Sydenham best bet in women’s grade?

Press, 25 September 1980, Page 25

Sydenham best bet in women’s grade?

Despite losing the Services of the talented Les? ley Shankland, Sydenham still looks the best bet for the senior women’s cricket title in the coming season. Sydenham completely dominated the senior grade last season, and also picked up the senior B title. The loss of Miss Shankland, who is to move to Riccarton, will be a blow for the club, but it has enough depth to still hold its position as the toughest team to beat. The batting will .be led by Sue Storey, Nicki

Turner, Nancy Williams, Carmel Luxon, Sue Brown, Pat Carrick and . Mary Campbell. Miss Campbell, with Misses Storey and Turner, is a member of the New Zealand batting squad, which has been training in Wellington this month. With Miss Shankland shifting, Miss Campbell, a wicket-keeper-batsman, will be able to move up the order and is expected to open the bat' ting. . The bowling will revolve around Mrs Brown, Mrs Garrick, Phillippa Wright, Miss Williams and the all-rounder, Margaret Luxmoore, who has returned after spending a year in England. With

the exceptions of Miss Wright and Miss Campbell,, all those players are first XI representatives. Lancaster Park should field much the same side as last season. The performances of Jenny Olsen. Debbie Hockley, Bonnie Paniora, Vivienne Cowles and Kathryn Perry will be of considerable importance if the team is to have a successful season. The only major loss is Karen Hadlee, who will be spending the summer in Northland with her husband, Richard.

St Albans have lost Jenny Mcßobie to Otago, but have picked up Sue Chamberlain, who has returned to the club after being in Auckland, and Donna Baker, who played in the final two rounds last season, after moving from Wellington, where she was in the first XI squad. Ann McKenna, Vicki Burtt, Denise Jelley, all national representatives, will lead a useful batting lineup. Miss Jelley makes

a welcome return after spending some time in England, and having played several matches with the club’s presidents grade team last season. The opening bowlers, Kay Gilray and Bridget Legge, should have a fairly busy season, and seem likely to share the burden of much of the bowling.

Riccarton’s only significant losses are the Signal twins, Rosemary and Elizabeth, who have returned to Manawatu. Sue Rattray, Sheree Harris, Nicki Sherriff, Delwyn Costello and Karen Gunn will be expected to do the bulk of the work for the team, in addition to Miss Shankland.

The other clubs which are represented by women’s teams are Burns i d e-West University which competed in the senior B and third grades last season, East-Shirley, which was in the second grade, and High School Old Boys which, in its first season, comfortably won the third grade.