FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
The Ongoing Tale of a Unicorn
1981-2006
By
Harry Gibbons
CONTENTS
1. Dedication
2. Forewords
- Mike Curtis (Former President and Chairman)
- David Bain (Current President and Former Chairman)
- Author
PART 1: REFLECTIONS
3. Back to the Future -An Overview of Karori Cricket 1981-2006
4. Simply the Best (Karori’s Best Team 1981-2006)
5. Best of the Best (Five Influential Players 1981-2006)
6. Coincidence Or What?
7. Rise and Fall- Women’s Cricket in Karori: 1981-2000
8. Ensuring the Game’s Future- The Karori Cricket Foundation
PART 2: DECADES IN REVIEW
Fortunes of the Unicorn in Detail 1981-2006
9. Years of Gold 1981-1990
10. Ups and Downs 1991-2000
11. New Millennium, New Promise, New Home 2001- 2006.
PART 3: APPENDICES
12. Gems of Cricket Humour
13. The Four Ages of Cricket Players
1
DEDICATION
This publication is the second volume consolidating the ongoing history of the Karori Cricket Club. It spans the 25 years of the club’s history from 1981-82 to 2006-07. As such, and in supporting the celebrations of the Club’s 125 years, I would like to dedicate this publication to the following:
1. First, and foremost to John Stribling. His book on the first 100 years of the Karori Cricket Club is a superb work forming an important part of the wider history of Karori. As such, its value will never diminish and will achieve true fulfilment at the Club’s bi-centennary 75 years hence. It would be a tragedy should it ever be completely lost.
2. All those who contributed to this volume, in particular, Mike Curtis, David Bain, Evan Gray, Richard Petrie, Derek Stirling, Ervin McSweeney and John Stribling.
3. Those who provided access to annual reports, newsletters and scorebooks covering the period under review.
4. Those Karori players who, over the last 25 years, have gone on to Wellington and New Zealand honours at various levels: Evan Gray, Richard Petrie, Derek Stirling, Ervin McSweeney, Phil Chandler, Mark Jefferson, Matthew Goodson Tim Ritchie, Wayne Holmes, Lee Edwards, Chris Lee, Stephen Murdoch, Simon Allen, Josh Stuart, Maia Lewis, Celia Cavanagh, Linden Eagles, Donna Archer, Kristina Martinelli, Erika MacKay and Margaret Presland. Whether your loyalties remained with Karori or not over all the last 25 years we remain proud of you all.
5. To the players over the last 25 years, who while not necessarily playing at premier level (or if so they were journeymen rather than high flyers), who, weekend in and weekend out were there for the enjoyment of the game. I refer particularly to the Phil Benfields, Graeme Stacey’s, Brett Grays, Phil Pigous, David Bains, Geoff Lees, John Striblings, Dave Nortons’, David Hopkins’, Ted Tylers, Simon Kents, Andrew Walklins, Peter Rutherfords, Peter McLarens, Fraser Lyons’ Colin Walters’, the Rosa McDonalds and the scores of others like them. They are why the club still lives.
6. Those who manage the nursery of the game in Karori. The convenors Jim Glynan, Laurence Jujnovich, Colleen Daly, John Cunningham, Mike Suggate, David Templeton, administrators, parents and coaches who have fostered the skills, participation and enjoyment of the game among the youngest of all club members. Thank you all. You are why the game itself still lives.
7. Those whose enjoyment and love of the game of cricket kept them involved in lower grades after their years at the top. In this group are the Geoff Pearces, Ross Crottys, Phil Benfields, Keith Atkinsons, and Toivo Vaikvees. It is also the Evan Grays, Richard Petries and Fraser Lyons’ who at times remained active that extra year or two or who emerged from semi or full retirement to answer the call for help when it went out.
8. Those who gave additionally of their time and themselves to support the club in some capacity on the Management Committee, Karori Park Sports Club's Committee (in particular Graeme Tall and Ted Tyler), behind the bar or in the kitchen. Some were, and still are, players. Some were not. The club is indebted to you.
9. Those keen supporters who have fronted the clubroom’s upstairs lounge all those Saturdays (or sprawled outside in the sunshine on the rare occasions there was any) following the fortunes of the team playing on Karori’s the No 1 wicket or away venues. In particular the regular presence over the last 25 years of Brian and Barbara Holmes, Toivo Vaikvee, Doug Catley (possibly the greatest supporter of all), Mike Curtis, Bob Murdoch, Alan Graham, Rob and Ngaire Ambridge, Paul Cudby, Roy Atkin, Bob and Sharman Buckle, Mick Wiffin, Neville Drake, Keith Mansill, Dave Hooley, Graham Stephen, Ken Brown, the Priors and the Stuarts.
Harry Gibbons
2
FOREWORDS
1
At our 1980 centennary celebrations and due to the vision of our president at the time, the late Ian Nimmo, The Karori Cricket Foundation was formed. Designed to promote cricket in the Karori area at both junior and senior level, the Foundation has had a major impact on the development of the Karori Cricket Club over the last 25 years. It has fostered cricket in the arena and provided financial assistance to both clubs in times of need.
Over the last 25 years the Karori Cricket Club has had the benefit of some excellent administration. Peter Baird 1986-87, David Bain 1992-95, Brett and Dianne Gray, Colin Walters, Harry Gibbons, Fraser Lyons, Ted Tyler, Barbara Holmes, Peter Rutherford, Norm Ridgeway and Phil Benfield to mention a few. We now have Dave Hooley who is continuing the high standard set before him. I believe that their contribution has had an extremely important influence in the club’s financial success and strength.
In 1995-96 we saw the establishment of the inter-city competition between Hutt Valley and Wellington cricket clubs culminating in 1999 with the merger of the Wellington and Hutt Valley Cricket Associations to form Cricket Wellington Inc. The subsequent Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy competitions, with automatic promotion and relegation, added a lot of pressure to all clubs to perform well. This in turn saw overseas professionals being sought and used to lift club performances and in order to recruit better players, payments were offered to local players to change clubs. As a consequence, Wellington Cricket established a salary cap for professional payments.
With the development of Karori Park now in progress and plans for the upgrade of the clubrooms, I am confident that the Karori Cricket Club will continue to grow and be strong for the next 25 years.
Mike Curtis
A year or so ago when first thinking about our Club’s 125th anniversary celebrations, I looked through the excellent book “ One Hundred Years” written by Club member John Stribling for our centenary, held in 1980. It really is a great read. Towards the end, there is a page entitled “The Future”. Prophetically, and to quote, it says: “ In the short term the future looks bright for the Club. It now has excellent social facilities…..On the cricket field the Club is able to enter strong teams through the grades…..In the long-term the future of the Karori Cricket Club is closely tied to that of cricket generally. The game enjoys wide popularity and has demonstrated an ability to adapt over the years.”
Twenty five years on, we would have to agree with these words, relative to the quarter century we have completed, and importantly, the next twenty five years ahead.
Technology-wise, we are very mindful of the progress made since 1980. While Harry Gibbons, to whom we owe grateful thanks for writing the Club history, will say how challenging compiling all the statistics has been, we now have an excellent web-site on which to record all sorts of Club data for now and into the future. Out on the cricket field, these past months, we have had technology digging it up, draining it, levelling it, creating new wicket blocks, with special clay, and beautifying the surrounds. Once completed, Karori Park will be the best sports and recreation facility in the Wellington and Hutt Valley region, and that will create lots of opportunities for cricket.
Technology will soon be the fore enabling the modernization of the Karori Park pavilion, and the Karori Park Sports Club rooms, that had been built shortly before the Club’s centenary.
The Sports Club rooms project is a cooperative effort by the soccer and cricket clubs, and the generosity of major community charitable trusts, and the Wellington City Council. When completed early in 2007, the Sports Club rooms sited beside the pavilion, on the edge of the Park will be the benchmark that other sports grounds in the region and beyond will aim for.
So the next twenty five years look to be full of prospect. Growth in playing members, and supporters will surely follow. Young aspiring cricketers will want to be part of Karori Cricket Club. Within five years, the Club is going to need new and vigorous leaders, on and off the field. And so the Club goes on.
Let us celebrate our 125th anniversary, thinking about all those who have made up the years, and the opportunities in prospect ahead.
David Bain
President
The term “labour of love” is used often enough these days to be a cliche. Nevertheless, that is exactly what the task of putting together a review of the last 25 years of Karori cricket has been for me. The enjoyment I have got over the previous nine months or so in collating relevant data and then writing up and editing this review has been immeasurable. It has also been an amazing learning experience. The period over which I have worked is also co-incidental to the fulfilment of an adult pregnancy. I now appreciate some of what women experience in dealing with at time moments of sheer joy and moments of utter agony and frustration but knowing that at the end it is all worth it.
From interviews with past and current club members and the meticulous sorting through 25 years of annual reports and scorebooks I came to know, and appreciate, the real extent of those very many other “labours of love” that hundreds of people have given to ensure the success, and at times the survival, of the Karori Cricket Club in that time.
It proved an eye opener to realise just how far back some players’ involvement with (and service to) the club. Quite number of these can still be seen around Wellington’s environs. The impact of discovering the remarkable playing performances of many individuals and the regularity of their achievement was just as great. More than a few of these were put together over long periods of time including by players who remained content to remain competing in the lower two day and the one day grades.
Following the progress of players moving in both directions through the various grades over the years was yet another satisfying outcome of researching this review. As such, I believe I have come to know my club and its members much better.
The task was not without its frustrations. The principal one among these were some significant gaps in core data required to accurately trace performances and events over the last 25 years. My key sources involved annual reports and particularly the descriptions and statistics provided by team captains in these; and senior men’s and women’s scorebooks. The club’s own files were surprisingly deficient in both these. As such I am most thankful to the generosity of Mike Curtis, David Bain, Dave Hooley and John Stribling especially and also others in allowing me access to their own collections of annual reports. Sadly, while many of these gaps were filled yet others could not. Clubroom files surrendered some team scorebooks but a number, particularly for the 1980s, remained missing. Records and scorebooks from many other grade teams covering the last 25 years have also apparently vanished.
That the club no longer appears to retain one complete set of all records and scorebooks for each decade means a substantial and important source of club history is gone. I believe that it would be worth the while trying to recover as many of these “missing links as possible.”
After all the collators of the club’s history for the 150th anniversary and bi-centennial celebrations will also need to source these for information. Publications celebrating the club’s centenary and 125 years do not, on their own, provide a sufficient base for reviewing a bi-centennary.
Yet another frustration was a decreasing trend in the detail available in annual reports and the standard of booking keeping in the scorebooks. Team accounts and statistics became more and more general and less specific and detailed in the club’s official records over the 25 years.
In some scorebooks even match dates had been omitted. The absence of much of club related information sources has meant that a full data base of players over the 25 years between 1981 and 2006 together with their statistics was, in the end impossible to obtain and publish. To publish some but not all would have been grossly unfair. As such, no statistical data has been included in the published document. This particular issue is being left for a further 25 years.
Readers of this review will find that I have not shirked controversy. It is just that- a review and largely a subjective one at that and not an apology for the last 25 years of Karori cricket. However, I also asked the current Club president, David Bain, and a previous long serving President and Chairman, Mike Curtis to also provide forewords or reviews of the last 25 years from their perspective. This will go some way, at least, to addressing any imbalance of my own. I have also sought additional editorial comment and suggestions at various stages. A number of other club personalities were also asked to contribute to items.
“Father Time” will ensure that I am unlikely to be around to help with the next review or celebrations in 2031. I am disappointed I won’t be. Therefore, I would like to thank now all those who helped me in my “labour of love” and hope all enjoy the 125 anniversary celebrations on which this publication is focused.
To those who will still be around over the next 25 years I just say to you: “Cetare bonum certamen”
Harry Gibbons
PART 1
3
REFLECTIONS
BACK TO THE FUTURE
AN OVERVIEW OF KARORI CRICKET 1981-2006
The subjective reminiscences of a past player, administrator, life member and current sideline observer
In the myths of ancient times the unicorn was a beast of legend whose failing struggle against the elements and natural enemies saw it vanish from the Earth. The unicorn that is today’s symbol of the Karori Cricket Club too has faced battles of survival over the last 25 years. Not unlike its mythical counterpart. However, unlike the unicorn of myth, Karori’s unicorn fights on.
Part of John Stribling’s fine volume on the first 100 years of the Karori Cricket Club, “One Hundred Years” featured the club’s struggle towards attaining senior status between 1920 and 1935. His publication went on to conclude that while the short term future for the club was bright, its long term future was very much dependent on the fortunes of cricket in general.
The bright short term future predicted by John certainly proved to be the case. At least over the first 12-15 years post 1980. Over much of that time the senior and junior sections of the club’s playing fortunes continued on an unabated high. As well, the women’s sides gradually increased their playing numbers and skill level to reach for, and eventually, take out the senior title in the mid 1990s.
The club’s senior side went into its centenary celebrations after the 1980-81 season with the championship trophy locked away- the result of a last over win over Johnsonville on the last day of the season. Evan Gray earlier that same season became only the third Wellington club cricketer to hit unbeaten centuries in both innings of a match (verses University) while also taking 12 wickets in the two dayer with Tawa (4-34 and 8-39). Gray had also conspired with his wicketkeeper, Ervin McSweeney to snaffle the last Johnsonville wicket on the last ball in the last over of the season to ensure the premier competition was Karori’s. As well, Toivo Vaikvee and Phil Benfield took 32 and 31 wickets respectively between them to lead the Karori bowling charge towards the premier championship.
Gray continued to bestride the club scene like a colossus through the 1980s and 1990s. He consistently applied a chokehold over opposition club batting line ups and his bowling returns were phenomenal. This even when considering his limited availability due to New Zealand, Wellington, Wellington selector commitments and stints with the Johnsonville and Collegians Clubs as their club professional. Age too, while the leveller of most, never seemed to dim his particular skills whenever he responded, in later years, to a call for help. Periods in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons were two examples when the veteran left the comforts of retirement to respond to Karori’s needs. Age being no object it was no surprise that he remained able to literally spin his web over a number of opposition line ups that year. His 2003-04 returns included a match total of 8-30 off 29 overs against Petone Riverside (4-15 in each innings) and 1-8 off 10 overs in a one day clash with North City. Who said life was over after 40 and no wonder Gray was always reluctant to formally retire.
If Gray’s domination of the club scene over the last 25 years was testament to his sublime skills then not far behind was the year in and year out precision like swing bowling of Phil Benfield and Richard Petrie. A shade just over medium pace, Benfield snared his 500th club wicket in 1986 at the ripe old age of 38. Seemingly tireless, he used his supreme fitness, aggression and late swing to good effect with best figures of 8-31 and 7-88.
He was also a handy lower order and hard hitting bat while his fast, accurate and stinging returns from the boundary as they smacked into the gloves of the keeper was an oft heard sound around various Wellington grounds. Benfield was probably ahead of his time to win a representative cap when at his peak. He would probably be a real boon to today’s Wellington selectors.
Yet another dominant force in premier grade club cricket from the mid 1990s and into the new millennium was Richard Petrie. A tough, determined and skilful competitor, his performances with bat and ball were feared by opposition bowlers and batting line ups alike. He reached or exceeded the seven wicket mark at least six times for Karori. Often these successes were defiant performances to stave off defeat or, more than once, to turn a likely defeat into a charge for victory.
In a notable 2002 match against Naenae the both Petrie and a returning Evan Gray combined their immense talents to tie down a big victory. Petrie took 7-65 in Naenae’s first innings of 129 while Evan Gray as the ‘elder statesman” of the side snatched 5-19 in the opposition’s second innings score of 151 to give Karori a comfortable victory. Other seven wicket or more hauls between 1993 and 2002 included: 8-55 verses Petone Riverside (to wrap up his last full season), 7-38 and 7-43 on two separate occasions against Hutt Districts; 6-76 against Kilbirnie (now Eastern Suburbs); and a 7-96 verses Naenae.
Equal in influence was Derek Stirling, who like Gray and Petrie had enjoyed moments wearing the silver fern. Also, like the other two was a dominant figure on the club scene wearing the unicorn. A powerful striker of the ball and medium pace bowler, Stirling’s real strength lay in his application of sublime leadership, tactical and motivational skills. One outcome was a spread of his positive influence which motivated the entire club membership.
The pace bowling mantle of Benfield and Petrie these days has fallen to current skipper and all rounder, Lee Edwards. A product of the Karori junior club, Edwards, season in and season out continues to reap a harvest of wickets. In 2004-05 and 2005-06 he was the premier grade’s leading wicket taker. Over the season just ended (2005-06) he shouldered the bulk of the workload in a limited attack, bowling a massive 248 overs for his 49 wickets. The season before he bowled less overs but snared three more wickets ending the season with 51 victims. Edwards’ current heavy workload restricts his pace. However, he can, nevertheless, still look most sharp when the mood and the situation calls. A handy bat, but lacking the consistency his ability demands, Edwards has also emerged as an astute skipper who leads from the front, and instils a strong team spirit and will to win. This did not come easily as he probably took up the premier grade leadership a little early in life. But he has worked his way nicely into an effective captaincy role.
At one time in the mid 1990s Karori took the field with all three of its triumvirate (Gray, Stirling and Petrie) along with two others who were to make their mark on the representative scene, Mark Jefferson and Phil Chandler. At one time both were also were given long consideration by the national selectors. Other New Zealand, Wellington and/or other major provincial representatives who wore the three unicorn jersey at one time or another in the 25 year period under review included Ervin McSweeney, Andy Roberts, Wayne Aberhart and Lee Edwards.
Additional successes in the mid-1980s saw premier men’s championship trophies gracing the clubroom cabinet again in 1985-86 and 1986-87. The latter two achievements were realised under the astute captaincy of Colin Jackson. The first of these being yet another decided on the last ball of the last over on the last day of the last game in the tightest of tight finishes. With one ball to go to finish the season the competition title could have gone any of three ways. Johnsonville required three runs from the season’s last ball. Karori, their opponent required one wicket while a draw would have given the competition to Wellington Collegians. A clever piece of strategy between Gray and McSweeney gave the latter a stumping and Karori the premier title. The following season’s title was fittingly shared with Johnsonville.
The women’s development continued to progress until attaining senior status under the captaincy of New Zealand women’s captain, Maia Lewis in the mid 1990s. There were also some outstanding performances by prolific run getter, Celia Cavanagh (over 2,000 runs in three successive seasons between 1992 and 1995 including one total of 1,048 in the 1992-03 season).
If Evan Gray was the men’s colossus of the club then Celia Cavanagh was certainly the dominant women’s player. Her reign followed a period of dominance by Rosa McDonald who had led a fledging but an increasingly competitive women’s reserve grade team through the latter part of the 1980s.
Over the early part of the last 25 years other superlative team and individual performances across all grades abounded. Playing numbers and talent continued to push for places in all grades. As well, competition for places in two day grade teams remained strong.
Part of the reason for cricket’s popularity and local vitality lay with its increased fortunes and popularity in general. The early 1980s gave rise to the “pyjama” one day game. It was also the era of the “Excalibur” bat and its exploits in the hands of Lance Cairns drove hundreds of not thousands of all ages to attempt to emulate his feats. As well, the period through to the 1990s was built around a national side of outstanding international quality and depth. It was led by Jeremy Coney who was aided by the batting talent of (at one time or another) Bruce Edgar, John Wright, Andrew Jones, John Reid, Martin and Jeff Crowe, Coney himself, Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith, Lance Cairns, Richard Hadlee and John Bracewell (who once scored a century opening the batting for Auckland against a powerful visiting West Indian line-up). The team “took it to” and on many occasion beat every other team in the world at that time. Wins were recorded over Australia, England and the West Indies. The advent, and growing popularity of the international one day version of the game ensured queues of “wanna be cricketers” of all ages lining up to play. In 1983 some 300 juniors signed on to play for Karori.
This was over 130 more than two years previous. Such was the demand for places in teams that at times the club had problems trying to find positions to meet the demand in both two day and one day sides.
Prior to the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons the Wellington and Hutt Valley Associations came to the view that the time had come to merge the two competitions. The result was a two season inter-city competition played between the premier sides of both associations to determine places in a new inter-city Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy grades. The move provided a further injection of enthusiasm together with an extension and additional edge to games between rival clubs. New rivalries also developed with the merger.
Karori’s bid for the first ever inter-city premier title was developed by the side’s former skipper and now “senior player” and tactician, Derek “Billy” Stirling. He had been working hard to reverse a perception in the region of Karori as a “them and us” club which was seeing local talent passing by to play their cricket elsewhere. He had also been developing a pool of new and younger talent to back up the bigger names. The arrival of the aggressive and competitive Richard Petrie from Canterbury, the tall Central Districts leg spinner, Matthew Goodson and the Northamptonshire all rounder, Kevin Innes provided additional firepower going into the inaugural inter-city competition over the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.
Missing the championship by a mere point 36 of a point with the final day rained out was described by “Billy” Stirling as gut wrenching and something he has still not yet forgotten. Nevertheless, when he hung up his boots at the end of that season he left behind a powerful and competitive premier men’s team and a buoyant club.
Between 1981 and the mid 1990s club administration and finances had remained robust. In the case of the “junior” section of the club this has continued unabated. The result is a nursery of talent which, in many instances, returned to fill the senior ranks after players left secondary school.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, practice nets were at choking point most evenings Monday to Thursday inclusive. One two grade side even practiced Saturday mornings before game time and as well, club spirit was at a peak.
The club’s bar and restaurant facilities, complemented with food provided by a willing team of players’ spouses and girlfriends, were well patronised and end of season function venues were packed. Finally, there appeared to be not too much initial difficulty in securing major sponsors when this was sought to meet increased costs of administering the game at club level.
From around the mid to late 1990s a paradigm shift occurred. It was not the result of gradual creep. Nor was it sudden. But there were warning signs in an increasingly stormy looking sky looming over the game at club level.
Teams began having to resort to more and more players over successive seasons (up to 40 or more by some two day sides and many of them part timers and/or retired players). This trend tended to undermine stability and focus and subsequently results.
In 1994-95 one side finished bottom of their grade (after winning it the previous year), five others were second to bottom and three managed mid-table finishes. It was described by Club President of the time, Mike Curtis, as one of the worst, if not the worst, in terms of team playing performances in the history of the club.
The decline in the fortunes of cricket generally around this time forced the “senior” part of the club to put its focus on survival- both in playing and financial terms. The struggle to gain premier status in the region between 1920 and 1935 became, over the last 10 years, a fight to retain it.
That the club’s premier “flagship” team managed to remain in the middle of the table or better at the end of most seasons after the mid 1990s should not disguise that fact. The premiers’ continued existence in that competition was never assured in those years let alone guaranteed. In some seasons it wasn’t even expected in the view of some observers. The club’s continued existence in Pearce Cup was sometimes the result of an occasional win. But more often than not retention of premier status was through the influence of Evan Gray, Richard Petrie, Derek Stirling, and Lee Edwards. Cameo performances from its overseas professionals, Andrew Mercer and Azhar Abbas, of who more is to be told were also vital.
Since winning its place in the Pearce Cup the club’s hold on one of the top eight premier competition places has been maintained, albeit precariously on occasion. The loss of experienced “clubmen” one by one through retirement, premature departure from the region for work or overseas travel, family commitments; and/or age and weariness after already many years in the game (often accompanied by increased demands of additional practice and travelling) had their impact. That was exacerbated by increased weekend work requirements and an expansion of other recreational choices. These choices include golf which has become a major competitor for players’ time.
2004-05 proved a particular struggle. The premiers finished in seventh place, just one spot away from relegation. Had a tied one day match with Hutt Districts not been achieved or a tight two day encounter with Naenae gone the other way, Karori may not have been celebrating its 125th anniversary in Pearce Cup.
The tie involved a long battle to achieve a 255 target posed by Hutt Districts and was attained on the last ball of the game with a bye. In the Naenae fixture, Karori had been set a modest 147 for the outright after giving away a small 32 run first innings lead. Drama too there had been in the first innings. Karori’s last wicket partnership commenced at 89-9 after Naenae had been dismissed for 163. The last pair then added a further 48 runs. In the final chase for victory Karori again suffered a collapse and at 120-9 the game appeared Naenae’s for the taking. Regular number 10 batsman, Simon Kent got together with skipper Lee Edwards and, bit by bit, clawed Karori back into the match. The win was achieved but only after the last pair had endured through 25 agonising overs gradually chipping off the required runs.
There were some clubs which were fortunate enough to perform around teams which continued to possess the ongoing services of long serving stalwarts. These, while not necessarily of representative quality, were sufficiently experienced and skilled to provide the playing edge and leadership on which consistency and results were built.
Petone Riverside’s Leigh Kelly, University’s Ross Bond, Taita’s Dave Little, and Eastern Suburbs’ Lance Dry are some who come to mind in this category. Karori did field some who filled the capacity of “senior mentors'’ from time to time.
Included in this category at one time or another were Derek Stirling, Fraser Lyons, Richard Petrie and Evan Gray who all responded willingly to additional calls on their time. It was also no co-incidence that while these roles were filled the premier side made its presence felt more strongly. One can only dwell on the fortunes of the club’s premier side had players such as Tim Ritchie, Matthew Goodson, Jarad O’Hara, Chris Lee, Wayne Holmes, Hamish Soper, Mathew Drake, Chris and Graeme Taylor, Marcus Hill, Mark Jefferson, Phil Chandler, Neil Martin and Simon Allen, to name but a few, had not succumbed to age or the call of the wild and remained either in the region, at the club and/or in the game for a few further years. Many of the above players departed as relatively young men whose loss of skill and leadership potential was sorely felt.
It is not a comfortable thought should Karori lose the services of current skipper and all-rounder, Lee Edwards despite the pool of emerging talent around him. Another factor in Karori’s battle is a recent need to get younger players up to being able to perform consistently to Pearce Cup requirements. These days more and more talented school leavers tend to go straight into premier grade cricket. Yet, even Wellington age grade Wellington and national age grade players can find it a different proposition having to bat against the Andrew Penns, Richard Petries, Carl Bulfins, Stephen Hotters, James Franklins, Mark Jefferson’s and Jetan Patel’s or trying to effect quick dismissals of the Matthew Bells, Scott Golders, Tim Boyers, Michael and Neal Parlanes, Richard Jones’, Grant Donaldson’s and the Chris Nevins of the club scene. There is a step up from college and even from international under 19 level and it does take some adjustment. This adjustment cannot always be achieved by talent, enthusiasm and youth alone. It has also proved discouraging to some and a mountain to others. Success takes time and can involve technique adjustments and hard work.
Young Hamish Templeton is an example of one who had to steer himself through that particular barrier. Templeton came to the club in 2003-04 with an exemplary secondary school batting record. After a first pre season warm up of 95 with his new club his first two premier seasons proved relative lean ones in respect to total runs accumulated and consistency of results. The first signs the step up came in the latter part of the 2004-05 season. A tight match against Taita at the end of 2004-05 involved a final innings knife edge run chase by Karori. With wickets starting to tumble the situation required one player to knuckle down, hold up one end and accumulate. Hamish did so. He was there at the end with 51 not out to his credit and the satisfaction that without the grit he displayed the game would have been lost. As it was there were no wickets to spare. Even better, the signs of his improvement continued through the following season which netted him over 300 runs.
These included a good season’s start with scores of 29 not out, 29 and 38. A mid season slump was recovered with valuable contributions of 26, 28, 34, 86 and 50.
As we proceed into the next 25 year period of club history, it appears that more of the latest crop of young talent are making the adjustment to a higher standard of play relatively quickly.
Stephen Murdoch and Simon Allen (for the two seasons he played for Karori) are exceptional talents and adjusted to the demands of premier club cricket quickly. As well, the early returns from the likes of Chris Spring and Jarad Sewell also auger well for the future of the club’s premier side. Against that promise, there have always been two or three players perhaps whose inconsistency of performance and comfort in the premier grade hinted that a more gradual progression may have been better achieved at Hazlett Trophy or even senior 1 (reserve) grade level. The needs of survival, a lack of a Hazlett Trophy side and a growing quality gap between premier and reserve grades, have, however worked against this approach.
The struggle to maintain Pearce Cup status has also seen the necessity, on occasion, to coax former players out of full or semi retirement to provide the necessary platform of experience and steel on which the youth could lean. Fraser Lyons is one example of this. Another, was the return of Evan (I have never retired I just became more unavailable) Gray to premier cricket in the early years of the new millennium. The quality of Evan’s assistance together with those he inspired in 2003-04 had Karori’s Pearce Cup side, prior to Christmas, threatening to run away with the top prize over more highly fancied contenders.
To help in the struggle to retain premier status, club finances had to be directed to hiring playing strength from overseas on a season to season basis. As well, difficulties in putting eleven players onto the field saw, on thankfully rare occasions, “fill in” players being literally plucked off the street, once for the premier side at the end of one season. While this approach is a rare occurrence, it, nevertheless, reflects a malaise in the game in the region over recent times. This “street sweeping” is still not an uncommon practice at lower two day grade level.
Sad too has been the gradual diminishing of away affiliations which facilitated Easter, pre-season and Christmas holiday matches. The active relationships with Cornwall (Auckland) and Lancaster Park (Christchurch) Clubs have gone as have previous pre-season visits to Wanganui and Rotorua. Even a more recent relationship with an annual fixture against a Wairarapa side appears to have fallen by the wayside.
The Lancaster Park fixture usually involved two teams from each club. The stories of these annual southern excursions always made good reading in the club’s “Unicorn” newsletter afterwards.
In other two day grades, playing numbers and the quality of playing standards too have tended to decline slowly over the last six to eight years. Again this is a regional phenomenon afflicting Wellington as a whole. Defaults were also recorded and there have been instances of teams too often trying to compete with 8-9 players or less at times. At one point in the 2000-01 season, the 2As were down to 5-6 regulars.
Even the reserve grade level did not escape as this side too took the paddock with less than the required number on more than one occasion around the same time.
As feeders to higher honours, the lower grades have become less and less the source of ongoing strength at higher level let alone wrest competition trophies in their own grades.
Over the first 12-15 years after 1980 the situation had been vastly different. The senior reserve grade then was the pool which nurtured higher success. From this team there were a number who were destined to make the step up including Hamish Soper, Jarad O’Hara, Lee Edwards, Simon Baker (all future premier captains), Chana Jayasinha, Chris Pile, James Ward, Morgan Prior, Dan Ryan, Mark Jurgeleit, Andrew Wellings and Simon Kent to name but some.
Other good performers such as Jeremy Philpott, Dan Martin and Richard Prebble were also in contention and undoubtedly would have won promotion had they remained in the game. There were also some very good cricketers who floated between both grades. These included players such Fraser Lyons, Hamish Johnson, Peter Johnson, Keith Atkinson, Brett Gray among others.
As the playing and financial pressures on the club mounted in the latter 1990s, a formal approach was made to the Wellington Collegians Club for a whole, or part, amalgamation. This was in order to ensure a longer term viable future as a premier grade club and provide a better “fit” for the range of abilities of the senior players. The move, received the agreement of the “older heads.” But Karori’s approach to Collegians was not universally supported by that club and in the end, did not take place. Whether it should have or not is still debated as is the “what might have been outcomes.”
At the time, Cricket Wellington itself was promoting amalgamations to strengthen the quality of senior cricket while also assuring its representative selections were able to play at premier club level. Till now this trend has only seen the emergence of Petone Riverside, Upper Valley (Stokes Valley and Upper Hutt) and Norths (Tawa and Mana at premier and reserve, or Senior 1, level only) as a result of amalgamation activity.
In tandem with the decline of the club’s playing strength its support base also faltered. From the middle 1990s the Club struggled to attract committee members in sufficient numbers. Sources of ongoing club sponsorship were proving increasingly harder to tap. The senior club’s finances plummeted and the long boney fingers of insolvency beckoned. It may not be widely known, or even believed, at the time, but in the years either side of the millennium the coffers were bare. As well, there were numbers in a growing queue awaiting owed payment let alone being able to meet spiralling costs to put teams onto the paddock.
The precariousness of “senior club” finances proved to be a wedge that forced the senior and junior sections apart to some extent. The schism between both arms of the club opened up when the Junior Club, whose finances, support base and numbers remained vigorous and sound, became uncertain (and not without good grounds) as to the financial stability of the club’s senior division. As such, separate annual financial reporting was sought from that point. Work has commenced to bring the two together again to pursue mutually supporting objectives, as they once did. But, at the time of writing, this remains unfinished business. It is something requiring dedicated commitment by the parties over the next decade.
Yet another rent in club strength was the loss of the women’s teams around the time of the millenium.
For a while through to the mid to late 1990s the women’s team (and subsequently teams) were synonymous with the vitality and success of the club overall. The women matched, and often exceeded, men’s results in terms of competition points, individual performances and trophies. The arrival of Maia Lewis from Canterbury and a number of talented players drawn from other clubs at that time saw entry into the senior women’s grade with a championship win in 1994-95. Lewis provided the core around which a number of other talented players including Celia Cavanagh, Donna Archer, Kristina Martnelli, Linden Eagles, Erika MacKay, Margaret Presland, Laura Mansill and the Lewis twins (Penny and Sammy) launched some outstanding performances to achieve for a brief time, at least, a dominance over Wellington’s women cricket scene. At the time the women exuded a very strong spirit de corps and were often the first to front up in support of club events and initiatives. A too small a playing base, retirements, injuries and difficulties in transporting younger second team players to matches proved insurmountable and, in the end, incurable.
It was a shame that both Maia Lewis and Presland were forced to continue their prolific careers with other clubs. Lewis indeed was for the three successive seasons counting down to her retirement Wellington’s Women’s Cricket of the Year. She finished her final playing season with an 80.33 club batting average and led the New Zealand women’s World Cup bid and achieved the team’s highest aggregate in doing so.
From time to time over the last 25 years, the actions of some teams, and individuals, earned the judicial eye of the regions over riding administrative body. These were occasions which, in hindsight, the club could have done without.
Examples include a rather bizarre game in 1995-96 between Karori and Upper Hutt which saw a huge partnership between Northamptonshire import Kevin Innes and Matthew Goodson. This was put together largely on the backs of some gentle bowling in order to force a declaration. Another included a refusal of Karori players to go back onto the field at the end of day one against Naenae after the day’s end had been signalled by the umpires. A protest by Naenae officials saw a reversal of that decision to allow another over or two. By that time the light was fading and some Karori players had already changed. The playing of two overseas professionals in the 1999-00 season also captured the attention of Cricket Wellington. This, when added to complaints, from time to time, of uncomplimentary verbal abuse aimed at opposition players (sometimes in retaliation) and even altercations between players and opposition supporters was not a good look. It was not a trend in the game which was Karori’s alone however.
That the last 25 years has involved struggle on several fronts cannot be denied. As such, any celebration of the last 25 years should not be an excuse to bury the difficulties in euphoria of self praise. That does not mean that the last 25 years has been all cloud, shadow and no sunshine. It hasn’t.
Reference has already been made to the strength of on and off field performances over the first 12-15 years following the centenary celebrations. As the sixth 25 years of club history ends there is the hint of a new era on the playing field supported by a strong and eager administration. These are all testament to the struggle for survival being vigorously fought and being won.
The junior section of the club has gone from strength to strength. As well, the legacy commenced by former playing stalwart and club president, the late Ian Nimmo, in setting up the Karori Cricket Foundation goes on. The Foundation, a concept to support the development of Karori cricket and cricketers, was launched in 1980. It was, and is, funded largely through subscription and grants while it has also benefited from a number of bequests over the years.
The Foundation is managed completely separately from either the Junior or Senior Clubs and has funded player scholarships; gear and equipment; and coaching. Doug Catley, one of the club’s greatest ever supporters and benefactors, was the Foundation’s chairman over much of its history prior to handing over responsibility to Brett Gray. While not being set up as a source of general financing, the Foundation, did come to the club’s rescue in the early millenium with a timely $30,000 loan when it was in deep financial crisis. The loan has now been paid back in full achieved largely through the efforts of current treasurer, Dave Hooley.
In returning to the playing front and the struggle to maintain Pearce Cup status, the coaxing out of retirement of players and obtaining “hired guns” for the premiers were two approaches which have proved fruitful in bid to survive in the grade. The phenomenon of the overseas and more latterly local paid club professionals have been two of the key features to emerge across the Wellington club scene over the last 25 years.
At one point the region’s governing body, Cricket Wellington, had to step in to cap what was being commonly referred to as “chequebook cricket” by which some clubs were actively offering financial inducements to players to switch allegiances. It was feared, probably with justification, that the practice could eventually lead to an imbalance of playing strength across the premier competition.
The hiring of overseas (and at times local based) “professionals” over the past 25 years has not been without its success. At times doing so has proved vital in retaining Pearce Cup status. Mike Clinning was one of the earlier of the “hired guns, Northants all rounder Kevin Innes was another. His first appearance in the unicorn jersey was part of a deal with his county to provide him with extra experience. His first year at the club (1995-96) resulted in over 700 runs and 49 wickets. Yet another overseas player success story was Neil Martin.
Martin arrived as a quick bowler for the start of the 1998-99 season and a previous selection in the England under 19 squad behind him. He liked Wellington and returned the following year for good. This time it was as a sound and consistent middle order bat scoring over 400 runs in 1999-2000 and giving further stability to the middle order in 2000-01. This was no better shown over the former season than scores of 50 (seven fours) and 34 (seven fours) against Upper Valley; 60 (five sixes and five fours) against Hutt Districts; and 59 (11 fours) against Naenae.
There was considerable hope, and expectation, Martin would become one of those long serving “senior players” around whom success would be built. However, while remaining a New Zealand resident, he has played only spasmodically since, “victim” of a new family and a growing interest in golf.
The two biggest success stories of hired talent over the last 25 years have probably been Andrew Mercer (2002-03 and 2003-04) and Azhar Abbas (2004-05).
Without their wicket taking skills as back up to Lee Edwards, the premiers may have been celebrating the fifth 25 years of their history minus the status their forebears had fought so hard for.
Mercer’s first season netted him 62 wickets. It was a performance repeated in his second season and again exceeding a 50 wicket aggregate. He had come to the Club to first support and then supplement Richard Petrie and thus had big shoes to fill. Petrie was one of those players who at all times made his presence felt whether making sides struggle to reach small targets with figures of 7-38, 7-43 and 7-65 as just three examples to proclaim his abilities in doing so. He also had the capability to smash his way quickly to big scores.
Abbas, who came after Mercer’s two seasons with Karori, collected 46 wickets in his sole season in the Capital city. Backed again by skipper Lee Edwards (51 wickets), the pairs’ wicket taking ability kept at bay, just, the spectre of relegation. If the efforts of the two bowlers had been matched by the team’s batting then it would not have had to battle in last place over the weeks preceding the final round. It was, still, however, somewhat of a relief to end the season in seventh place out of the eight participating teams. It was also a disappointment that Abbas, keen to make his permanent home in New Zealand, returned to settle in the end in Auckland.
Despite not having Abbas, the season leading into these particular celebrations did see the premiers back in the top two of the Pearce Cup. This was achieved with increased consistency with bat to back up the wicket taking capacity and mature leadership of Lee Edwards (48 wickets following his 51 the season before plus 267 runs). Stephen Murdoch was on fire with scores of 64, 53, 102, 46, 109 and 31 being among the player’s best in a season in which he compiled 552 runs and throwing his hat into the senior representative mix for 2006-07.
Hamish Templeton’s run of 29, 29, 38, 26, 28, 34, 86 and 50; Craig Tennant’s knocks of 29,64,58,26,21,48, and 48; a 67 in one classic encounter from Matthew Aiken in a game Karori surrendered only in the last over needing two runs to win; scores of 47, 73, 45, and a 31 from James Hill building on his previous season’s contributions; and a 52 and an 85 from Chris Spring were examples of the new batting solidity which almost netted Karori another premier trophy.
Spring, Templeton and Hill later joined Murdoch in a successful tour to India with the Wellington Development squad.
Wellington’s uncertain weather (after a splendid summer) prevented a scheduled three day play off for the Pearce Cup thus ruining the opportunity for a genuine tilt at the championship title. Even so, over the last five to six years there were times when results from the last or last two to three rounds needed to go the premier’s way in order to avoid relegation to Hazlett Trophy. One of these being in 2002-03 when Karori had to beat Taita in the penultimate game to be safe. The result of another game was also an important factor and yet another reason the win was needed. The game ended in semi-darkness and thick swirling mist.
Chasing 239, Karori got there with Simon Allen scoring his maiden 100 for the club (123 of which 80 came in boundaries with 14 fours and four sixes). During his innings Taita players had to duck for cover in the gloom every time there was the sound of bat on ball, unable to pick up its flight.
Yet in other recent years the Club’s top side ended in the middle of the table and on occasion better. In 2001-02 the premiers despatched Eastern Suburbs, University (twice), Hutt Districts and Taita. The side then was skippered by a hard hitting and aggressive Simon Baker who had made his way through the grades over a number of seasons. A 71 not out with five fours and three sixes to steer Karori home against Taita after being after 48-5 chasing 135 was a typical reflection of the beligerent way Baker played the game. Yet another example was against Naenae in an away fixture in the same season. Karori were all out for 66 after the home side’s 246 and had to follow on. The reply was 310 with Baker’s contribution a hard hitting 99 with 80 runs of that coming in shots to and over the boundary. A down side of Baker’s on field belligerence was that the club came under the eye of the region’s governing body on more than one occasion. However, it would also be fair to say that Baker’s aggressive approach on the playing field contributed significantly to the club’s survival in the Pearce Cup.
With Baker’s subsequent move overseas the leadership of the club’s premier grade fortunes over the last three seasons have rested with Lee Edwards. Together with the overseas support of Mercer and Abbas, Edwards has provided the premier’s bowling strike power. He has also proved a useful lower middle order batsman.
But it has been the growing quality of his leadership which is taking the eye and proving, possibly, to be his greatest contribution. A season where work commitments kept him out of Wellington mid-week was not the best start to his new role. But he has since grown into it and as the period under review concluded it was a role he was giving considerable commitment to. It is probably no co-incidence that under Edwards the Pearce Cup team ended in second place overall at the end of 2005-06, was third in the one day competition and won the first ever regional club 20/20 tournament. Edwards too took out the region’s club bowling trophy for most wickets.
Before then, good results had also been achieved at other levels. In 2003-04 the 2As had won their way through to senior 3 status with Adam Cording starring three times with scores of 100 plus. Sadly the benefits of this achievement failed to accrue. The team partly disbanded with others returning to their former clubs.
Across other grades there were mixed fortunes. From the late 1990s and for a time, the reserve grade (senior 1) side was another which experienced a significant decline in quality. In the 1980s and on into the 1990s it was one of the better teams in its competition. The team’s slippage was gradual to at one point anyone prepared to turn up could play. It has now taken a turn for the better ending the 2005-06 season pushing hard for promotion to Hazlett Trophy. It ended its effort not far away in second position on the points table. Much of the credit for this belongs to Eastern Suburbs convert, Nick Hearn. A former premier regular for both clubs (and perhaps not managed as effectively as he could have been when wearing the three unicorns) Nick has been the glue of experience, skill, performance and drive around which his senior 2 reserve grade team mates have responded remarkably well.
The team’s push to make Hazlett Trophy status for the 2006-07 season came oh so very close to fruition. The competition title in the grade was hard fought and Karori went to the Christmas break in the lead. A draw in the final match being played between the other two top contenders would have allowed Karori through.
However, it was not to be and the players were left to rue a weakness in nailing one day wins. But the strong comeback by the team over the season was a joy to all.
Rising playing standards and attitudes in keeping with the quality required for higher grades allowed one or two players additional opportunities with the Pearce Cup team.
As the first 25 years of its second 100 years comes to a close, club finances and administration are now on a sounder footing. Mike Curtis’ return to the Management Committee as its chairman in 1999-2000 was the start of the turn around. As President he had to report a $15,000 deficit at the end of that season1999-2000 and it got worse. Twelve months later he reported that the club was $34,000 in the red. Mike came to the rescue armed with a forceful and blunt nature and a hard nosed dedication to a cricket club he played for and served since 1951-52 that is unparalleled. There was just no way “his club” was going to go under. His first objective was on field Pearce Cup survival and the second a gradual claw back to respect and a sound financial footing. In the latter he was supported by a committed Management Committee and particularly new treasurer, Dave Hooley. The work of the latter was to deservedly and eventually lead to a “Club Person of the Year” award.
Negotiation for longer repayment periods to the Bank and a loan from the Karori Cricket Foundation was the start of the road back on the financial front. The support and good will of Liz Curtis over this period requires much deserved acknowledgement. Thank you Liz for letting us have Mike back when he was most needed.
Going into the next 25 years, the immediate future is far from bleak. The premiers second place result in 2005-06 was 10 points clear of third placed North City and provides a sound base for further development and success. Limitations in the premier team’s strike bowling remained an issue going into the 2006-07 season. The batting is, however, now showing more consistency. Most important, the fighting spirit is strong throughout as is the team’s confidence in their ability to be up there at the finish.
There is still work to do going towards the club’s 150th celebrations. There remain one or two key skill gaps for the top graded team to be consistently at the throat of leading teams for top honours. Feeder teams in the lower grades require further increases in quality while firmer ongoing relationships with Wellington College (and other secondary schools) into which are fed waves of our junior players need to be stronger. No longer is Wellington College the sole source of talent for the Karori and Wellington Collegians clubs. Others too are now targeting that particular nursery for their replacements. Karori needs to ensure that at the very least, the local talent nurtured in primary school is encouraged to return to the club.
Along with the struggle to remain, and succeed, in the Pearce Cup and as a club, is a need to realise the long needed upgrade of the clubrooms.
The next 25 years of club fortunes are to be played out on a completely upgraded venue. Karori Park will look a different to past players and administrators returning for these and subsequent celebrations, reunions, jubilees and eventually the bi-centenary. Already, some of the funding necessary to upgrade the clubrooms have been obtained. As such it is to be hoped that the job is completed within the next two years. The Wellington City Council have done their bit with the ground and the pavilion. It is now the club’s turn with its headquarters building. It would also be a wonderful thing if, at the 150 year celebrations in 2030, that those attending could again celebrate successes of the club’s women’s teams.
The Karori Cricket Club has survived the last 25 years. We remain in the ring and are strongly fighting the good fight. As for the future. Again the words of John Stribling summarise it best.
“The immediate future looks bright. But the longer term future of the Karori Cricket Club depends very much on the fortunes of cricket generally.”
Unfortunately, it gets no better than that.
Harry Gibbons
4
SIMPLY THE BEST
It is not every cricket club in the country that could field an XI made up of New Zealand international players. Karori, however, is one such club. Granted they could not take the field today as their careers stretch well back into the club’s history and which fall outside the period under review. As well, a number have passed on. However, the Karori Cricket Club has had 13 such players and significantly covering most positions and roles including two wicket keepers and three New Zealand captains (Reid, Congdon and Lewis). Evan Gray, Ervin McSweeney, Derek Stirling, Andy Roberts and Richard Petrie had earned their national honours during the period in question as a result of consistent and eye catching performances for Wellington while acknowledging that Roberts and Stirling first earned their New Zealand caps with Northern and Central Districts respectively.
In addition we have asked former player, Committee Chairman, President and Life Member, Mike Curtis to select another team, regardless of honours earned, who he thought would represent the best of Karori Cricket between 1981-82 to 2005-06.
The two teams are:
The Mike Curtis X1 (1981-2006) The Karori International X1 (from):
Colin Jackson Peter Truscott
Phil Chandler Laurie Miller
Kevin Innes Bevan Congdon
Tim Ritchie John Reid
Andy Roberts John Beck
Ervin McSweeney Andy Roberts
Evan Gray C. Gordon Rowe
Richard Petrie Ervin McSweeney
Derek Stirling Evan Gray
Matthew Goodson Richard Petrie
Lee Edwards George Dickenson
Stephen Murdoch Bruce Morrison
Maia Lewis
Commentary on the Mike Curtis X1:
The best of the last 25 years as selected by Mike Curtis contains eight players who have played first class cricket for Wellington and five who have been Black Caps. One other won selection in a national development side and one overseas professional has also been selected.
It may be argued that in the quality of seam bowlers, Andrew Mercer and Azhar Abbas there might well have been yet more. To do so, however, would have meant passing over the qualifications of Phil Benfield and Lee Edwards. The former built up a cache of over 500 wickets over a period of 30 years. Lee Edwards, who gets the selector’s nod for the team, is still a relatively young man. He still plays, captains the premier team and is consistently one of the region’s more prolific new ball wicket takers.
In successive seasons (2004-05 and 2005-06) he was the leading premier grade bowler in terms of total wickets taken (51 and 48 wickets respectively).
The most recent of those season’s rewards came from a massive 257 overs. Even in a lean season, of which there have been few, he usually accumulates over 30 wickets. In the end there was little between Edwards and Benfield. They matched ach other in bowling and fielding skills with Edwards probably the better batsman. Either one of the pair would serve a selected team well.
While the selector felt that most of the side self picked itself, the top of the batting order caused some soul searching. It has been a position that Karori has not been overly endowed with in terms of consistent success over the last 25 years. At the time of writing, Stephen Murdoch was on the verge of commencing what could be a long and successful career in the Wellington representative side as a top order batsman. Whether this is in the number 1 or 2 spot, or in some other top order position, has yet to emerge. For Karori, Murdoch has scored over 1,300 runs in three successive seasons between 2003-04 and 2005-06. His latest return of 552 runs with two centuries has marked him as a batsman with extraordinary talent who is delivering consistently. However, while he is increasingly making the number one slot his own he has yet to settle on this permanently.
Another quality opening batsman post the millennium was Nishan Gonsalkorale. His speciality was behind the stumps but he was also a fluent, and successful, strokemaker at number one or two in the batting order. Simon Allen might well have been a certain selection in the position had he remained longer with Karori to cement the undoubted capabilities that he showed.
In the end the selector settled for a Colin Jackson/Phil Chandler combination. Both had limited time at the club. Jackson was the skipper of successive competition winning premier sides in the mid 1980s with two centuries and a run of other useful scores before departing for Auckland. Chandler shifted to Karori from Upper Hutt in the mid 1990s and stormed his way into the representative side with his swashbuckling batting approach.
Some club armchair critics may have preferred a selection of a best team of the last 25 years to be based solely around those who served their apprenticeships at the club over longer periods of time than some who were chosen. But the concept was to select the best from those who wore the three unicorns between 1981 and 2006 regardless of their origins or time at Karori. Mike Curtis believes his picks are the best and reflect actual achievement and class.
The batting order is long on achieved performance while the bowling attack, albeit based on all round rather than specialist abilities, is well balanced. The selector also wavered in appointing a captain. Among the 12 names in the list five were previous skippers of the premier team and one (Lee Edwards) is the current captain. The most successful is probably Colin Jackson who captained the premiers in the two successive years that the competition title was captured. However, Mike Curtis is of the opinion that either one of the six could do the job ably.
Commentary on the International X1:
For the International XI the strength of the batting right down the order speaks for itself. Pace bowling would be in the hands of Petrie, Dickenson, Stirling and Morrison with Evan Gray wheeling down his left arm spin from one end.
McSweeney and Rowe could share the gloves. Petrie, Stirling and Dickenson can all be classed as all rounders while Gray too was no slouch with the bat. Reid and Congdon of course were also successful with the ball at international level and could also be classed as all rounders.<