Hartland among the runs

Press, 29 September 1988, Page 60

Hartland among the runs

By

JOHN COFFEY

A satisfactory season with the Northamptonshire second XI has encouraged the young Canterbury opening batsman, Blair Hartland, to establish himself in New Zealand first-class cricket. Hartland accumulated 860 runs at an average of just under 40. One of his two centuries was an innings of 188 against the Sussex seconds, and he passed 50 on seven other occasions. “I was quite happy the way things went,” said Hartland yesterday. “I didn’t start off too well, but things got better as they went on. “There was a considerable improvement on my previous year at Northants. I learned a lot in that first season and found I could use that knowledge when I got back there,” he said. His prolific scoring was achieved in spite of spending much of the

English summer batting out of position. “I had a lot of games at No. 6, some at No. 4, and only about five or six opening the batting. The contracted players, or someone the club was looking to sign, were naturally given prefer-

ence over a player on a scholarship like myself,” said Hartland. But Hartland, aged 21, is eager to be regarded primarily as an opener, and to challenge for the role of John Wright’s partner in the Canterbury team. “Opening is the job I prefer, the one I’ve got used to, batting with the shine on the ball and facing the quicks first up. If not there, then I’d. rather be no lower than No. 4,” said Hartland. A former New Zealand schoolboy representative, Hartland made a highly promising Shell Trophy debut for Canterbury by scoring 52 against Auckland in the last match of the 1986-87 season. But another emerging youngster, Danny Morrison, broke Hartland’s wrist with a fierce delivery in the second innings. Last season Hartland had a disappointing sequence of small scores,

aggregating only 72 runs from seven completed innings. “I had to work my way up from the B team, and didn’t have a good season at all. I had no confidence in myself or what I should have been doing,” he said. While overseas Hartland also played plenty of limited-over cricket for Northants Colts, which easily won its county league competition, and hopes to be considered for Canterbury’s Shell Cup side. “It’s up to me now. I’ve got to get runs for Old Boys in club matches first,” said Hartland. That quest starts tomorrow at Hagley Oval against the Trust Bank Trophy holder, St Albans. During the summer Hartland will again be heavily involved in spreading the message of Canta cricket at primary school level as well as coaching high school groups.