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Ancestry of Sydenham Cricket Club at Papers Past ANCESTRY OF SYDENHAM CRICKET CLUB AT PAPERS PAST BY FLAGON PARK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISTRICT CRICKET ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greg RYAN's fascinating book, 'The Making of New Zealand Cricket 1831-1914,' is a great read. He has plenty to say about social class divisions in early cricket in Christchurch and "The Changing Order In Christchurch" in relation to the change from the old club system to the Canterbury Cricket Association's new district scheme introduced in all grades in the 1905-06 season. The basis of RYAN's book is his doctoral history thesis written a few years earlier on similar themes. The purpose of district cricket was to break up the virtual closed shops of the old clubs by ditching them and creating six brand new clubs with residential restrictions, aimed at spreading the top players more evenly around the new clubs as well as creating an extra two senior sides. The idea was to create a more even competition and provide more opportunities for new players of ability to break into senior ranks. The previous success of such schemes in New South Wales and Auckland, and influential opinions given by the likes of Charles BANNERMAN, the former Australian cricketer who was in Christchurch coaching Christ's College, and Monty NOBLE, the captain of the Australian cricket team touring New Zealand in 1905, were influential. The new scheme proved highly successful in Christchurch giving rise to a big increase in player numbers. There was no drop in senior standards which had been feared by some, and, after two seasons had gone by, district cricket was supported by a large majority in a poll of cricketers carried out by the Canterbury Cricket Association in 1907. However, despite its great success, district cricket proved untenable when the First World War siphoned off cricketers from clubs in massive numbers. East Christchurch, which was already in trouble by 1911 with falling membership due to industry moving into its residential catchment area, and at that time had been allowed to become a more open club, was said to have lost 60 per cent of its members to the war by the time the Canterbury Cricket Association had to fully relax the residential requirements of district cricket for all clubs in 1915. The restrictions on which club one could join and the need to tinker with club boundaries from time to time were always features of district cricket disliked by many, and after the war the Canterbury Cricket Association, considering that district cricket had completed the task originally assigned to it of breaking up the bad features of the old club cricket system, officially abolished district cricket in 1920. I could go on and on regarding district cricket but instead will allow the newspaper articles to tell the story better. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi- bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS19021010.2.38&srpos=9&e=--1901-----100-CHP%2cTS-1- byDA-on--0cricket+bannerman-- Star , Issue 7528, 10 October 1902, Page 3 CRICKET AT CHRIST'S COLLEGE. A PROFESSIONAL'S ENGAGEMENT. ARRIVAL OF MR C. BANNERMAN. For the first time in its fifty years and more of history, Christ's College has taken wholly and solely to itself a professional cricket coach. That coach is one whose name was, perhaps, more widely known twenty years ago than it is now, for they are in the main cricketers of a bygone day who remember Charles Bannerman as the first batsman in Australia. They will remember, probably, that he was the elder brother of Alec Bannerman, and that he had a brief and almost phenomenal career in first-class cricket. He was born in 1853, and before 1885 he bad made a great name for himself as one of Australia's finest representatives. Then his career ended, and from then until the present time New Zealanders, at any rate, have heard but little, if anything at all of him. It may, perhaps, surprise even many cricket enthusiasts to learn that Mr Bannerman arrived in Christchurch this morning to fulfil an engagement as coach to the Christ's College boys. When a representative of the "Star" made his acquaintance this morning, the sturdy little cricketer was good enough to explain his mode of life in recent years. He is proud of the fact that he has been keeping up his cricket, and feels that a very few days will suffice to get him into excellent form again. He has of late years done a good deal of coaching, playing regularly at Rockhampton for some time, and he has also had experience in work similar to that which he has come to do here, for the Riverview College, Sydney, owes much to his services as coach. Mr Bannerman said, and he said it in a manner justly proud, that he had acted as umpire in the Test matches in Australia during the last two visits of English teams, and had accompanied both Stoddart's and Maclaren's teams through the greater part of their journeyings in the Commonwealth. So much for his recent cricket experiences. Speaking of the future, Bannerman could only say that he would do his best for Christ's College, and that he felt sure of getting on well with the boys. He was looking forward to a very enjoyable season in Christchurch, and he had already taken quite a fancy to the city. In reply to a question, concerning the proposed importation of a bowler by the clubs in the city, he said that there could be no doubt as to the benefits that must result from such a course. He was aware that the cricketers of Canterbury and of the whole colony had still plenty of cricket to learn, and they could not do better than place themselves in the hands of men of experience. It had been practically decided that M'Beth, of Sydney, should be engaged by the local Association, and they could not get a better bowler. As an all-round left-hand bowler he had few equals, and his work in Sydney was very highly thought of. Several members of Maclaren's team had told him that they had formed a very high opinion of M'Beth's bowling powers. He hoped that the Canterbury Association would be fortunate enough to secure him. Mr Bannerman mentioned that the voyage over was a very weary one, but he thought he would soon be all right in Christchurch. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi- bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS19030328.2.29&srpos=98&e=--1901-----100-CHP%2cTS-1- byDA-on--0senior+cup+cricket-- Star , Issue 7667, 28 March 1903, Page 4 CANTERBURY'S CRICKET ITS BEGINNINGS AND ITS ENDINGS. HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. For the first time since the President's Cup competition was instituted in Christchurch cricket, the Cup has been won by Christ's College. On more than one occasion the school eleven has been in a satisfactory and creditable position at the finish, but never before has it been able to maintain a consistent record of success. The past season has been particularly marked by a most business-like endeavour on the part of the boys to play up under any circumstances, and their earnestness has had its result. It is then but natural that cricketers should look for the cause which has produced the effect. To those who have watched the season's cricket at all closely, the cause is easily apparent. At the beginning of the season Christ's College became the possessor of a cricket coach, the efforts of a few enthusiasts having been sufficient to raise funds for the engagement of the once-famous Australian batsman, Charles Bannerman. With a very shrewd idea of the possibilities of school boys, Mr Bannernan came, he saw, and happily he conquered. To his unsparing labour is to be ascribed in a large measure the success attained by Christ's College, though he would say that the boys have themselves to thank more than him for their excellent display. Now that the season is over, Mr Bannerman has left for his home in Sydney. That he will return is more than likely, for the College is fully alive to the advantage of a second year's coaching, and no stone will be left unturned in attempting to raise the funds necessary to a re-engagement. Before he left Christchurch, Mr Bannerman was interviewed by a representative of the "'Star," and in the course of a pleasant chat told a good deal of interesting history and made many suggestions that should be beneficial to cricket in Canterbury. Regarding Christ's College, Bannerman's first remark was, "I never saw boys improve as these boys did. In the whole school the improvement was wonderful, and that was just because they were all to eager to learn. Of course, I have had to give most of my time to the first and second elevens this year, and the lower schoolboys got none of it, but next year the first eleven will able to do with two days a week, and I intend to devote a great deal of time to the smaller boys. Warner was quite right about catching your crickets young." With regard to the possibility of his return, Mr Bannerman said that from what he could hear the College would be very glad to have him back, and nothing would please him better than to come. He thought he could do much better work next year among the very young boys, and was anxious to spend another year with them.
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