Sydenham out to restore its fortunes

Press, 12 November 1980, Page 52

Sydenham out to restore its fortunes

Sydenham, which is mak-| ing a strong bid to restore its tattered fortunes in sen-; ior cricket, will have an opportunity to further enhance its reputation when the fourth round of the A.N.Z. Bank championship begins on Friday. Now in third place on the table, Sydenham has been; drawn at home against the! competition leader, Lancas-I ter Park, and it will go into the game with its side un-| [Changed. Lancaster Park has a problem which may not be resolved before tomorrow evening. It will welcome back Bevan Congdon, but Balvent Bhana is in doubt. Congdon, still a big asset to any team, had to miss the third round. Bhana was struck on a hand in the last over of Park’s match against Burnside-West, and had two fingers broken, but there are hopes that he will be fit to plav. If he is in the team, it will probably mean the ex-l elusion of one of the side’s, seamers. Including Congdon,! there are five of them among the 12 players who| have appeared for Park sol far this season. Last season’s winners, Old Collegians, are languishing in sixth place at present, and will look to Friday’s match to begin a forward move. Their opponent at Hagley 1, St Albans, is now in second place, and this should be a very tight [struggle. St Albans will be without the lively left-arm bowler, Peter Hills, who is unavailable, and he has been replaced by a batsman, Duncan Wild. In the opening round of the season Wild, a young professional from Northamptonshire, made a century in the second grade: this will be his first seniorappearance for the club. Old Collegians will have an unchanged team. Burnside-West, at home to East-Shirley at Burnside Park for its jubilee week-end will be without John Mit-

chell, its swashbuckling i opening batsman. Mitchell is l in Japan on study leave, and Ihe will also miss the fifth (round. Hugh Gully, a promising seam bowler, has returned to Nelson and Rob Kinsey will return to the team in his place. The team selectors have yet to decide whether the vacancy left by Mitchell’s absence should be filled by a batsman or a bowler. If a batsman is chosen, it will be Darryl King who had much success with the second-grade side last summer.

If a bowler is required, the choice will be between! Dave Saunders, who has had a leg injury, and Chris; ; O’Malley. If Saunders is fit! he will probably be in the side. O’Malley is a very promising right-arm bowler i who last season won the John Cowens award for the ; best schoolboy bowler. East-Shirley will field an unchanged team. Old Boys have made one : change for their match against Riccarton at Hagley three. Peter Rattray is not available, and has been replaced by David Bull. Riccarton’s side has not : yet been chosen, but no change is ex-