7 May 1997

Priest Upset Benefit Season Schedule Full

Mark Priest, Canterbury cricket's longest-serving team member, is
upset that he is not one of the next three recipients of official
benefit seasons.

Lee Germon, Chris Harris and Chris Cairns are all being honoured
for their contribution to Canterbury cricket having each been
granted a benefit by the board for the next three seasons.

Priest, 35, has played for Canterbury longer than any of the trio
since 1984-85 and has made 141 appearances (76 Shell Trophy, 65
Shell Cup) in Canterbury colours.

Priest said yesterday he was disappointed he had not been granted
an official benefit season. He had understood he had until the
end of the past season to apply, but then heard of the others
making application.

He said he had made some enquiries about getting people to help
with benefit activities. Now he felt it was a fruitless exercise
coming up against bigger name players.

"I don't see how you can have two benefits going at the same
time."

Priest, the second longest-serving provincial player in New
Zealand to Dipak Patel, said he was busy with his work and did
not want to think about cricket at present. He had yet to make a
decision about whether he would play next season.

"I've had enough of cricket at the moment."

Canterbury Cricket's chief executive, Tony Murdoch, said the
board was keen to acknowledge Priest's outstanding contribution
to the province and will assist him with "appropriate
testimonial-style activities".

Murdoch said the other players all had agents who would arrange
events for their full testimonial seasons. Priest, a self-employed
electrician, had difficulties finding the time to
organise a benefit, Murdoch said.

Murdoch said Priest did not formally apply to stage a benefit
season as the others had. Murdoch said despite the congested
cricket season, the new lights at Lancaster Park made it possible
to stage attractive benefit matches.

Last season was a typically successful one for the slow left-armer,
Priest taking the most wickets, 41, by a Canterbury bowler.

Those wickets made him the province's second most successful
bowler, with 253 scalps, overtaking Dick Motz and Tom Burtt, and
is now second only to Sir Richard Hadlee (285).

Priest has also made a valuable contribution as a batsman scoring
3107 runs for Canterbury, which places him ninth on the
provincial aggregates.

Benefit seasons are allocated to players with distinguished
records who have played 10 seasons for the province. They have
previously been awarded to Paul McEwan (1988-89), Hadlee (1989-90)
and Rod Latham (1992-93).

Germon, whose benefit is next season, first played for Canterbury
in 1987-88 and has made 134 appearances (70 in Trophy and 64 at
Cup). 

Harris debuted in 1989-90 and has appeared 88 times for the
province (38 Trophy 50 Cup). Cairns came to Canterbury in 1989-90
after a season with Northern Districts and has made 75 outings
(23 Trophy, 52 Cup).


Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz)

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