SENIOR CRICKET COMPETITION

Southland Times, Issue 25641, 7 April 1945, Page 7

SENIOR CRICKET COMPETITION

SCANDRETT SCORES’ MOST RUNS J. C. Scandrett, the Old Boys captain, and T. N. Forde, captain of the Marist team, were the only two batsmen to score more than 400 runs in the senior inter-club competition of the Southland Cricket Association this season. Scandrett topped the list with 421 and Forde was close behind him with 419. The next best run getter during the season was the captain of the Bluff team, L. Sparks, who scored 337 runs. And so three captains led the way among the senior batsmen this season.

The highest individual total for one match was scored by Scandrett when he made 138 against Bluff in the last match of the season. Until that match Scandrett had not shown much of his old form as a run getter and his best totals for the season had been 49, 40 and 34. Forde’s best effort for the season was 105 against Appleby in the second round, and he also scored a 96, a 92 and a 64. In a match against Marist in the second round, Sparks compiled 118. His next best effort was 67. In the match that Sparks got his century, N. McGowan (Marist), the only other senior player to score a century this season, carried his bat for 102. Batsmen who scored more than 300 runs during the season included: Scandrett, Forde, Sparks, G. G. Storrie (Union) 324, R. W. Pollok (Invercargill) 308, A. S. Cutler (Invercargill) 306, and N. McGowan 302. Others who passed the 250 mark were C. V. Shirley (Appleby) 289, R. Campbell (Old Boys) 279, F. Fraser (Marist) 273, and E. P. Hawke (Old Boys) 265. BEST AVERAGE TO FORDE

T. N. Forde secured the best average of the men who scored 300 runs or more. Both Forde and Scandrett scored their runs in 13 innings, but Forde was not out on one occasion and this improved his average. The best averages were:—Forde, 34.9; Storrie, 32.4; Scandrett, 32.3; Cutler, 30.6; Sparks, 28.08; McGowan, 27.4; and Pollok, 19.2. None of the bowlers in the senior competition managed to take 50 wickets during the season, but G. Marshall, the Union fast bowler, was only three short of the half-century. The Invercargill player, G. W. Overton, who took 46 wickets, was next on the list. Marshall’s 47 wickets were obtained at the cost of 455 runs, and this gave him an average of 9.6. His best effort in one match was eight for 19, including the hat-trick. Three hundred and seventy-two runs were scored off Overton’s bowling and he ended the season with an average of 8.08, the second best average of the bowlers who took 30 wickets or more.

A. G. Pickard (Old Boys) topped the averages for the bowlers. Pickard put up a great performance in securing 36 wickets in eight innings, and had he not suffered an injury to his hand during the season it is probable that he would have taken the most wickets. Thirtysix wickets for 207 runs were Pickard’s final figures. This gave him an average of 5.7.

Following are the figures of the bowlers who took more than 30 wickets:—A. G. Pickard, 36 wickets, 207 runs, 5.7 average; G. W. Overton, 46, 372, 8.08; D. Morrison (Appleby), 42, 402, 9.5; G. Marshall, 47, 455, 9.6; H. W. Fraser (Old Boys), 44, 471, 10.6; T. H. McKenzie (Invercargill), 42, 524,12.4.