Sumner in good heart

Press, 15 April 1978, Page 12

Sumner in good heart

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

The summer of 1977-78 was a glorious one for sportsmen, if not for farmers; and the sun shone with particular warmth on the members of the Sumner Cricket Club.

It was a great year for a club believed to be almost a century old. For it was back in the senior suburban competition, after being relegated for 1976-77, and it won the senior championship in the most handsome fashion. Its second eleven finished top in the junior grade to make it a memorable year. It is not often that enthusiasm and determination win such rich and proper rewards. Much of the senior team’s success — and

much of the undoubted promise for the future — can be traced to the backing of the Vistalite company, which enabled Sumner to have two playercoaches. They were Alan Hounsell, an experienced Plunket Shield bowler, and Tony McKendry, who had a long and successful career as a batsman with Lancaster Park and Canterbury B. They both performed with distinction, but it is in the young players they have been coaching that Sumner has its real future. The club is fortunate in its other assets — a very pleasant ground at St Leonard’s Square, a fine two-

storey pavilion, and it had one of the earliest allweather pitches in the country. Sumner’s seniors started so well that they were assured of winning the Suburban championship before the final round began. McKendry scored 640 runs, more than twice as many as anyone else, and averaged 58, a splendid achievement. Roger Campbell topped 300, Jon Monk — an able captain — and Bruce Buckner passed 270. Two of the younger players, Charlie Cross and Ray Steele, batted very well after Christmas.

The pace trio of Hounsell, Peter Cook and John

Graham took 121 of the 143 wickets which fell to bowlers. Hounsell had most wickets, 45, but was shaded in the averages by Graham and Cook.

The most startling improvement was in the fielding, Cross, McKendry and Graham picking up many fine catches behind the wicket, and this contributed heavily to the club’s first senior success in 20 years. The second team, led by Alan Scott, was never beaten outright, and had only one first-inning loss. Owen Southon topped the batting averages with 38.2 but it was a very even team performance. Scott dominated the bowling with 47 wickets at a startling 8.2 runs each.