The Pickhandle - A brief history and 2014 result

The Huntley Pick-handle Match

In 1928 the Huntley cricket coach Mr Sprat Sherriff asked Mr Ken Marshall to select and captain a team of Rangitikei Old Boys to play the Huntley 1^st XI. They decided that the Old Boys would make as many runs as they could --- but they had to bat with pick-handles. The innovation was a great success and the game has been played every year except for 1938 (too wet), 1948 (polio) and 1965 (too wet). The most regular players are given first refusal of a game each year. Dan Godfrey played in 54 pick-handle matches, Gordon Hare 50, Aubone Fullerton-Smith 47, John Openshaw 42, Bruce Tidy 41, Philson Sherriff 41 and Bill Simpson 39. After the Prep School matches this game is still the highlight of the Huntley cricket year.

In 1955, after twenty eight years, Ken Marshall retired and John Openshaw took over captaining the Old Boys. John Openshaw played his last game in 1975 and for the next five years Aubone Fullerton-Smith was captain. In 1980 Philson Sherriff became the captain and selector. Twenty years later he retired and Dick Fullerton-Smith, who was also the chairman of the Huntley Board, became the organiser. Today Philson’s son Edward Sherriff captains and selects the Huntley Rangitikei Old Boys pick-handle team.

The annual Pickhandle match was played recently with a win to the Huntley 1^st XI. This is the first time the Huntley 1^st XI has won since 2007.

Huntley                203 all out

                Levi Woolston 48, Jack Gibbs 35, Kelvin Brown 28, Geordie Ellis 26

                Paul McLean – 4 wickets for 8 runs, Dan Gordon 3 wickets for 14 runs

Pickhandle          193 all out

                Mark Godfrey 73, Dan Gordon 34, Paul McLean 27

                Ben Strang – 3 wickets for 26 runs, Hadleigh O’Leary 3 wickets for 32 runs