How Otaki Cricket Club Was Formed Seventy Years Ago

Chronicle (Levin), 29 September 1949, Page 7

How Otaki Cricket Club Was Formed Seventy Years Ago

The first mention of forming- a cricket club in Otaki is contained in a diary of the late Mr. W..H. Simcox (Himi-Kaaka to his Maori folk, for whom he did so much) m 1878. He writes: — Monday; April 15: "Left Welington 6 a.m. by cQach ; arrived Otaki 2.30 p.m." Saturday, April 20: "Had a talk.with some fellows about cricket." .. . '

Later on November 23 'there is this entry: "First cricket club meeting held in evening; rules 'drawn up and was elected captain. Mr. James Cootes and self went oo Wellington and procured bats ind other material. Practices then held most evenings, and on Saturday afternoons." T_-«>n on New Year's Day in 187£ tiie first game was piayed on che College ground, Ransfield's oeam v. Captain's team, with nine-i-side. The former made 18 and ;he latter 89. "W.HJ3." contriDU'fced • 58. On March 17 a match between married and single men was piayed and the score hook gives the following details: — Married, first innings: W. H. Simcox, b F. Thompson, 0; Jeppo Cootes, b C. Thompson, 9; Paris Anderson, c A. Winterburn, b F. Thompson, 0; Wm. Smith, b . F. Thompson, 1; W. Greenough, b F.. Thompson, 0; Toi, b F. Thompson, 5; Hakaraia Te Whena, not out, 3; Skipwith, b C. Thompson, 1; Harper, b F. Thompson, 0; Fiwika, 'o F. Thompson, 0; Bills, b C. Thompson, 0; extras, 9; to:al, 19. F. Thompson took seven wickets and C. Thompson 3. Sing e, first innings: C. Thompson, b Cootes, 7; - A. Winterburn, Ibw, b Cootes, 2; T. Thompson, b Simcox, 1; J. Wi Nera, c Simcox, b Cootes, 6;'T. Cootes, b Simcox, 0; Mil'.er, st. Anderson, b Cootes, 1; J. Pedger, b* Simcox, 0; P. Dodds, b Simcox, 14; Rawiri, b Cootes, 2; H. Webber, b Simcox, 0; Hohipuha, not out, 13; extras, 10; total, 56. Cootes and Simcox each took five wicke1 s. Married, seeond innings: Simcox, b F. Thompson, 14; Cootes, b C.

Thompson, 6; Anderson, c Winter-, burn, b F.-. Thompson, 7; Smith, b F. Thompson, o; -Greenough, b C. Thompson, 0; Toi, b C. Thompson, 4; Hakaraia, ; c Pledger* b C. Thompson, 5; Skipworth, b F. Thompson, 0; Harper, c Webher, b C. Thompson, 0; Piwika, b F. Thompson, 0; Bills, c and b C. Thompson, , .0; . extras, J); total, 45. Single, seeond innings: Records incomplete, but total runs scored v/as nine with two extras. Single men won by three runs and two wickets. In a retum match, married men made 98 and 74 and single men 30 and 99. ( Married thus won. by 43 runs. I . In March, 1880,' the' Otaki team rode and drove up to Foxton via the beac-h an'd was ferried over the Manawatu River, leaving at daylighu and retuming the same night. Foxton won a single innings match by the very fine margin of one run. Otaki scored 107 (W. Udy and A. Winterburn 19 each) and Foxton, replied with 108 (Robinson 43 and Murphy 18) . Eieven qays la.Ler at Otaki the defeat was avenged, when Foxton mede 78 and 39, Otaki replying with 82 and 31. .In December a player named McKay took eight wickets for 15 runa in a further married v. single ma'xh, with W. Dod'ds a new batsman for married. Mr. Dodds is still in residence at Tasman Beach. An outstanding record appears in February, 1852, when a Post Office linCsman named McKay, playing for Otaki against T. Udy's •team of 15 pien, dismissed the who e side and bowled 14' men for 28 runs.