David Dempsey omitted from cricket squad

Press, 25 August 1982, Page 44

David Dempsey omitted from cricket squad

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Canterbury’s most exciting batsman, David Dempsey, is not in a squad of 23 for preseason training and earlyseason matches, announced yesterday by the convener of the Canterbury selection panel, Mr Don McKendry. Some other notable names are missing — Richard Leggat, David Trist, Rod Latham and Bob Carter — but these four players are still overseas and are therefore denied the pleasure of gymnasium training which will begin at the Wigram air base gymnasium on September 5. The master of ceremonies there will be Lyn Sparks, the successful St Albans bowler, and a former physical training instructor in the R.N.Z.A.F.

John Macle, Canterbury’s wicket-keeper last season until he was injured, is not in the squad, but there are five others, if Bryan Ritchie is included, who keep wickets regularly. Dempsey last season pulled out of the Shell Cup final because he had been dropped from the Shell Trophy team. He wanted to protest' against what he regarded as the selectors’ inconsistency. The hope was expressed then that it would not be a winter of discontent — that there was a long time between last season and the coming one for rational thinking.

However, the selectors have followed a precedent. On other occasions, players who have made themselves unavailable for Canterbury A and B teams have not been considered for pre-season training. “We are looking for total team commitment" said Mr McKendry yesterday. Perhaps the selection committee — Messrs McKendry, Dayle Hadlee and Ken Ferries — wants to motivate Dempsey. Perhaps the selectors want him to prove them wrong. Dempsey is a player

of tremendous talent, and he is needed at the park gates as well as on the field.

Canterbury players have a rigorous programme ahead of them. The gymnasium work goes right through September, with nets starting on September 26. Through October, the squad will have » physical training and fielding at Hagley Oval, and on Octo- . ber 31 a Canterbury team will play North Canterbury at Rangiora. On the same day Graham Dowling's Eleven will play John Ward's Eleven at Timaru, and on November 15 the Canterbury Shell Series squad will be announced. The net practice for it will start the next day. On November 21, a Canterbury XI will meet an under--22 team, a week later a Canterbury team will play Otago, at Waimate, and on December 3, 4 and 5 a Canterbury team has an unusual opponent — a side from Australian Capital Territory. The Canterbury Shell Series and Canterbury B teams will be announced on December 6. There is a match against Wellington on December 12, at Wellington, and the Shell Trophy campaign will begin on December 27, when Canterbury plays Central Districts at Lancaster Park. The B team begins its tournament at Dunedin, with a three-day match against Otago starting on December 28.

The players in the squad are: Cran Bull, Bryan Ritchie, Peter Rattray (High School Old Boys), David Boyle, Tony Farrant, David Farrant. Stephen Bateman (Burnside-West), Andrew Nuttall. Mark Bremner, John Larter and Paul Rutledge (St Albans), David Stead. Steve McNally, Glenn Bateman (Riccarton). Graham Kench, Simon Millichip (Lancaster Park), Paul McEwan, Vaughan Brown (Old Collegians), Ashley Hart (Sydenham) Craig Thiele (East-Shirley). Harvey King and Barry Ward (South Canterbury), Alan Devlin (North Canterbury).