Christchurch High School Old Boys’ Cricket Club – A Proud Record
The staff at Boys’ High School evidently was cricket conscious and during the 1890’s the idea of a cricket pavilion at Hagley Park was first considered. It was not until the last term in 1898 that the planning came to fruition. The annual “Present versus Past” match was played during which Hon E C J Stevens, of the Board of Governors, formally opened the building.
But it was not until 1924 that the idea of an Old Boys’ Cricket Club became a fact. A meeting was held in the Association Club Rooms in Cashel Street, on 11th September 1924. Some famous names are among the first officers elected; Club Captain, R C Burns; Secretary, S Hollander; Treasurer, W J Dixon; Committee, L D Page, M Graham, I B Cromb, G Mortlock, A D Trench, C Miln, and T Milliken.
The Club was declined affiliation by the Canterbury Cricket Association and had to play in the City & Suburban Association’s competitions. Elmwood Park became the new Club’s first home and the Old Collegians Club was extremely cooperative in helping the Club become established. The Club’s pavilion was an old shed.
In its first year the Club won both the Senior and Junior competitions and the Melhuish Shield. The Senior XI included L D Page (captain), H Shaw, J T Burrows, R E Hastie, I B Cromb, C G Armstrong, W Moffat, R C Burns, M Graham, G Mortlock and L E Smith.
For the next season, 1925-26, affiliation with CCA was granted and the Club won the Senior B and Junior competitions and was runner up for the Petersen Shield. In the following season, 1926-27, Old Boys’ were runners up in the Senior competition and W E (Bill) Merritt and M L (Curly) Page were selected in the first National team to tour England.
The headquarters were still at Elmwood Park, and with five teams, the old shed was clearly unsuitable. Boys’ High had moved to Straven Road in 1926 and the Hagley Park pavilion had become surplus to requirements and this was generously transferred to the Old Boys’ Club.
The shift to Hagley proved an advantage with victory in both the Senior A and Senior B competitions in the first year of residency.
In the 1920s, the strength of Old Boys had become such that the CCA insisted that some players were shared around the other Clubs. Curly Page and Morrie Graham were co-opted to St Albans, Jack Jacobs and Gilbert Stringer to Riccarton and Ian Cromb to Linwood.
Just prior to the war, in the 1938-39 season, seven members of the Senior XI were selected to represent Canterbury. During the war, Clubs combined to form teams and Old Boys had West Christchurch and Lancaster Park as partners.
The period immediately after the war was a golden era for the Club. Commencing with the 1946-47 season the Senior competition was won in six of the next ten years. There was always a number of Old Boys players in the National and Canterbury teams.
The old pavilion on the West side of Hagley Oval was showing its age and plans were drawn up for a new building on the Southern boundary. A subcommittee of Les Cater, Ian Gillespie and Doug Reid was joined by a building committee of Wal Hadlee, F Allott, Ivan Baxter, Bruce Boulton, Pat Bonisch, D Colville, J Eltoft, G Franks, G Jennings, Owen Jones, Peter Small, Les Smith, N Taylor and Harry Wicks. Funds were raised by growing potatoes on Alan Shipley’s land and barley on Franks’ property. A strong ladies committee provided valuable assistance and with Chas Luney building the pavilion at cost, the opening ceremony was performed by the Mayor of Christchurch Hon R M Macfarlane on 5th October 1957.
Extensions have been made subsequently to the front of the building but substantially it has remained the same for nearly fifty years.
HSOB Presidents:
1948/52 – N. Taylor
1952/54 – L. Smith
1954/56 – D. Colville
1956/58 – W. Hadlee
1958/60 – T. Eltoft
1960/62 – I. Baxter
1962/64 – P. Small
1964/66 – G. Leggat
1968/70 – C. Snook
1970/72 – W. Merritt
1972/74 – D. Reid
1974/76 – O. Jones
1976/78 – E. Bonisch
1978/1980 – E. Harrington
1980/82 – D. Shipley
1982/84 – C. Anderson
1984/86 – J. Capstick
1986/88 – B. Hadlee
1988/90 – A. Dorreen
1990/92 – K. Victor
1992/94 – B. Dunstan
1994/96 – G. Allen
1996/98 – M. Mowat
1998/00 – C. Bull
2000/04 – B. Spear
HSOB New Zealand Representatives (18):
W. Merritt – 1929/31
M. Page – 1929/37
I. Cromb – 1931/32
W. Hadlee – 1937/51
W. Anderson – 1945/46
B. Smith – 1946/52
G. Leggat – 1951/56
J. D’Arcy – 1953
B. Bolton – 1953/59
D. Hadlee – 1969/77
R. Hadlee – 1971/90
B. Hadlee – 1974
S. Roberts – 1990
G. Allott – 1996/01
L. Howell – 1998
P. Wiseman – 1998/05
W. Wisneski – 2000
S. Bond – 2001/10
HSOB Canterbury Representatives (50):
M. Page – 1920/37
W. Merritt – 1925/36
J. Burrows – 1926/33
D. Nixon – 1926/28
J. Jacobs – 1927/38
C. Harris – 1928/30
R. Burns – 1928/34
I. Cromb – 1929/47
W. Hadlee – 1933/52
M. Graham – 1934/37
R. Menzies – 1936/41
W. Anderson – 1938/49
B. Harbidge – 1939/41
G. Leggat – 1944/56
A. Britton – 1945/53
B. Smith – 1946/53
P. Small – 1946/59
C. Snook – 1947/49
R. Cook – 1948/49
J. Alderson – 1949/51
D. Reid – 1953/57
B. Bolton – 1955/65
J. D’Arcy – 1955/59
B. Dineen – 1956/57
B. Hadlee – 1961/82
D. Hill – 1961/62
G. Henry – 1965/66
M. Ryan – 1965/77
C. Bull – 1965/84
C. Stevens – 1966/68
A. Hounsell – 1969/77
D. Hadlee – 1969/84
R. Hadlee – 1974/90
J Calder – 1976/77
B. Ritchie – 1979/82
P. Rattray – 1980/85
T. Blain – 1983/84
A. Nathu – 1983/86
S. Tracy – 1985/86
S. Roberts – 1985/95
C. Flanagan – 1986/95
B. Hartland – 1986
L. Howell – 1990/98
P. Wiseman – 1992/08
W. Wisneski – 1993/04
S. Wilson – 1994/95
G. Allott – 1994/01
B. Yock – 1996/03
S. Bond – 1996/10
R. Miller – 2002