New Zealand: Easy wins, pitiful batting highlight continuing problems (26 October 1998)

26 October 1998

New Zealand: Easy wins, pitiful batting highlight continuing problems

The Christchurch Press

The standard of senior club cricket in Christchurch continues to cause concern with two of the four matches ending well before stumps.

Old Collegians had Sydenham beaten by mid-afternoon on Saturday while Riccarton had more than an hour to spare in accounting for High School Old Boys in their two-day WestpacTrust Trophy encounters.

Sydenham posted two pitiful batting performances, Hamish Barton apart, against Old Collegians, a side claiming its first maximum 16-pointer in three seasons. It was Sydenham's second outright loss in two rounds.

Old Boys, first-round winners, were capable of better than the 141 they produced in pursuit of 221.

The results highlight a problem with the quality of play at first-grade level.

Little has altered since the release of the Adams report which was partly instigated by concerns about the senior men's standard more than a season ago.

That report recommended a reduction to eight senior teams and encouraged promotion-relegation.

While Lancaster Park and Woolston have merged, dropping senior sides to nine, Canterbury Cricket backed off a recent club advisory group recommendation that High School Old Boys lose their first grade status. If nine teams remain it will also leave an unwanted bye.

The problem for administrators is that while there is agreement that a reduction in teams is needed, none of the established clubs want to lose their senior status.

Riccarton, clearly worth its senior ranking, gave Old Boys a fair declaration leaving it some 3hr 40 min to make 221 at Hagley Oval. While the Old Boys batsmen showed no lack of ability to find the boundary - 22 fours were scored in the innings - it was not matched by a similar amount of application.

Llorne Howell clubbed 33 off 25 balls before being dismissed while Old Boys' hopes rose again when Brendan Fahey and Shane Bond had steered the side to 112 for five by tea with a sixth-wicket stand of 45.

But Riccarton's varied bowling attack struck with Phil Monk and Lee Borcoski finishing the job started by Darren Walker and Glenn Foulkes. Earlier Riccarton's declaration had been set up by a bright, unbeaten half century from Andrew Reid, his 61 not out coming off 83 balls with eight fours.

Sydenham was outplayed by Old Collegians at Sydenham Park. Its problems started early when it was forced to follow on after its first innings mustered just 99.

In the second innings, apart from Canterbury candidate Barton, whose batting was a class above the rest, and the 50-run stand he shared with opener Andrew Thin, it was all bad news for Sydenham. No other batsman could reach double figures.

Sydenham could not counter the experienced Mark Rountree and Andrew Kininmonth who took the last seven wickets between them. Barton was the final player dismissed for a well-compiled 69 in 104 minutes. That left Old Collegians the paltry target of 33 to win.

After a disastrous start to the season, Marist came close against Lancaster Park-Woolston, losing with only eight balls to be bowled at Garrick Park.

It looked likely that Darron Reekers would be Marist's Man of the Match after the side collapsed in the morning. At lunch the score was 103 for six off 41 overs and only one other batsman had reached 10. But Reekers gave an outstanding display of firm driving, punishing hooks and fine placements to score 60.

In the afternoon the Marist batsmen were allowed freedom, Kahn Gerrard (in his first major match) and Chris O'Connell scored 60 in even time then Gerrard and Steve McCloy added 36 in 35 minutes, McCloy hitting two sixes. The newly merged side had a useful array of fast-medium bowlers in John Quinn, Tony Timpson and the Cornelius brothers. Cleighton with his accurate outswingers was particularly impressive.

Lancaster Park-Woolston made steady progress but everyone got out just when it seemed an easy task. It took John Stuart, 28 in 19min with five fours and a six, and Quinn in the last stages with 21 in 20 balls to settle the issue.

At Burnside Park the home side set East-Christchurch 152 from 32 overs to win outright. East began well with a third-wicket stand of 43 from Marcel McKenzie and Scott Pawson.

Then, in the fourth of the final 20 overs, McKenzie left, followed by Michael Papps and the chase virtually expired, although Pawson and Craig Gibb added 73 in 50 minutes in the final overs against some friendly Burnside bowling.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)