SNOOK SIGNS OFF
OPINION: It’s a changing world out there.
Many provincial newspapers in New Zealand will be without designated sports journalists as from the end of this week.
It also includes some not so real sports journalists, so this is the last opportunity you have to shake your head and say: ‘‘What a load of rubbish’’.
It has been good fun.
Last week Taranaki’s top five rugby players from the 1960s onward were listed.
This week it is the finest Taranaki cricketers from the same period, a task that is pretty straight forward if national honours as a Taranaki player was the main criteria.
However, since the 1960s there has been Alistar Jordan, Gary Robertson, Glen Sulzberger, Peter Ingram and Tom Bruce selected when members of the Taranaki side.
One senses that Bruce, a hard hitting batsman and fine fielder may be on his way to being the best ever local lad if he can make the step up from the short version, while there is little to choose between the others.
Ingram played two tests, eight one-day internationals and three T20s as a Black Cap while Robertson played one test and
10 ODI’s. Sulzberger was selected for three ODI’s while Jordan played for New Zealand on tour of Australia without being selected in a test.
All four have impressive Taranaki and Central Districts records.
Jordan has played 104 games for Taranaki.
He collected 375 wickets along the way, and has 165 first class wickets in his
58 games for Central Districts.
He was recently selected in the ‘Hawke Cup Team of the Century,’ an indication of where he stood in provincial cricket in New Zealand.
Robertson played 65 times for Taranaki with 210 wickets and one century and turned out in 88 first class games for Central Districts, snaring 252 wickets with a highest score of 99 not out.
Ingram scored 17 hundreds in his 82 first class games for the Stags and another three hundreds in the limited over format. Currently he has clocked up
59 games and four centuries for Taranaki.
Sulzberger scored eight centuries and took 147 wickets in his 83 Central Districts games and played another 94 one day fixtures for the Stags.
The choice is yours: Bruce, Jordan, Robertson, Ingram or Sulzberger? They are all goodies.
Maybe no ‘World Player of the Year’ as with Beauden Barrett, but Taranaki Player of the last 50 years wouldn’t be a bad accolade.
The following are the trial teams from which to select the Taranaki team since the 1960s .
As with the rugby last week no international players are available.
Leo Walsh and Fox Hall are the coaches and the Hawera duo Bill Batchelor and Peter Plumtree will manage the sides.
Amber XI: Dean Robinson; Terry Dravitski (wicket-keeper), Henry Sampson, Ross Ormiston, Brian Richards, Tim Weston, Mark O’Niell, Denis Yardley (c), Trevor O’Byrne, Wayne Martin, Dave Kinsella.
Black XI: Steve Robertson, Brent Lahood, Dion Ebrahim, Jim Irving (c), Rodney Brown, Ross Glover, Peter Blackbourn (wicket-keeper), Jamie Watkins, Roger Stachurski, Jim Whitelock, Ron Sutton.
There will probably have to be another trial after that as there are still the likes of Ralph West, Maurice Betts, Barry Roberts, Clint Muggeridge, Tony Sail, Peter Stewart, Ian Patterson, Geoff Taylor, Paul Plumtree, Denis Green, Colin Barclay, David Good, Scott Davidson, Will Young and Ross Crow to fit in.
Just bring your gear fellas. I’ll have mine.