NEW CANTERBURY CRICKETERS Richard Leggat has had an impressive career as a junior

Press, 20 December 1980, Page 26

NEW CANTERBURY CRICKETERS Richard Leggat has had an impressive career as a junior

By

DAVID LEGGAT

It is difficult to imagine a cricketer who, upon embarking on his first-class career, has had a more impressive junior record in the sport than the young Canterbury allrounder, Richard Leggat Some players have risen to first-class level without the benefit of a solid background of age group tournament play. But Leggat is not one of them. He spent three years in the Christchurch Boys’ High School first eleven,

the last as captain in 1977; took part in two Australasian schoolboys’ tournaments, captaining the 1977 New Zealand side; he had five years in the Brabin provincial team, three as captain; had three Rothmans tournaments, being captain of both Canterbury and New Zealand this season; and he was a member of the Young New Zealand team last summer. Indeed, captaincy presents Leggat with a

challenge he thoroughly enjoys. The responsibility rests lightly on his shoulders. “I love it. It adds another dimension to the game. It keeps you thinking. Cricket can get boring, but if you are captain you can do something to

change the state of the match; its one of the best parts of the game.” In . his. primary school days Leggat had aspirations as a fast bowler — “all four foot 10 of me” — but he was persuaded to try his hand at leg spinning by the former Australian spinner, Peter Philpott. During the first half of the 19705, Philpott held a series of coaching clinics in Christchurch, and it was at one of these that he suggested leg spin to the fair-haired youngster.

Mastering perhaps the most demanding of all cricketing arts has not been easy for Leggat, but he has never really considered giving it away. He admitted it can be frustrating — “and I do get annoyed at myself sometimes when I’m bowling rubbish!’’ — but - his admiration for Philpott comes through clearly when he talks of the New South Welshman.

. L.eggat’s batting perhaps epitomises his approach to

the game, always positive, aggressive, confident, eager to grasp any opportunity to punish the bowling, if possibly a little too impetuously on occasions. He does not like opening the batting, but last season he did on occasions for Old Collegians and, in

the process, scored his first senior century. Batting against Burnside-West University, Leggat hammered a century before lunch off a useful bowling attack including Tony Farrant and Stephen Bateman, hid 134 taking 119 minutes. His preference is for No. five or six in the batting, order. But it is prob- x ably his potential, rather than his present form — when judged solely in cold statistics — Which has prompted the. Canterbury selectors to include him in the 12-man party to travel north for the first part of the Shell series. His club record, is not especially remarkable. Today he will complete his 26th senior match for Old Collegians, he has 58 wickets at 23 runs apiece, and his batting average is • under 20? But he performed outstandingly at the recent under 23 tournament in Christchurch earlier this month, averaging 35 and picking up several wick-

ets, in almost guiding Canterbury to the title. Leggat rates Philpott and lan Cromb — “he’s been a great help” — as the chief influences on his formative cricketing years. He might have the honour of captaining Canterbury in the last under 23 national tournament, if plans for a revamped national B team provincial event are agreed for 1981-82. Leggat supports the new proposal, under certain conditions.

If the teams comprise two or three older, experiecned players with young, promising players, the tournament could be a success. However, if th e new tournament turned into a longer version of previous provincial , B team trips it would be “a waste of time.”

Although he turned 20 last August, Leggat already has several highlights to look back on in his brief cricketing life. He rates winning last season’s Brabin Cup, and captaining the New Zealand team, when he played very well himself, as a particularly high spot. He derived special satisfaction from this season’s Rothmans tournament — “but it was a big disappointment not winning” — and being a member of the New Zealand secondary schools’ side which won the Australasian tournament in 1976.

That was a remarkably strong team, which included Jeff Crowe, now playing for South Australia, Brendon and John Bracewell, Vaughan Brown, his Canterbury team-mate, Gerald Cummins, who played for Canterbury two seasons ago, David Oakley, who has been named in the Wellington Shell squad, and Martin Snedden.

Two broken legs within 15 months put an end to a promising rugby career, and at present there are no plans to return to the sport, although Leggat admits he would like to play again. Obviously he wants to play for New Zealand, but for the moment there are other, more pressing, aims.

“I just want to perform well, and I hope I justify the faith placed in me by the people who have selected me.” Should Leggat play against either Auckland or Northern Districts, spectators could .be treated to a sight which is rare in cricket anywhere; two leg spinners, Leggat and David Stead, operating at the same time. And . in these times, when the emphasis is most definitely not on slow bowling, that would be something special.