Sydenham loses but still leads in senior club cricket

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33712, 9 December 1974, Page 15

Sydenham loses but still leads in senior club cricket

Sydenham still leads the strongly-contested senior cricket competition—two points cover the top three teams—although losing in the last over to Old Collegians on Saturday.

That last-gasp victory has moved the latter team into second place, because two strong contenders, Lancaster Park and Old Boys, were denied victories.

The Burnside-West lastwicket pair kept Lancaster Park at bay for seven overs to draw the game at Ham; and Old Boys, though starting as if they would finish the match with plenty of time to spare, were a trifle lucky to get away with a draw against Riccarton. St Albans had a crushing victory against East-Shirley in the only game not to go past 6.30 p.m., and it does seem very likely that the interests of some social time for cricketers on Saturday evenings will result in a reversion to the hours in force before daylight saving was introduced. In the three games which went the distance, they finished nearer 7 p.m. than 6.30 p.m. Results:—

Lancaster Park 172 and 126 for 8 declared drew with Bumside-West 126 and 116 for 9. Old Collegians 189 for 9 declared and 163 for 7 beat Sydenham 203 for 8 declared and 148 by three St Albans 220 for 8 declared beat East-Shirley 108 and 101 by an innings and 11 runs. Old Boys 233 for 6 declared and 125 for 6 declared drew with Riccarton 182 and 166 for 7. Points: — Sydenham 57, Old Collegians 56, Lancaster Park 55, Old Boys 46, Burnside-West 45, St Albans 32J, East-Shir-ley 26, Riccarton 26. J. G. Phillips contributed most to Old Collegians’s victory with innings of 68 not out and 51. But perhaps the most handsome batting of the day came from P. A. Stubbings, who made 59 twice, once not out. With L. D. A. Thorn he led a magnificent Riccarton recovery after R. J. Hadlee had torn the innings apart. The test fast bowler finished with six for 42. Another bowler to take six wickets was the industrious C. W. Aldridge (Sydenham), who took nine for 99 in the match. The Lancaster Park players, W. R. Wilson and T. E. Luke, both took five wickets, and for the same team, R. M. Gearry made 58. One of the most valuable batting doubles was by G. R. Sherlock: his second innings 31 not out saved BurnsideWest from defeat.

TWO WARNINGS An opening spell of violently aggressive fast bowling from R. J. Hadlee, which successively gave his team a very good chance of winning and earned official displeasure, had the final act of the game at Hagley No. 1 charged with real atmosphere. Riccarton needed 177 in 140 minutes, but in 46min, Hadlee had crashed through the early batting. With Riccarton tottering at 33 for five. Old Boys were on the verge of victory and only nine overs had been bowled. Hadlee, however, had earned two cautions for a series of short-pitched balls. The first warning was directed to his captain, C, L. Bull; Hadlee’s answer, next ball, was another bumper, and the second caution. It was also a short ball, of superb direction which removed T. J. Murdoch. It was bowling of test match quality, fast and hostile, and Hadlee certainly put the bogey of his nagging injury firmly behind him. Then Riccarton, through Stubbings, and Thorn, staged its great fight-back. They overcame the last of Richard Hadlee’s hostility, saw off his three brothers, and raced to their fifties—Stubbings in 80min, Thorn 12min quicker. From a target of 100 in the final 15 overs. Riccarton needed only 31 in the last five, and Ironically it was Richard Hadlee who cost 16 in an over to put Riccarton to terms with its chase. It was brave and aggressive stuff from the Riccarton pair. Stubbings stroked beautifully through the covers; Thorn lofted cheerfully into the outfield. But Hadlee had not finished— Thom was caught, beautifully, at the wicket, and P. W. Hammant was bowled in the same over. Suddenly, Riccarton needed 27 in three overs and three wickets were to fall. That was when the test experience of the Hadlees showed out; they denied Riccarton the runs, and Stubbings had only the satisfaction of a great rearguard action to dwell upon. The same player, briskly and brightly, advanced impressively by another 25, and his partnership with G. T. Barrett went on to 81 in Rlccarton’s first innings. Then Thorn and J. W. Kiddey survived the moppingup operation by M. J. Hadlee long enough for Riccarton to face a deficit of only 51. Old Boys also had a breezy time In the 102mln they batted in the second innings, although Kiddey put the brake on for the first three-quarters of an hour. J. H. Christensen kept the score ticking over, and when the assault came from D. R. Hadlee and B. D. Ritchie, the runs fairly flowed. NO CONTEST The day at Hagley 3 was all disaster for East-Shirley. and just as good as the first day for St Albans. The latter declared at its overnight total, and the opening bowlers quickly knocked the top off the East-Shirley innings. The only hint of defiance came When G. D. V. Pulley—in for 2hr 14min—and J. P. Langley, who batted just short of 2hr, were together. They demonstrated that there were fewer terrors in the pitch and bowling than their seniors had indicated; Pulley was all de-

termination. Langley occasionally had a flourish to his batting. But M. McK. Burtt, who had knocked th e middle out of the first innings, was brought back and finished it all off. East-Shirley’s problems were compounded by P. G. Coman being ill. He answered a lunchtime call for help and got out of bed; went in at No. 9. and was out first ball. CLOSE FINISH The qualify of the cricket at Sydenham Park was generally below par, but interest was sustained throughout the day. Old Collegians began the day in a strong position, but the persistence of Aldridge, well supported by T. D. Wilson, soon gave the initiative to Sydenham. From the dismissal of P. E. McEwan in the first over, wickets fell regularly and runs came spasmodical!/. Aldridge gathered five wickets for 21 runs and Wilson could well have had better figures. Only Phillips offered real resistence, and even he struggled to middle the ball. So Old Collegians declined, Sydenham having wrested three bowling points from the morning. W. A. Thomson soon had the Collegians medlumpack attack in * disarray and then took two sixes and a four from the first three balls by R. J. Pither. But his dismissal undermined Sydenham’s recovery and wickets fell regularly from bad running and weak shots. J. G. Larter showed his best form of the season and K. Thomson again threatened the demolition of the opposition before meekly surrendering his wicket. Old Collegians needed 160 runs In 140 minutes but they made heavy going of the task and inexperience at the end nearly let Sydenham back into the game. J. G. Wright and Phillips took the score to 88 without much

stress and at 120 for three, th. game appeared even. But McEwen was run out by an accurate kick by Aldridge and the balance moved dramatically. Then Sydenham dropped some catches and finally the match was won by leg-byes in the last over. LOW SCORING Lancaster Park were denied an outright win bv the stoic defence of the last two Burn-side-West batsmen. With seven overs left to bowl, P. A. Sharp joined Sherlock at the wicket, and the Burnside players began to take the scoring tent down. But Sherlock farmed the strike to such effect that Sharp faced fewer than 10 balls in the remaining overs and the two were together at the end. Sherlock’s was not just a defensive innings, and some of the Burnside top-order batsmen could well examine his methods. It was not Sherlock’s only contribution for the day, for in the morning he came to wicket when eight wickets were down for 79 and saw the score through to 126 before being out. This was a low-scoring match, particularly so for the Ram pitch, which hitherto has played truly and. well. On Saturday, the ball came through at an unpredictable height and all bowlers were able to find something to aid them. Once again the Bumside batting failed. The Lancaster Park attack was accurate and supported by fine fielding, but was made to look better by Inept batting. Luke finished the first innings with five wicket* and K. S. Chambers destroyed all Bumside’s hopes of scoring the 173 runs need for victory when he dismissed B. F. Hastings and W. J. MltcheU in his second over. Wilson was the third of the medium-pace bowlers, and he was by no means outshone by Luke and Chambers and nearly bawled his team to success. The best batting of the day came in Lancaster Park’s second innings from Gearry. His 58 was made in brisk fashion, and his shots were hit with good timing. The Bumside slow left-armer, C. M. Kirk, had a welcome return to form; he bowled accurately and weU.