Club has much to offer members

Press, 5 October 1984, Page 11

Club has much to offer members

The St Albans Cricket Club starts its 80th > season on Sunday. Based in Hagley Oval, the club has much to offer its members with its comfortable pavilion and lounge, excellent practice facilities, and wide range of teams to suit all abilities.

Indeed, it would be difficult to envisage a more comfortable and relaxing position from which to spend a summer’s afternoon watching cricket than that provided by the lounge and balcony of the St Albans Cricket Club Pavilion, as it overlooks five pitches and commands a panoramic view of New Zealand’s most historic and picturesque 'cricket ground. The club’s opening day will be held adjacent to its pavilion in the north-east corner of Hagley Oval — the entrance off Riccarton Avenue — on Sunday. Net practice for men and women will start at 1 p.m.; Mr David Caygill, M.P. for St Albans, will officially* open the season during the afternoon tea break.

Being a centrally located club, St Albans has no natural feeding ground for new members, so at the start of each season, the recruitment of new members is an important facet of club activities.

“We are looking for cricketers of all abilities,

not just the highly rated ones,” said the club captain, Mr Euan West.

The club is anxious, however, to recruit cricketers who have the ability to play in the club’s second and third teams, and several vacancies still exist, notably for batsmen. “All that new members have to do who want to play cricket is to arrive along at our pavilion from 1 p.m. on Sunday.

“Whites should be worn, but cricket gear will be provided,” said Mr West. “Men’s and women’s registrations will be carried out by the respective club captains, myself and Marina Nijland, on opening day.”

This season St Albans hopes to field 10 men’s teams, and five women’s sides. There are grades to suit all cricketers.

First, second and third, grades commence at 10.30 a.m. and play through to 6 p.m. as two-day games. Fourth, fifth and sixth grades are two-day grades commencing at 1 p.m., 'while seventh, eighth, ninth and presidents are all oneday grades, and their starting times are also 1 p.m.

Final team selections will be made early next week at' practice, which is held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, on five turf .wickets adjacent to the pavilion.