . were adhesive, but East won ■well, with about 20 minutes to * spare. DULL GAME 1 On a lifeless pitch at Ham. St 1 Albans and Burnside West tlni- ’ versity completed a dull game J which was characterised by slow ' batting and apparently no great - desire by either side to force 1 a result. The pattern was set in the > morning when Burnside took 65 k ’ minutes to add 36 runs to the £ overnight score. The onlv t' achievement of note during this J period was GT. Dowling reachring his century, and even he did ■ not show the commanding form t of the first day. J. Against bowling which was 1 never more than steady. St - Albans laboured for runs. G. B. 1 Smith and L. A. Smith gave the ) side a good start with a bright 3 display but then the batting fell 1 into the doldrums. After the quick loss of two i wickets, Burnside West Uni ver- • sity abandoned the stiff task ■' of scoring 208 runs in two hours 3 and the game petered out. Old Collegians’ target of 168

e in two hours—or a minimum of i-|29 overs as it happened—became ;-!a remote dream in the first five g overs. The Sydenham opening . bowlers, C. W. Aldridge and 1. 1 D. Wilson, swiftly removed the .. first three batsmen, and from ; that time Old Collegians had a ’ desperate struggle. j But the situation meant little r, to Clayton and R. C. Bromley, the latter swinging cheerfully at anything around the leg stump, and Clayton again playing a pol1 ished innings which reinforced ■ the feeling that he will be imp portant to the Old Collegians’ v middle order. t It was another impressive per- ? formance by Clayton, but his partner for the last 25inin, C. b M. Abbott, flirted with luck, and 5 three times dropped the ball b dangerously close to fieldsmen 1 Thanks to Phillips, who vas s more free than the previous j week. and an aggressive J H 1 M. Dawson, who hit two sixes 1 in his half-hour at the wicket. Old Collegians led Sydenham bef fore declaring. 1 Sydenham batted no oetter • than in the first innings, al- “ though there was a breezy innt Ings from K. D. Prusas and 1 useful runs from K. Thomson. Otherwise, there was very little 31 resistance to the spinners. D. W. - Bracewell and R J. Pither, and < the left-arm medium-pacer. Abs bott who had quick and regular success when brought on > late.