Personalities In Sport

Evening Star, Issue 20943, 6 November 1931, Page 4

Personalities In Sport

No. XXVI.: D. A. R. MOLONEY. Otago has a flue hatch of younger cricketers coming forward to take their place in representative cricket, and one of the most promising of them all is D. A. R. Moloney, who this season has transferred from High School Old Boys to Carisbrook. A more than useful slow leg break bowler, Moloney has shown still greater ability as a batsman, and as an exponent of all-round stroke play lie has few equals iu Dunedin. Ho lias yet; to liifil the highest expectations that have been held out for him in representative cricket, but like so many .others the wet weather and corresponding lack of practice handicapped him last year. Educated first at the Arthur Street School, - “ Sonny ” Moloney played

cricket and Rugby in the school teams, and his early grounding in the summer game was derived from that sound judge of the game, Mr G. A. Wycherley. He played first five-eighth i'n the school Rugby team, and gained primary school representative honours for Otago both at cricket and football. As a member of the Otago schools’ cricket eleven he received further coaching from A. W. Alloo, who captained the Otago team in Plunkct Shield cricket for many years. Going on to the Otago Roys’ High School, Moloney immediately gained a place in the cricket eleven, of which he was a member for four years. .Here again' he had the advantage of firstclass Coaching from R. De R. Worker, and among his best performances were 26 and 8 not out, against Christ’s Col-

Pen Sketches

[By H.P.S.]

logo, ami 2G and G 1 against Southland Boys’ High School; while in one school match ho took five wickets for 17 runs. In grade matches lie Had many line performances to In's credit. Ho played two years in the school Rugby fifteen, and also showed himself to be one of the best athletes the school had Jiad in recent years. It was as a hurdler that ho showed out most prominently, and his record of 16 2-ssec for the 120yds hurdles still stands. Ho was fast be-,-tween the obstacles, and jumped almost faultlessly, so that it was cause for much regret that a leg injury prevented him subsequently from going further with this branch of athletics; otherwise it is quite on the cards that he would have gone close to New Zealand honours. Ho also did 41ft OJin in the hop, step, and jump and 19ft llin in the long jump. The present season is his third in senior cricket, two of which have been spent with High School Old Boys, with whom he has performed well both with hat and ball. His highest score was 93 against Christian Brothers’ Old Boys a season or two back. He made his first appearance in Blanket Shield cricket in the 1929-30 season, and in the Auckland match bowled twelve overs, taking two wickets for 32 runs in a high-scoring game. Ho lias been under the coaching of F. T. Badcock for the past couple of seasons, and his batting lias been developed considerably, so that he now ranks as one of the most polished batsmen in senior cricket. He had little luck in the representative games last season, though at times he showed glimpses of the form that might be expected of him. He is possessed of a wide variety of strokes, and when the occasion warrants it knows how to lay on the wood. Ho has not paid so much attention to his slow leg break bowling in the last year or two, but must still he reckoned with as a useful change bowler at least. He is a reliable field, usually playing in the slips in club cricket and either in tlie long field or at fine leg in the representative games. Big things are hoped for of Moloney in Otago cricket, and he is one of those youngsters on whom the province’s success in the,, future is likely to largely depend. After leaving school Moloney played a season with. University in second grade football, and then won a place in the ’Varsity B team. His Rugby career ended, however, when lie sustained a knee injury, which also qut short Ills athletic career. Success on the playing fields sits lightly upon the shoulders of this popular young sportsman, who can bo depended on always to give of his best, whether it be for his club or Ins province.