Bruce Irving—cricket’s happy veteran

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 20

Bruce Irving—cricket’s happy veteran

By

DAVID LEGGAT

But for one of those little quirks of fate, Bruce Irving concedes it is quite possible his cricket career would have been restricted to the Saturday afternoon suburban competition. And that would have meant no 30 seasons (to date) of senior cricket, no 1151 senior wickets (before yesterday’s one-day fixture) and no 323 senior appearances. Irving yesterday broke the marvellous record of Reg Read, who in a career which began in 1905 and ended 38 years later, played 322 times for four senior clubs.

Bruce Carlyle Irving, however, has surpassed that mark, long considered unsurpassable, while playing for just one club, Lancaster Park. The moment which probably changed the direction of Irving’s cricketing future came when he shifted house in the early 19505. At Christchurch West High School. Irving was “trying to be a batsman,” before joining the Spreydon club in the suburban competition, playing senior B cricket. When he moved house, Irving found his next-door neighbour was John McNaughton, a senior cricketer for East-Shirley and Lancaster Park. A “real enthusiast,” McNaughton persuaded the young Irving to join Lancaster Park. Bowling off-cutters in those days, and regarding himself as “nothing special” in suburban cricket, Irving, with characteristic modesty, admitted that a place in the third grade side would have been highly satisfying. Advancing into the second grade — then known as 2A — Irving had a chance in the first team when its regular spinner, Alby Duckmanton, went to England. The season was 1955-56 and it was to be a momentous one for the former suburban second grade offcutter.

Now bowling off-spin, Irving not only took 51 wickets at 12.3 runs apiece, he also collected a hat-trick, against Sydenham. The third victim was Colin Miles — “we used to go to school together; play cricket on the way home against a lamppost.” From there, Bruce Irving did not look back. Four relatively lean summers followed, before he reached arguably his peak In five seasons, starting in 1961-62, Irving took 202 wickets at an over-all average of a shade over 14.

Inevitably representative honours came his way, and it is surprising to consider that he played just 19 times for Canterbury, spread over 10 seasons, taking 44 wickets at 28 runs each.

Once, Irving came close to winning national recognition, closer, in fact, than the player realised. The tour was India, Pakistan and England in 1965. “I guess I had an inkling when I played for the Presidents XI against Pakistan. But it didn’t

really occur to me at the time. It was only later I found it was a bit of a toss-up between Vic Pollard and me. If there was no Vic Pollard I guess I would have got the job.”

But it is in club cricket that Irving has stamped his indelible mark. There was a second hat-trick, against Riccarton in 196162, seven for 13 in the innings, 12 for 69 in the match. Irving conceded that possibly that sevenwicket haul was his best effort in senior cricket. Only twice since the 195960 season, has Irving’s senior bowling average reached 20. From 1970-71 until the 1978-79 season, Irving’s lowest wicket aggregate was 44. It is remarkable to recall that Irving’s senior career did not begin until he was 23 (he will be 54 next August); it is staggering to contemplate that he has taken five wickets in an innings 64 times, or on average once every five matches.

Irving believes the standard of the senior competition has dropped since he first appeared. “There is a nucleus of players in each team who are still very good. But going back there were nine or 10 in each team who were right up to standard.

“Players these days don’t serve a real apprenticeship. It all comes too easy. A lot of youngsters get picked far too soon.” He is disappointed with the attitude to batting younger players exhibit these days. He agreed that perhaps the faster lifestyle, the alternative activities to cricket, even the proliferation of oneday matches, affect young players’ mental approach. “There aren’t enough grafters around.” Irving enjoys playing one-day cricket “as long as the boundaries are good and long!” The introduction of one-day matches in the senior competition in recent summers has sped Irving to Read’s record, which is not to say he would not have passed that mark anyway in the near future.

Irving himself was not conscious of the record until he heard it mentioned around the start of the season. Certainly, he never considered “hanging around” just to break Read’s mark.

“I’m enjoying it as much as ever, even if the body’s not. The spirit is there, and I’m as keen as ever.”

Retirement fleetingly crosses the popular spinner’s mind when he is fielding and cannot intercept a ball or cannot chase a ball with the speed to match his enthusiasm. He never considers the difference in age as he wheels his arm at batsmen as much as 35 years his junior, but admits his senior future is now very much a season to season proposition. Irving can give only one reason — apart from the ever-present element of luck — for not missing a season in 30 years. ’T’ve

managed to keep good

health. If you are fit a lot of the minor things stay

minor.” One batsman stands out in Irving’s mind as un-

questionably his most difficult opponent. “Walter Hadlee was just so hard to get out. He was very difficult to bowl to, and a terrific defence.” Hadlee’s club, High School Old Boys, has, in Irving’s opinion, been Lancaster Park’s toughest rival. “They have always

had strong teams on paper. They have presented the greatest challenge to our team consistently over the years.”

In a career distinguished by fine achievements at the bowling crease, Irving still recalled with delight an innings of 71 against Old Boys in his third senior season, saving the follow on and gaining first innings points. He has scored more than 3000

senior runs and taken 175 catches, the Christchurch club record.

But statistics tell just a small part of the senior career of the “silver fox.” Ever ready with a quip, Irving personifies the happy cricketer. He enjoys a joke and regards with distaste the trend towards sledging on the pitch.

Among the host of memories he has of senior cricket, one .involved his old Canterbury

B team-mate, Trevor Jones, and Sam Guillen. Lancaster Park was playing St Albans on Hagley Oval. Jones, coming in at No. 11, swung at a ball from Irving, it bounced off his toe, flew over first slip and the batsmen ran three.

When Jones got to the non-striker’s end, Irving, in a conversational tone within the umpire’s hearing, asked Jones if he had snicked the ball. “Jones said no he hadn’t. So I turned to the umpire and said ‘howzat,’ and he gave Trevor out Trevor was furious. As we

were walking off the field, Sam came running out and called, ‘what are you doing man. Go back, we haven’t declared yet’.” Irving chuckled heartily as he recalled the incident Much of his love of cricket stems from the cameraderie that exists between players. That cameraderie has helped Irving through the odd time when he wondered if be should retire. “If anyone had made it at all uncomfortable for me, I’d have gone.” It says much for the admiration held for Irving that he has never felt unwelcome.

He paid tribute to his wife, June, who has put up with him playing cricket every Saturday in that time, “and sneak out for the odd game of golf on Sunday;” he feels indebted to Lancaster Park “for having me,” to his team-mates and his opponents. Lastly, he laughed, he had to thank the Canterbury selectors for picking Reg Read to play 48 times for the province — "otherwise I’d certainly have had to settle for second place.” But do not read too much into that comment. As long as his body does not let him down, his club wants him and, most importantly, the fun and enjoyment remain, Bruce Irving has plenty more cricket left in him.

Figures do not carry much weight with him. “I think you just have to go out and give it your best shot. Don’t you?” That perhaps is the best expression of Bruce Irving, - cricketer and sportsman.

Irving’s haul of senior wickets, season by season, before yesterday, is: 5 in 10 in

Wkt Av. Inn. match 55-56 51 12.3 6 1 56-57 9 31.4 - 57-58 12 26.7 - 58-59 18 20.2 ■ 59-60 27 16.9 - 60-61 22 19.1 1 61-62 50 13.1 4 2 62-63 25 19.7 1 63-64 32 11.7 1 64-65 - 45 13.2 3 1 65-66 50 ' 15.1 3 66-67 31 20.8 1 67-68 38 17.0 3 1 68-69 29 19.0 2 69-70 37 15.1 1 70-71 54 13.0 5 1 71-72 64 13.6 7 1 72-73 52 14.3 3 » 73-74 49 15.8 3 - 74-75 47 14.4 3 1 75-76 52 14.4 4 1 76-77 46 17.5 1 - 77-78 44 17.6 2 - 78-79 29 18.6 1 - 79-80 29 21.1 - ■ 80-81 47 14.6 3 ■ 81-82 37 14.5 2 - 82-83 39 18.1 2 - 83-84 31 19.4 1 1 84-85 31 19.5 ■ - 85-86 24 23.3 1 - 1151 64 10