VICTORY CLAIMED BY DEFAULT

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33776, 24 February 1975, Page 26

VICTORY CLAIMED BY DEFAULT

For the first time in many years, a senior cricket match in Christchurch is being claimed by default.

No play was possible in any of the four fixtures on Saturday because of rain, but the Sydenham captain. Keith Thomson, is nevertheless claiming his team's game against East-Shirley—and has sent a result card to the Canterbury Cricket Association.

Thomson said that he claimed the match as the first two East-Shirley players did not arrive at Sydenham Park until 10.40 a.m., five minutes before the scheduled start of play. “I intended declaring and they could have been in trouble,” Thomson said. “But as it was, I didn’t have anyone to tell 1 was declaring. And we couldn’t even have a disagreement over starting plav or not.”

Thomson added, though. i that he claimed the default i “to highlight the fact that the ; default laws need rewriting.” A better first-day performj ance by High School Old Boys against Lancaster Park !has enabled them to close to

within half a point of Park, the competition leader. Only three Saturdays remain, with the test against England next week-end removing one possible day, and the early Easter bringing competition to a close on March 22. Lancaster Park will play Sydenham in the one-day game on March 8, and Old Boys meet Bumside-West. The other team still in contention is Old Collegians, 41 points behind Lancaster Park: they will play East-Shirley. And to ensure that interest is retained to the last, Old Boys and Old Collegians meet on March 15 and 22, when Lancaster Park will be playing Riccarton. Points after nine rounds are:— Lancaster Park 100. Old Boys 991. Old Collegians 951. Sydenham 88 Burnside-West 72. Riccarton 57. East-Shirlev 54). St Albans 53}. Scores tn the four drawn games I were:— East-Shirlev 256/6 decl., Sydenham 84/4. Points: East 4} batting, 3 howling: Svdenham 0. Burns’-io-West 88 and 28/2. Riccarton 177/7 dec!. Points: Riccarton 4. and. 5: RumsMe 0 and 21 O’d Bovs 184. L anoaster Park 111/5 Points 1 Old Boys 3 and 2J: Park 0 and 3. Old Collegians 165/8 dec!.. St Albans 150/7. Points: Both teams 4 and 3}.