Old Collegians9 long line of gentlemen

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 16

Old Collegians 9 long line of gentlemen

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

There is always a special satisfaction in a. club winning a championship for the first time, after years of endeavour. No victory could have been more popular than Old Collegians’ success in last season’s . cricket petition, for ' over its 55 years the club has set the highest standards in. sportsmanship, and has usually tried-to play with an enterprise to match its enthusiasm. • That the club today has so fair a: name is to the credit of an outstanding

line of administrators, ’ - as well as to. .the many fine players who- have- played for it. One of the ’.'great figures of Canterbury cricket was Tommy .Tottflf, the Mr Chips of Christ’s College teaching, a '.man of . the highest principles •to go with his • deep?, affection for cricket. ‘He . served cricket >as a player, -arid administrator' for many, years, and • held' office -as president of the New Zealand Cricket Council. Another' outstanding figure in the. club; story was Geoff Pidgeoh, Who. died a few weeks .ago.. He was not a senior player, but he served the club' splendidly in various- offices. A man of the highest.integrity, .he was among the most popular and respected personalities in the game. Another club stalwart who died recently- was Morrie Moffat, who. won the admiration of all who knew him for his loyalty and service * o the club.

The late George Hamilton, one of a noted cricketing family, spent many valuable years as an ' administrator and for 35 years Jack Saunders has served the game with dedicated efficiency, and he is still a member of the, New Zealand Board of Control.- ' ■ • ' These are among the men who have given Old. Collegians so fine a reputation, and the club has also had its share - of proficient players: five New Zealand representatives, 19 others who have

played first-class cricket. The late Peter' Alpers.: was in the senior side for 20 years, a tireless seam bowler who played 157 matches and took 469 wickets at 20.6. Moffat’s senior. career covered 25. seasons, and in them he made almost 4000 runs. The late Steve Lester, a most attractive cricketer, had 122 senior matches, scoring 3667 runs and taking 264 wickets. - In the club’s early days there was lan Hamilton, one of the five New Zealand representatives, who scored 1363 runs in only 33 matches. George Hamilton played it- 111 matches, scoring 2727 runs and ’ taking 165 wickets. Roh Talbot of CanterX bury . and New Zealand played, only 37 matches for Old Collegians, but ' 'made his mark with 1484 runs at 33.7. Cyril Walter had 159 senior matches for the club, making 5197

runs and taking 108 wickets. Derek Banks gave long service: 149 matches in 20 years, and 4798 runs. Saunders also had a long career, covering 26 years. He had 147 appearances, scoring 4200 runs and capturing 229 wickets. The club had a brilliant wicket-keeper in the 1930 s and Charlie Jackman went on to play for New Zealand. In 95 matches for Old Collegians he scored 1835 runs and made 143 dismissals 42 of them stumpings. Tony Mac Gibbon was. perhaps the club’s most successful player. He was with Old Collegians for 24 years, playing in 159 games, scoring 6108 runsand taking 558 wickets, at the extraordinarily low cost of 12.9. Mac Gibbon scored 34 half-centuries and eight centuries in senior cricket, took fiye wickets in an innings 49 times, 10 in a match 10 times. His is a remarkable record.

No-one worked harder for the club as a ' bowler than Jim Dawson, who played in 169 matches, a record for the club. He also bowled more balls than anyone else. — 21,737, more than 2000 ahead of Alpers', 3000 more than Mac Gibbon. He had many spectacular, successes taking 47-1 wickets in . all. at 20.5. He also scored 3158 runs and finished just one short of 100 catches.' Paul McEwan and Vaughan Brown, current Canterbury players, are maintaining the best traditions of a club which has earned the highest regard of cricketers generally.