Centennial season

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 20

Centennial season

It is difficult to imagine today that a club cricketer in Canterbury needed a change of horses, half-way to a match, so far had he to ttavel: but that was the experience of some members of the Sheffield Cricket Club, which in March will be ICO years Old. Cricket has been strong in Sheffield all through those years. It was played in the district at least six years before the club was farmed in 1881, in a' paddock adjoining the saddlery shop.. 1 . '' '■■' Competition cricket began, vvith the formation of the -MalVem Sub-associ-ation in 1905 and Since then Sheffield has had a very proud record.. From 1901 to 1910, the home ground was at Waddington, but it- reverted to Sheffield in 1911, when a concrete pitch was put down.

In the 19205, Sheffield won the club competition .in eight consecutive sea-: sons and it has .had many ■ more successes since then. The former New Zealand captain, Curly Page, went to England in 1927 as a Sheffield - player. The ;. present test batsman John Wright was brought up in the district : and his father, Geoff Wright, appeared .. for Canterbury in 1956-57. i John Wright is likely to ‘ be at the centennial, celey. brations at Easter. On the Saturday, there will -be two matches between past and present teams, followed by a. dinner. On Sunday, there will be a festival match,, between., two invitation teams.: John, Wright will probably play . in this game, with players invited from .clubs . which have had ties with Sheffield, and other Canterbury and New Zealand players.