Fickle form fluctuations in first grade

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 37

Fickle form fluctuations in first grade

Followers of the form book would have looked on in amazement at the wildly fluctuating fortunes experienced by various Canterbury Cricket Association first grade teams during recent summers. Since the competition was expanded to 10 teams three years ago there has been very little consistency. Sides have climbed or plummeted down the trophy and cup points tables at a pace befitting snakes and ladders rather than the top cricketing grade in one of this country’s major associations. Marist made its debut memorable by winning the title in 1984-85. The next summer it finished second to Sydenham. Last season Sydenham was last and Marist just one rung above it On that basis, St Albans, the holder of the Trust Bank Trophy, and Lancaster Park, second in that event and winner of the Trust Bank Cup limited-over series, have cause to approach the 1987-88 programme with some trepidation.

The successful St Albans captain, Neil Francis, was probably not being too conservative, then, when he expressed a determination that his team be among the top four in the season ahead. St Albans will have a settled squad in pursuit of a second consecutive championship. Richard Brazendale has returned to Auckland, Lyn Sparks, who is now a Canterbury selector, will be missing at least over the first half of the summer, and Andrew Nuttall is not ex-

pected home from England until November. The other St Albans wanderers, Ben Harris and Geoff Smith, are back in the practice nets. So, too, are Max Bremner, Mark Priest, Grant Lucas, Greg Olliver, Paul Rutledge, Roger Ford and Brett Harrison. Lancaster Park, to be captained by Rod Latham, has the promising rural medium-fast bowler, Don Kars, as a likely replacement for the retired Craig Thiele. Ross Calder is another who is not playing, Bob Cusdin has looked towards the lower grades, and James Shipley has been recruited by Woolston W.M.C.

Nick Foster, who topped the first grade batting averages last summer, will return from overseas about opening day to join such established team-mates as Dave Dempsey, Tony Collins, John Gully, John Sansom, Mark Chamberlain, John Radovonich, Stu Cameron and Trevor Luke.

Clubs from opposite boundaries of Hagley Oval, High School Old Boys and Riccarton, were equal third in the trophy contest last season and both seem to have done reasonably well from winter movements.

Old Boys will obviously welcome the plans of their most illustrious “old boy,” Richard Hadlee, to warm up at club level for international assignments in Australia and this country. Not that Old Boys are short of medium-fast bowling talent, with Stu Roberts also returning from England to rejoin Chris Flanagan and Henry Richards. Vance Thompson is another contender. There is a distinct “jetset” appearance to the Old Boys camp. Big things will be expected of Blair Hartland after his English experience, and of Cran Bull, too, in his testing capacity of manager of the New Zealand World Cup team in India. Andy Nicol is back after representing Marlborough as a left-arm spinner; a bowler of similar style, Nigel Jackson, has linked up with Sydenham. Ross Bayliss led the homecoming from Britain, and Old Boys again have Jonathan Eaton, Peter Rattray, David Bull, Dayle Hadlee, Paul Hartland and Brent Small. A longserving stalwart, Murray Mowat, is said to have “semi-retired.” Riccarton also has more potential in pace because of the transfer to town of Steve McNally, who is keen to regain Canterbury honours, Andrew Cavill, a promising Ashburton colt, and possibly Andrew Caddick, who was briefly at Sydenham last season. The Canterbury allrounder, David Hartshorn, is available while he does his medical internship in Christchurch. Batting recruits include Dean Lund, from North Canterbury, John Wilson, a century-

maker for Central Districts in national junior tournaments, and Jason Kilworth, from St Bede's College. On the debit side, Peter Stubbings has completed his long innings, Danny Halligan might fit in an occasional game between soccer commitments, and Wally Scott is playing afternoon cricket.

Tim Murdoch and Stu Gambles exceeded 700 runs last summer, Murdoch returning the highest aggregate in first grade. David Stead, Denis Aberhart, restored as captain and recovered from his handyman misadventures, Tony Halligan,

Kevin Scott and Brent Glanville inject experience into the squad. Burnside-West, now under the leadership of Russell Haglund, will be without Chris Marks, who has taken more than 240 wickets and scored over 1400 runs, Kevin Williams, whose energies have been redirected towards coaching Halswell in Suburban cricket, and, for a time, Robin Penney, nursing a broken thumb. It is all the more heartening, then, that Steve Bateman is free from the injury which sidelined him in 1986-87 and that Lee Germon will soon be back from Britain. Burnside can boast an effective seam attack, with Andrew Hintz, Steve Hawker arid Bateman on hand from the start. David Boyle, David Farrant and Haglund provide the, batting with a solid centre, backed by the youngsters, Jon Preston and Andrew Sherwood. Old Collegians are without Vaughan Brown, now in Auckland, and Russell Scott, who is in England. It is not certain whether Graham Bean, an Englishman, will follow the sun back to Elmwood Park. Wayne Martin, a bowler of sharp pace from Otago, bolsters an already formidable bowling battery comprising Bill Lawrence, Lindsay Forde and Greg O’Reilly. Another addition is Mason Robinson, a batsman and ’keeper from Blenheim. Keith Gardner, Paul McEwan, Roger Fuller, Richard Leggat, John Morton, David Bond, Gary Thomas and the three regular faster bowlers assure Old Collegians of stability from last season. There has been plenty • of off-season activity at Woolston W.M.C. The most serious of several losses is that of Ken Taylor, who is house building

instead of bowling, and work commitments have caused withdrawals by Alan Gambles, Murray Hartland and Ajit Johnpillai. New signings have been plentiful — Peter Kennedy, a former Shell Trophy batsman from Sydenham, James Shipley from Lancaster Park, Mike Dolden, whose leftarm spinners were previously delivered for Sydenham’s cause, Neville Simpson, a left-handed middle-order batsman and left-arm slow bowler from Wellington, Greg Lewis, a quick bowler and useful batsman who has moved in from the country, and two former Marist bowlers, Russell Grant and Kevin Thomas. Woolston W.M.C. has a second grade side to support its first XI, which is once more captained by Anup Nathu. Ash Hart is at the helm of a Sydenham team

which has the services of a young Lancashire allrounder, Dexter Fitton, to compensate for Bob Carter’s more extensive coaching duties. Paul Bulman is on a working holiday in England, but the promising pace bowler, Richard Petrie, is return-

ing from a cricketing trip to that country. The seasoned Kevin Congdon, Wayne Higgins, Stu Simpson and Hart will be looking for more productive returns from developing players such as Darren Murray, Ken Julian and Bryce Nicholson. Newcomers at Sydenham Park include Lloyd O’Keefe, an opening batsman from New Brighton who has represented the Suburban association, and Dawie Aker, a middleorder man from Horowhenua. The return of Garry Hooper, and the recruitment of Kees Ruskamp, a top-order batsman from the Netherlands, are features of Marist’s preparations. Kim Perera is available again, and a provincial junior representative, Andrew Haglund, is a promising batsman from the high school ranks.

Among those missing will be Thomas, Grant, probably Merv Taylor because of work commitments, and, while he attends to university studies, Andrew Boyle for the first round. Marist’s stalwarts include the captain, Justin

Boyle, Paul Bateman, John Larter, Mark Hastings, Greg Hills, Garry MacDonald and Greg Curtain. There was some gloom over Burwood Oval at the news of Hooper’s transfer and Steve Booth’s decision to try Suburban playing fields. That was dissipated when Mark Robinson, a 20-year-old Northamptonshire medium-fast bowler, agreed to spend the southern summer with East Christchurch-Shirley. The other bowling stints will be largely undertaken by Steve Daly, Greg Fletcher, Dean Lund (not available for the opening round because of soccer duties) and the spinner, Tony .Gray. Daly and the wicket-keeper, Mark Barrett, joined the off-season exodus to England. Ray Jones, the captain. Jund, Craig Gibb, Gary Jone’s and Howard Morel are again among East’s top-order batsmen.'