Cairns reigns supreme

Press, 12 July 1980, Page 22

Cairns reigns supreme

NZPA Lanchester One cricketer stands head and shoulders above every other as the biggest personality in the north-east of England this season. That man is Lance Cairns, the 30-year-old Otago and New Zealand test all-rounder. Cairns hit the fastest century in the 72-year history of the Durham senior league last season when he smashed 123 runs in just 48 minutes for Whitburn.

This season Cairns has switched to Bishop-Auckland in the north Yorkshire and south Durham league, and while he is still doing well with the bat, his form with the ball has been nothing short of devastating. Tn fact. Cairns’s second nine-wicket haul of the season, nine for 45 against Svnthonia, took BishopAuckland to the top of the championship table. Hi? tally

of elague and cup wickets for the season is now 117. His best performance was an amazing spell of nine for 12 at Boldon. He performed the hat trick, took six wickets in eight balls, and eight wickets in 17 deliveries. And just for go.od measure, he caught the remaing Boldon batsman.

Cairns’s only disappointment in a highly successful season was that he failed to help Durham beat Nottinghamshire in the first round of

the Gillette Cup, at Trent Bridge.

His New Zealand test colleague, Richard Hadlee, had a greater impact on the game to help Notts home by four wickets, with just seven balls remaining.

But Cairns refused to be downhearted. He left Nottingham, dashed back to BishopAuckland, and helped crush Middlesbrough in the Kerridge Cup by taking seven wickets for 37 and hitting an unbeaten 32.