Batting blues for Burnside

Press, 19 November 1982, Page 23

Batting blues for Burnside

It might take some time for the present generation of Burnside-West ChristchurchUniversity cricketers to put behind them the nightmares of their first innings at Elmwood Park on Friday. Burnside-West was dismissed by Old Collegians for just 51 runs. By stumps, it had recovered to a far more competitive position of trailing by 27 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand.

For the players, there was compensation, too, of knowing that their predecessors had suffered even more serious lapses, even if they were some time ago.

In the era when the club was known simply as West Christchurch, it had the humiliation of being routed for only 19 by Sydenham. That was in 1916-11, and only Riccarton — which managed 15 runs against Sydenham the next season — has had to settle for less. West Christchurch also had a “total” of 27 against Lancaster Park in 1935-36. Burnside-West has contributed some of Canterbury’s, and New Zealand’s, more

prolific-scoring batsmen. It is all the more ironic that one of them, Graham Dowling, appeared in the club’s two most recent scores of under 50.

The batting disasters occurred in consecutive innings in 1959-60 — the second innings of a match with Riccarton and the first innings against East-Shirley a week later.

A remarkable bowling analysis of six for nine by John iKiddey was largely responsible for BurnsideWest’s demise for 41 against Riccarton. At the other end Dick Motz had a comparatively expensive four for 26.

Robin Cole, with five for 11, did most to have Burn-side-West out for 46 in its meeting with East-Shirley. In mitigation, it must be noted that one of Burnside-West’s specialist batsmen was absent; and a middle-order man was run out.

The 51 mustered by Burn-side-West was the lowest first grade total since Old Collegians dismissed EastShirley for 42 in the summer of 1979-80.