Canterbury's domestic fortunes turn in year of change

In a year of change for the red and blacks, out went coach Garry MacDonald, who stepped down after four seasons in charge. He is strongly tipped to be replaced by 2nd XI Michael Sharpe. Also gone are Maurice Ryan, the province's chairman, who has gone to Australia after a year in the job, and stalwart manager John Thompson, who has retired.

Other changes are possible.

Canterbury's successes centred around a challenge for their eighth Shell Cup title in 10 years. But, like the Canterbury women's team, the final was a step too far. The men played their best cricket of the year in a rousing series of wins when the Black Caps returned, all the way to the first final away against Central Districts.

Unfortunately, this ended at the building site of Jade Stadium, in successive defeats in the best-of-three series with the Stags.

The main domestic strike bowler of the previous few years, Warren Wisneski, was discarded after round five of the Shell Trophy, following a pasting from CD, in which a minor thumb injury which stopped him from bowling in the later part of their innings. The 32-year-old played three ODIs against Australia just a year ago.

The bowler who effectively replaced him, Ryan Burson, was out of the team for a long part of the season, while Chris Martin, the only Black Cap (apart from the Trophy batting average table-topper Chris Harris) able to regularly represent the province he "loves playing for," was out of the One-Day International team and this meant Burson, in turn, was dropped by Canterbury. Martin, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan all had successful Test matches, but intermittent ODI joy.

Geoff Allott, just 29, may be at the end of a sparkling, but all too short career. Chris Cairns also hardly played this season because of injury.

Canterbury's attack had consisted of a collection of 23 and under bowlers, who were often unable to gain more than experience at the perfect batting wicket at the Village Green in Christchurch, where they played all their home games bar one at Dudley Park, Rangiora, on another true batting wicket.

The Village Green may be the only first-class ground in the world without a pavilion. In fact there is not a brick, nor a seat, at the two-year-old main playing area for Canterbury. With Jade Stadium in flux as to whether it will continue to host cricket (although England will play there in March 2002) and Lincoln being used for the forthcoming World Youth Cup, Canterbury seems rootless at present.

The top wicket taker, with 19, was Stephen Cunis, who was called up to Rangiora at the last moment, but took a career best 5-74, bettered with 5-59 in his next game against Otago.

These two analyses helped Canterbury bowl the opposition out twice. This was out of only four occasions in 13 attempts that the bowlers took 10 wickets in an innings. No bowler's strike rate was better than a wicket every 10 overs.

Real speed came from Shane Bond, who was available for six games, and took 14 wickets, plus a career best 5-51 against Zimbabwe, when Canterbury had their best game of the season.

Cunis and Bond were two of a number of players who showed great promise, but ultimately could not be consistent enough to gain Canterbury a win in the Trophy.

Carl Anderson was usurped as No 1 spinner by Aaron Redmond, whose control surpassed the control shown in his batting, which was always stylish, but did not quite score as many runs as hoped. His 80 against CD, helped save one of a series of matches where Canterbury were set huge fourth innings totals. Twice they threatened to score well over 300 to win games, against Otago and Wellington, but failed valiantly.

Learning not to lose, or trying to win? The coach made the statement, "I would not be surprised if we lost," before the final day of the team's last match, a 112-run defeat away to Auckland. It has been a long season. Forty days of losing cricket, and the disappointment of the Cup climax produced a despondent feeling in the squad at times.

James Ward and Peter Fulton made their debuts in the last game of the season, where Tim McIntosh made 167, to go with 182 in Canterbury's first home game back in November. As a left arm spinner and a punishing batsman, these were the two most successful products of Sharpe's National Provincial 'A' Team Competition winning 2nd XI.

If Sharpe does follow the path of Dennis Aberhart and MacDonald, from the seconds to the firsts, he will surely use these two, plus the Cornelius brothers and possibly others to reinforce Canterbury next season.

However, he, MacDonald, Ben Harris and Craig Thiele have used 26 players this season, in 24 matches, and a settled team may be needed to produce a first Trophy win in three seasons.

Only Gary Stead, fourth highest Trophy run scorer with 752, and century maker against Zimbabwe (when he offered to stand down to let a youngster play as well as Astle, who was asked to turn out by the national selectors), was ever-present.

The age-old problem of unavailability caused by international selection has not been overcome this year. Stephen Fleming's pre-season transfer to Wellington was barely noticed for this reason. In many ways Canterbury's problems have been matched by the Black Caps. Both teams have struggled with injury, inexperience, changes at the top and inconsistent performances in front of sparse crowds.

Captain Stead often held up the batting, came close to international selection early in the season, when he was played as an opener for Canterbury at international request. He was selected for the New Zealand A team and is "considered by the selectors as cover for the Test opening batsmen" Mark Richardson and Matthew Bell.

Others who may have hoped for call-ups, if all had gone well, were Jarrod Englefield, Gareth Hopkins, Michael Papps and Redmond. Englefield disappointed until his breakthrough 172 at Blenheim, but Papps averaged in the low twenties and was dropped. Both Englefield and Hopkins had respectable averages of 38 in the Trophy, but were not prominent in the Cup.

There certainly is a basis for a successful team, but some wickets, and inspiration, are needed to fulfil promise shown.