Healthy 75-year-old in the east of Christchurch

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 28

Healthy 75-year-old in the east of Christchurch

Though success in the senior championship has come only once to East Christchurch-Shirley, 39 , years ago, the club now , based at Burwood Park I has made a significant ] .contribution to the 75 •' years of club cricket in | Canterbury. 1 Unfortunately, many of ’ the decisions in which I East-Shirley has played a ■ major part have been of a ; negative type. One of the . four clubs formed in 1905 to institute district cricket, East Christchurch was perhaps the biggest ’* single factor in the phas-. ing out of the scheme soon after the First World War., So dissipated was its strength by the call to combat the Kaiser that East, in fact, was given dispensation from the otherwise strictly enforced boundaries, and the legendary Ray Blank , was one of those sent to East to help out. , Then, early in the 19505, East was one of the first - Christchurch clubs to haveto go" through the trials of .a" promotion-relegation match, -against West Old ; Boys in this.- case,/but it ' survived.. .• •, V . . .i- \ ? W Twelve .-years later; East . ' and its.long-standing com-.-Apahioh'at ,the bottom of? tithe, .championship table, • . Old..- Collegians', were sent , down to.the■ ■' -short-lived ■ ‘‘senior-'B” grade. . • So, though- it has.,.jh its Y time produced eight na ,■ t i 6:h a 1' representatives,' •

East Christchurch (as it was until 1960) has had a difficult time on the playing fields. But as. it celebrates. its 75 years this week-end, East-Shirley is in buoyant shape, fielding eight teams again this season, just as it has maintained something around that number for the last 15. years, with one or two of'them generally winning their / tions;There must be complete confidence in the future, too, for during, the jubilee celebrations — which start on Friday and conclude on Monday — the club will have opened its spanking new pavilion.The luxurious new edifice in the middle of Burwood Park runs the length of the existing dressing sheds and equipment rooms at ground level, and these have.. \ been.. extensively modernised, tool ‘. The- large lounge over;looks -all three • of the club’s pitches, and is very tastefully decorated. It has been a long- struggle, how-/ ever, for at. .the time of the club’s last celebrations, 25 years ago,, it. was talking even then of . a large-scale building, to be shared with, the corrimu-/ nity. around . Macfarlane • 'Park? " Those plans died in infancy, but since the club;,-

shifted to Burwood early in the 19605, it has stead- - . ily ; developed and im-, proved its facilities, finishing with f he splendid; new pavilion it now shares with the Pegasus Hockey Club. Some great names of.. ■New Zealand-cricket have come from East Christ- .. church which, for its first 50 'years was the “poor”- partner in shared facilities' /at. . Lancaster Park. 7 /•/ ? Its earliest’internationals were the! great wicketkeeper, Charlie Boxshall i/also the. club’s first club captain' and senior captain — a -great leftarmer from Victoria, Tom Carlton, and Arthur Sims. The latter became an internationally - renowned millionaire (from shipping) and philanthropist and, oddly, is better known in ■ New Zealand cricket not for. his...performances .in the national side; so much ■: 1 as the strength : bti>the : . - he: hrdtight,;; to in 19)3-14.-/’* ' There . was, a ’ ’.long;; wait befdre/the mexf.Easf'.-mah; i; wore'the .black <cap with /; silver fern, and; while lan ■> Sinclair was playing.. 'against\the/d955?56J.V/est ?/ Indians, ''his* club-mate, _ ■- Briaiii-TJ^orth,;/was> : on '■’ the fringes: he wastwelfth man. I ?

There was another 10- • year gap before Jack Alabaster, during -his brief term in Christchurch, resumed his international career; and he was' quickly followed by. ? two outstanding all-rounders: Vic Pollard and Bruce Taylor. ’■ The latest East international, though only in limited-over matches, was Peter, Coman, one of the brightest personalities of Canterbury / cricket, and the heaviest run-scorer’ for East in its 75-year history. However, the holder of most of East’s records, John Grocott, never played first-class cricket though he was a regular member of Canterbury B

teams. He has played the most matches and most innings, and held the most catches; while the chief wicket-taker , over the years has been the great--hearted , Mai ’ Lohrey, / for ' the best part of 20, years from the mid-19305. - From some difficult times in the 1950 - and -"eafly twliqn/'/sucb? . /stalwarts; as : ‘.Kennedy and ■ Alf'Andrews *'all bowed out, East? now - has an ’experienced and , •/s o Wn d administration.';. Brian Haworth,- John Gro--. cott; (both -of. -.them ’. now-' life- members) and. Trevor■/, Hayes. the present .prest- ’

dent, all commenced their administrative service more than 20 years ago; and five of the vice-presidents

were not far behind them

with one, Murray Stanley, having an association with East going back 40 years. In its 75 years, East has had only 10 presidents, but that is easily explained. Dr Albert Orchard, a rising young man in Christchurch medical circles with rooms in Latimer Square, was elected president (in his absence) at the inaugural annual meeting in August, 1905. When he died, 521 years later. Dr Orchard had been the club’s only president, a length of service perhaps unmatched in any New Zealand sporting organisation. The East ChristchurchShirley club’s celebrations fake the form of a golf tournament on Friday and a conversazione that evening. The jubilee banquet on Saturday evening, a double-wicket tournament for members on Sunday, and an Old Boys XI ‘against ■ the President’s XI on Monday. The guest

speaker for the banquet is •Glenn Turner./- i -/. Not coincidentally, most . ; of the club’s matches dur-,-iiig .-.that .week-end • .'are . drawn at “home” (Bur'Xwood or .Macfarlane) or at ■- Lancaster Park, and in •-.many . cases against LanhcasterPyk. g|g RAY CAIRNS