Burnside-W. seek first-grade lead

Press, 27 February 1984, Page 23

Burnside-W. seek first-grade lead

The second-placed team in the Chancery Finance firstgrade cricket competition, Burnside-West University, was in a good position at the end of the first day in the tenth round of the championship. Burnside-West needs only 34 runs to get the better first innings against Lancaster Park and it has five wickets standing. The day belonged mainly to the batsmen. Altogether 1235 runs were scored and 51 wickets were lost.

Sydenham scored the fine total of 304 against Riccarton and capped an excellent day by taking four wickets in the last hour; Old Boys have set East-Shirley a sizeable target to chase in a match which seems destined to be decided on the first innings; and Old Collegians have a tough task ahead of them against St Albans. Scores:— Lancaster Park 183 met Burnside-West 150/5. Old Boys 253/9 dec. met East-Shirley 29/0. St Albans 209 met Old Collegians 58/4. Sydenham 304/9 dec. met Riccarton 49/4.

Peter Rattray, dropped from the Canterbury Shell team, signalled his return to form with a century for Old Boys. Two Sydenham batsmen, Kevin Congdon and the captain, Bob Carter, made haftcenturies for their team, and the youthful pair, Stephen Jeffery (Burnside-West) and Mark Priest (St Albans), made 60 and 62, respectively. The persistent Old Collegians medium-pace bowler, Lindsay Forde, and the EastShirley off-spinner, Damien D’Oliveira, both took five wickets in long spells. But the most valuable allround contribution was provided by the St Albans captain, Lyn Sparks, who made a much-needed 40 runs and took the four Old Collegians wickets that fell. ONE-INNINGS AFFAIR

When the toss at Bagley Oval flipped in favour of the Old Boys captain, David Bull, there was never any doubt that

East-Shirley would be sentenced to a long, hot and tiring day in the field. Although Bull was dismissed early, it was equally certain that his team-mates would capitalise on a pitch which allowed batsmen considerable comfort if not giving them licence to score freely. Peter Rattray and Paul Hartland took the score to 102 by lunch and their partnership was eventually worth 92 runs. Rattray was the more positive figure, and he went through to a chanceless century in 225 min. Most of his 11 boundaries came from sweetly-timed drives. In mid-afternoon there was an attractive contribution from Barry Hadlee, spiced with lofted shots over mid-off. The long-suffering East bowlers never lost their spirit, however, and as the day wore on it became increasingly evident that little more than one innings would be completed. Most of East’s memorable moments came in the last hour. Damien D’Oliveira twice took two wickets in an over to embellish his analysis, and justice was not served when Colin Hight reaped no such rewards to complement his economical efforts. East had time to face only 12 overs before stumps. Craig Gibb and David Grocott will reopen the East innings next Saturday, with Gibb having already laid a firm foundation to his innings. STRONG POSITION

Burnside-West won a commanding position against Lancaster Park at Ensors Road. Lancaster Park started badly, recovered, but some promising stands were ended before the side had made a significant advance.

Rod Latham made 32 in only 44 minutes, his innings being marked by good, assertive stroke making. Graeme Kench and Bob Cusdin put on 62 in an hour for the fifth wicket, Cusdin pursuing his usual policy of stopping anything straight and hitting hard at all else. Stu Cameron contributed a very valuable 39 and there was a last-wicket stand of 28 between Glenn Bateman and

Trevor Luke. Luke, the more sober partner in this enterprise, scored 5 not out, and thereby advanced his season’s average to 31.5, keeping at the top of his team list. This is no mean achievement for a number 10 batsman, but Luke wore his latest success with becoming modesty. The Burnside-West bowling was persistent, with Steve Bateman being particularly inexpensive, and Peter Wallace caught Glenn Bateman, to stay at the top of the catching records for senior cricket. Burnside-West owed much to Stephen Jeffery, who played a wide range of good strokes in a confident 60. He was particularly impressive when making forcing off-side shots. David Boyle improved the value of a thoughtful innings by some excellent calling and running between the wickets.

Lancaster Park’s 18-year-old left-arm spinner, lain Boyle, again made a very good impression with his consistent control of length and direction. SPARKS IN FORM A fighting eighth-wicket partnership of 50 between Lyn Sparks and Paul Rutledge carried St Albans into the region of respectability in its first innings against Old Collegians at Elmwood Park.

Sparks’s contribution was 40 not out, but he had more than his batting form to remember the day by. By stumps, he had the four Old Collegians wickets to fall, at a cost of only 20 runs from 13 overs. It was as well for St Albans that the burly medium-pacer made such an impact at the bowling crease; Les Watson, whose wife gave birth to a daughter on Saturday, was absent, and he will enter the fray next week, eager to build on the inroads made by Sparks. Sparks was very solid with the bat, moving forward confidently, both in defence and on attack. Rutledge looked to score more off the back foot, employing well-placed deflections.

There were other useful contributions earlier. Les Smith, not scoring as swiftly as he

often does, gave St Albans a solid start with 32 in 80 minutes. Further down, John Larter struck some meaty blows in his 31, but the batting honours went to Mark Priest, whose 62 took 142 minutes and included 10 boundaries.

Priest sought often to drive, and if his timing was not always perfect, he bided his time patiently and provided the occasional classy shot in his valuable knock.

Lindsay Forde, with his inswing and tight line, kept plugging away to pick up a good bag for Old Collegians. In a rare stint at the bowling crease, Richard Leggat bowled his leg-spinners reasonably tidily, although he dropped it too short a little too often. Leggat will be looking to lift his side out of a minor slump when he resumes with the bat next week.

SURPRISE DECISION Surprises came early in Sydenham’s match against Riccarton at Sydenham Park. The Riccarton captain, Peter Stubbings, won the toss and elected to put Sydenham in on a pitch which was easy-paced and looked full of runs. Then came a sensational first over by Phil Stoyanoff. It yielded 17 runs, 12 to Kevin Congdon, four wides and a no ball, and Sydenham was off to a grand start. After being 68 for two, Sydenham consolidated through Congdon and the captain, Bob Carter. They added 91 runs in 89 minutes before Congdon was brilliantly caught at mid-wicket by Tim Murdoch.

Greg Brown and Greg Curtain maintained the tempo, but the biggest surprise was provided by Michael Dolden, who scored his highest senior score with an unbeaten 31. He and Curtain added 44 for the eighth wicket. Denis Aberhart and Kevin Scott toiled manfully in tiring weather and deserved their four wickets apiece.

Riccarton lost four wickets in the last 65 minutes and it will need a middle-order revival if it is to avoid the followon next Saturday.