The Grocotts

The Grocott name is synonymous with both the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club and Christchurch cricket.

David Grocott is the older of two brothers who played from the age of six or seven. He learnt the game from his father and progressed through local schools before his secondary education started at Shirley Boys’ High School. Dave was selected for the 1^st XI in Year 10 as an opening batsman and played for four years in the XI. It is worth noting, given his later cricketing career, that he never bowled.

He was selected in the various Canterbury rep teams from Under 14-16-18, Canterbury Brabin Shield (National Under 20) and Canterbury Kiwis.

Upon leaving school, Dave re-joined his old club at Burwood Park and initially played 2^nd Grade cricket before making his senior debut against Old Collegians in 1983. Dave struggled to cement a permanent place as a batsman and it was about now that he developed his bowling as a right-arm medium pacer with prodigious in-swing and, once re-gaining a place in the East Shirley seniors, he made it permanent as an all-rounder’s role until he retired in 1999/2000.

Some of his statistics still rate near the top of our all-time stats. He has made 137 appearances in the Metro One-day competition (3^rd), has taken 148 wickets (5^TH) and taken 37 catches (13^th), 21 wickets in a season (7^th) and has taken the 8^th most economical spell (10-6-5-2).

Clearly frugile, parsimonious, tight come to mind in describing Dave’s bowling.

Upon finishing at Senior level, Dave played for two years in the Presidents Grade.

In 2003 he started teaching at Shirley Boys’ High School and took over coaching the 1^st XI for about ten years. In 2008 he became Master-in-Charge of cricket at the school.

In 2016-17 season he started coaching the East Shirley Senior team which he has really enjoyed particularly the focussed and professional approach that the players bring to their game.

Through the 1990s Dave served on the club’s committee, for a period as Head of Cricket and as Treasurer.

His father, John has played a major influence on his cricket while a former coach in Ken Ferries brought an edge to his game and to the club. Fellow players in Craig Gibb and Tony Gray also helped shape the team and his attitude to the game.

Son Will and daughter Grace have both played at the senior level of the East Christchurch Shirley Club in recent times.

Tim Grocott’s first memories of cricket were the many hours spent playing and watching at neighbourhood Burwood Park. Under the watchful eyes of father John Grocott and David Hearn journeyed through the junior grades before being selected for the Shirley Boys’ High School 1^st XI in Year 10. Tim was a bustling medium pace out swing bowler who was part of an impressive era of his school’s cricket that included Nathan Astle and Gary Stead. This team won the 3^rd Grade for three consecutive years and made the South Island Gillette Cup final. Tim played in the Canterbury Under 18 team.

Upon leaving school, Tim returned to his former club and played 2^nd Grade for East Shirley. While he made his senior debut in 1992, most of his club cricket was at the 2^nd Grade level. He finished his 2^nd Grade cricket in 2004-05 after his team won the One-day title for that grade after which he became a member of the East Shirley Gold Presidents team in 2006 and this team has had a dominant presence in this grade through to this day.

He served on the committee in the early 1990s as well as Teacher-in-charge of Cricket at Papanui High School. During this time Tim formed part of the drive towards the successful establishment of the North West Youth Club concept.

Over recent years Tim has served as a director of the Board of the Shirley Sports Club which administers the building that houses both Shirley rugby and cricket at Burwood Park.

These post-earthquake times have provided challenges to sports clubs in Christchurch and particularly in the east where considerable depopulation has occurred.

In 2017 he became President of the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club and is embracing the challenge of recruiting young quality cricketers to his club. Th relocation and rebuild of Shirley Boys’ High School and Avonside Girls’ High School to the new Queen Elizabeth II site makes for an exciting future in this regard.

Tim has been a fine servant to his club. His time is not finished in this regard and I’m sure that he will continue to add to the Grocott contribution to the club.

And now to John Grocott

What a contribution! 62 years of service to one club!

While born in Auckland, John’s first recollections of cricket were watching cricket during World War II when his family resided in Richmond, Nelson. Cricket took a real grip when the family moved to Wellington with New Zealand cricketer, John Beck coaching John while at Karori Primary School. At this time John had an early cricket education from hours of throw-downs from Ivor Charles, father of the famous golfer, Sir Bob Charles. His secondary education was at Wellington College (1951-55) where he made the 1^st XI in his final two years. This team, part-coached by John Reid, included Brian Hastings, one of New Zealand’s foremost batsmen in the last 50 years.

In 1956, John moved to Christchurch where he played a few games for the then-Varsity Cricket Club. At this time, he came under the influence of legendary Canterbury and New Zealand cricketer, Ian Cromb, who encouraged him to join East Christchurch Cricket Club whose home ground was at Lancaster Park which they shared with the club bearing that name.

The East Christchurch club, led by its President Dr. Orchard (who held that office from 1905 to 1958!), then moved to McFarlane Park in the late 1950s before combining with the recently-established Shirley Boys’ High School at Burwood Parkin the 1960s. It took on the name of East Christchurch Shirley which remains to this day.

John has been hugely influential in the club’s development.

An accountant, he was Secretary in 1957 and, for the most part, has remained on the club’s committee through to the present day. John was a delegate to the Canterbury Cricket Association in the early 1960s before becoming a Canterbury selector at Canterbury Brabin (Under 20) and Canterbury Rothmans (Under 23) level. He was then appointed to as a selector to the Canterbury Plunket Shield team in 1975-76 which won all Shell trophies available in that season. During that period, he gleaned plenty of cricket knowledge from Canterbury captain Bevan Congdon. John was re-elected after a season out and teamed up with Peter Sharp, Ian Cromb, Don McKendry and then Noel McGregor during a transitional period under the expert and influential captaincy of Maurice Ryan. It was during this period of Canterbury cricket that saw the blossoming of Canterbury great, Paul McEwan.

In the mid-1980s John returned to under-age selections again when he joined John Thompson and Wayne Wilson as Brabin selectors.

However, it is with the East Shirley club that John has made his cricketing life.

He has served at varying lengths as President and Treasurer and has been involved for over six decades. John rolls club stalwarts off his tongue with great recall including David Hearn, Bill Duncan and Neil Ockwell.

But what of his influence in cricket in the east of Christchurch? John established junior cricket there in 1958 including a junior coaching programme in 1959 to 1971. It was a forerunner to the work carried out by the inspirational late Bill Duncan.

He attained his Level 2 coaching grade in 1968 and in the 1980s established the Saturday morning programmes for first-year players and was the first club in New Zealand to adopt the NZC Have-a-Go programme. He has only recently retired from that programme.

In 2009-10, John was awarded the Sir Jack Newman Award for service to grass roots cricket in New Zealand. As well as being a Life Member of his club, John was elected as a Life Member for the Christchurch Metropolitan Cricket Association in 2015.

Throughout this long service, John played for the Easts’ senior team as an opening batsman from 1956 to 1981 after which he played at 2^nd Grade level before fitting comfortably into the Presidents Blue team until around 2012.

Of course, his wife, Lola played a massive part in John and the family’s love for the game. Elder daughter Sara played while at school and David and Tim, along with John, made for very busy Saturdays around the cricket fields and plenty of cricket lunches no doubt!

John is still acting Treasurer at 85 and loves nothing more than “being there for the club”, wandering around the grounds supporting the teams while reflecting on many wonderful memories that the game has brought.

And back to the beginning.

There is something about the East Christchurch Shirley Cricket Club with the contributions of some recent families such as the Pawsons, Papps, Bursons and Brooms.

And leading from the front are the Grocotts; what a legacy!

Article added: Friday 12 July 2019