Six in Brabin cricket

Press, 21 December 1976, Page 36

Six in Brabin cricket

This year’s Brabin Cup tournament for under-20 cricketers begins next week in Christchurch. The tournament will run from Monday until Saturday, after which a New Zealand Brabin Cup team will be named. The team will play the North Canterbury senior team at Dudley Park, Rangiora, on January 2 and 3. Although the Brabin tournament has been held for many years, this will be only the second time six teams have taken part. Auckland’s team will include John Ackland, a highly promising left arm spinner who has already been named in the New Zealand Rothman’s team, and Jeff Crowe, a promising righthand batsman who has twice

toured with the New Zealand secondary schoolboys’ team to Australia. , Otago’s line-up will include Bruce Blair, a young , left hand batsman, but it is [ unlikely that the opener Stu- . art McCullum will be avail- , able, as the tournament . clashes with Shell Shield : matches. The Canterbury captain, [ Chris Marks, and opening bowler, Harvey King, have ■ both played Rothman’s cricket, and will be hoping to improve on last year’s third placing. Central Districts’. Murray Gill and Northern Districts’ Barry Bracewell have both played Brabin cricket before and should add experience to their teams. One problem facing the : tournament organisers is that seven or eight more billets are required urgently. The first round matches on December 27-28 are: Central Districts v. Auckland, Northern Districts v. Canterbury and Wellington v. Otago. All matches are being played at Hagley Park.