Richard Hadlee returns to Canterbury team

Press, 6 January 1987, Page 32

Richard Hadlee returns to Canterbury team

By

JOHN COFFEY

Richard Hadlee will return to the Canterbury cricket team for its opening Shell Trophy match against Wellington, starting at Lancaster park this morning.

Two bouts of gastroenteritis kept the outstanding fast bowler and hard-hitting middle-order batsman out of action for the whole Shell Cup limited-over competition. Although somewhat behind in his planned preparation, Hadlee looked sharp in the nets I last evening, satisfying himself that he was fit enough to take his place in the Canterbury side. Hadlee’s availability will be a massive psychological, as well as physical, boost for a young Canterbury combination that performed with distinction in finishing a close runner-up to Auckland in the cup tournament.

Today’s fixture will also

mark the first combining of the fast bowling talents of Hadlee and Stu Roberts, another High School Old Boys player and the logical successor to Hadlee as the spearhead of Canterbury newball bowling attacks. From a modest background of two trophy games last summer, Roberts enjoyed a memorable initiation to Shell Cup cricket this season. He took more wickets than any other bowler, 11, and shared top billing in the averages, at 11.1, with Danny Morrison (Auckland). The speed and penetration mustered by Roberts will ensure that opposing teams cannot put emphasis on keeping Hadlee at

bay in the expectation of prospering at the other end.

Hadlee’s presence will probably mean the demotion of either Andrew Hintz or Chris Flanagan to twelfth man. It will not be an easy decision, for both made marked advances on the course of their cup appearances. Canterbury will be seeking to re-establish itself in three-day cricket after finishing a long and lonely last in the 1985-86 trophy series. Its meagre returns were two first innings victories in eight matches. The manner in which the young seam bowlers responded to the responsibilities given them at cup level, the impressive ef-

forts of the spinners, David Hartshorn and Vaughan Brown, the assured wicket-keeping of Barry Ward, and the fine batting form of John Wright, Paul McEwan, Anup Nathu and Brown all suggest that happier times are ahead.

Any lingering doubts concern the inconsistency of the middle-order batting, though Hadlee’s return should strengthen that sphere. Wellington has also been restored to full strength by the recovery from injury of Gavin Larsen, who damaged a hamstring in a pre-cup match against Canterbury. Larsen had scored four centuries in five club

games before his. mishap.

The other first-round games are between Auckland and Otago at Auckland and Central Districts and Northern Districts at Masterton. The teams are.—

Canterbury: John Wright (captain), Anup Nathu, Paul McEwan, David Boyle, Rod Latham, David Hartshorn, Vaughan Brown, Richard Hadlee, Chris Flanagan, Barry Ward, Andrew Hintz, Stu Roberts.

Wellington: Robert Vance (captain), Bruce Edgar, Andrew Jones, Jeremy Coney, Tim Ritchie, Gavin Larsen, Evan Gray, Ervin McSweeney, Stu Maguiness, Paul Allott, Jonathan Millmow, Ewen Chatfield.