Pollard ‘disillusioned’

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 36

Pollard ‘disillusioned’

By F

R. T. BRITTENDEN

It is almost certain that Christchurch cricket will again be without the services of the test all-rounder, Victor Pollard, in the coming season.

“I can’t see myself playing club cricket again,” said Pollard yesterday. “I seem to have lost my incentive. And without motivation, without an aim, it seems pointless to be playing club cricket.” There is no doubting that Pollard, who has played for the East-Shirley club since coming to Christchurch, retains his affection for cricket. But he feels that the game is losing some of its appeal. “There seems to be a lack of national pride: we are losing something,” he said. “There is the spread of professionalism, a ‘playing for

me’ attitude. The ultimate objective used to be playing for one’s country. Now it seems, to a considerable extent, to be a matter of getting as much as possible out of the game, with a test place a passport to it. “To be sure, sacrifices had to be made, but it is good to make sacrifices. I am glad I had my years for New Zealand when the game was in reasonable shape. The game was good to me, and I enjoyed it immensely.”

Pollard said he would love to play for Canterbury again, but there was “no show” of that, with the present Sunday play. He feels he has nothing to fight for, not even in club cricket — although leading a team of colts would appeal to him strongly. Pollard said he was somewhat disillusioned with club

cricket, but he would certainly retain an association with the game. He is involved with young people in

work for his church, and would always recommend sport to them. He enjoys coaching cricket “when there is potential” but will refuse to coach older players, set in their ways. Pollard is a selector of secondary schools’ under 16 teams, and he will be coaching those sides. That, he said, is where he will be mainly involved. He withdrew from cricket at the start of last summer, and the announcement that he will not be playing this season will sadden cricketers everywhere. New Zealand has had few players of Pollard’s courage and character; bowling, batting or fielding, he was a cricketing catalyst, able to breathe life into the most colourless period of play. He will be 32 next week: sadly short of an acceptable retiring age.