Twenty - Weston Creek Cricket Club

X ">'In the end it is only the camaraderie of theteam, the lifelong friendships which youforge, and the opportunity for interestingsorties outside the grind of the cricketgrounds which make the experienceworthwhile."BILL O'REILLY

TWENTYSEASONS ONLIMITED EDITION NO /120

TWENTYSEASONS ONCELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF CRICKETIN WESTON CREEKEdited ByPERCY SAMARA-WICKRAMAForeword ByBRIAN BOOTH MBE

PUBLICATIONAustralian National Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.TWENTY SEASONS ON: celebrating twenty years of cricket in Weston Creek.Bibliography.ISBN 0 9589300 5 81. Weston Creek Cricket Club - History.2. Cricket - Australian Capital Territory - Weston Creek - HistoryI. Samara-Wickrama, Percy. II. Weston Creek Cricket Club.796.3580609471© Weston Creek Cricket Club& Percy Samara-WickramaPublished byWeston Creek Cricket Club Inc.PO Box 3047Weston CreekACT 2611AustraliaPrinted byLowes PrinterGarranACT 2605Published February 1993iv

CONTENTSForewordviiPrefaceixAcknowledgmentsxiiiThe Club - Twenty Seasons On 1Three Tours to England 19Esirly Memories 27Twenty Years Ago The First Season Don Brooker 29Recollections Ken Matthews 32The Club's First Premiership Ian Phillips 34A Captain's Tale Barney Devlin 40So Near Yet So Far Ray Williams 46Father and Son Pat Flynn 48Jim, the Complete Cricketer Tim Overland 51The First Firsts Brian Kensey 56The Historic Win By The Seconds John Waldron 60Did You Get Any Wickets Today, Dad? - Bob Coughlan 62A View From Behind The Stumps Paul Dujfus 65A Most Enjoyable G;une John Abrahams 73A Good Judge Ken Wild 78A Veteran's Game Lionel Laverty 81Tim Overland, Batting Golf Shots Greg Irvine 86Forty Five Years of Cricket Diane Evans 88The Character's Club John Bowdler 92Our Canberra Connection John Steel 97How We Celebrated Chris Harris 101Backward GlancesAbrahams Will Be Missed John Ringwood 114Carr Does It Again John Ringwood 116Irvine Triumphs in PM's Match John Ringwood 119Ian King, Larger Than Life John Ringwood 123The Past In Pictures 128About the Editor Chris Harris 140V

Brian Booth MBEvi

FOREWORDIfirst became aware of the Weston Creek Cricket Clubin 1979 when President Don Brooker and SecretaryPercy Samara-Wickrama invited me to direct the Club'sfirst coaching school. This invitation was readily acceptedand repeated again in 1980 and 1981. These threecoaching weeks were most enjoyable occasions. At thetime I was most impressed with the enthusiasm anddedication of all involved, especially for a Club in itsformative years.Subsequently, I have written articles for the Club's threeUnited Kingdom Tour brochures. From time to time, Ihave received copies of the Weston Creek Cricket Clubmagazine "Cover Point" and have had personal contactwith Percy Samara-Wickrama which has enabled me toread with added interest the draft of the book celebratingtwenty years of cricket in Weston Creek. In winning 15premierships in twenty years, the Club has experiencedoutstanding success. This success no doubt reflects notonly the enthusiastic playing strength of the Club membersbut also the dedication and expertise of the Club'sadministration.vii

Weston Creek Cricket ClubI extend to members and supporters of the Weston CreekCricket Club my heartiest congratulations and best wishesfor your twentieth year celebrations. I trust the Club willexperience success in the years ahead and continue to buildon the excellent foundation of the first twenty years. I lookforward to sharing personally with you in your celebrationsand I thank you for the opportunity of being involvedthrough writing this brief foreword. I am confident thecontents of this book will be of historic and persona!interest to the reader.Brian Booth MBEviit

PREFACETwenty seasons hence seems so far away, yet twenty seasonsago seems so close. The mind, as it travels over a period oftime linked together by memories of events and of people whomade them happen, sees the bygone years as a compact collagewhile the unknown future is a wide expanse into the unknown.My introduction to the Club comes into focus easily. Leaving myclose family, friends and cricket connections in other lands andarriving in a new country had left gaps in my life. I had arrived inCanberra, with a young family, in early 1974. I was looking for alocal cricket club, perhaps to roll my arm over again and tointroduce my young son to a game that has claimed much of mylife and given me years of pleasure. I had always belonged to acricket club. Accepting Don Brooker's invitation to help with thejuniors was a start. Being a part of one of the early teams of theClub was easy. There were so few around those days and I waseasily drawn into accepting the position of Honorary Secretary. Ihave worn that hat ever since.In the last twenty seasons, the Club has grown from a six-teamjunior outfit to a major force in the Australian Capital Territory.Many enthusiastic members gave of their time and effort to makethe Club what it is today. I remember their hard work,ix

Weston Creek Cricket Clubparticularly in the days when the Club was working towards fullmembership of the ACT Cricket Association. There were otherhurdles to follow. Inviting overseas professional players to coachand play with the Club and obtaining sufficient sponsorship tocover their expenses were not easy.I remember how I had rejoiced in the Club's successes andsuffered the anguish of failures. I remember those who joined theClub as 8 and 9 year olds now carrying the Club to bigger things.How could one forget the characters that helped pave the way towhere we are now?Normally 20 years is not n long time, but in the Canberra context,Weston Creek Cricket Club is one of the oldest in the ACT gradecricket competition. The decision to celebrate the event is an easyone.The response by some of the former members, particularly fromthose who played during the formative years, to write about theirearly memories was encouraging. The idea for this anthology wasborn from their enthusiasm. Their articles are published withoutany editing on my part.In compiling this book, I have relied on the support of DonBrooker and Chris Harris and material from the Club's longrunning magazine, "Cover Point". I have reproduced severalexcellent articles by our one-time President, John Ringwood.Many hours were spent wading through hundreds of photographsand the choice was not easy.The Club's philosophy has been to promote cricket amongst theyoungsters in the district and provide cricket to anyone whodesired to play irrespective of ability. On the way to achievingthis aim, the Club has produced many excellent cricketers andcharacters and introduced several ideas new to Canberra cricket.x

Twenty Seasons OnMore than a thousand players have played in the various teamsfielded by Weston Creek over the years. Of this vast number, Iasked myself, which three have contributed most to the Club?The answer was surprisingly easy: John Abrahams,Chris Harris,Greg Irvine. Their pictures appear on the front cover. Theirrecord, both on and off the field, supports the choice.This book is a celebration of twenty seasons of cricket in WestonCreek and a salute to members, both past and present, who havecontributed to its success.Percy Samara-Wickrama,Canberra 1993.xi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn producing this book I have had to rely on several people.Without their generosity, this publication would not have beenpossible. Ideas, advice and help came from many people. Mythanks go to Brian Booth for his foreword, the contributors whoheeded my request, Don Brooker and John Ringwood for helpwith sub-editing, Shirley Coulson and Juliane Samara for wordprocessing, Ewan Mackenzie and my wife Mary for proofreading. However, any omissions and errors are myresponsibility.My thanks go to the following for the photographs published.Page 19, 26, Elaine Steel, Page 80, 131 ACT CricketAssociation files, Page 97, 98 John Steel, Page 114, 123, 126,136, 140 John Ringwood, Page 119 Rohan Samara. All otherphotographs are taken from the Weston Creek Cricket Club files.xii

Twenty Seasons On| THE CLUB-TWENTYSEASONS ON |Stirling Oval - a view from the PavilionEnd.Weston Creek Cricket Club has come a long way from itshumble origins back in the summer of 1972-73. The districtthen was one of Canberra's "Nappy Valleys", with many youngcouples and their families establishing themselves in newly builthouses in its seven neighbourhoods. Weston Creek was on theoutskirts of the city although it is now much closer to thegeographic centre. It provided an ideal environment for raisingchildren, which inevitably led to the establishing of a number ofjunior sporting clubs.Anxious to provide cricket opportunities for youngsters in therapidly developing area, the ACT Junior Cricket Committee calleda Saturday morning meeting at Waramanga Oval in August 19721

Weston Creek, CricketClubto see if there was sufficient interest to form a junior cricket club.Almost 100 boys and their parents attended the meeting, anindication that there was an urgent need to form a new club. At ameeting held during the following week, the Weston Creek JuniorCricket Club was established. Former Manly first grade playerand NSW Combined Country captain, Don Brooker, who had justbeen appointed as an Education Department Adviser in the ACT,convened the first meeting and was elected the new Club's firstPresident. Seven teams were entered in the various age divisionsfor the 1972-73 season. All matches were played on Saturdaymornings.Junior cricket continued to flourish in Weston Creek. Thenumber of teams increased each season as new schools wereestablished in the area and, by 1974-75, 12 teams were entered inthe junior competitions. At that time the ACT CricketAssociation (ACTCA) held the view that Weston Creek wouldnever have a population large enough to sustain a district gradeclub. The Club thus faced the dilemma of how best to cater forthe increasing number of enthusiastic players who became too oldto play in the junior competition.In response to Canberra's growing population and the limitedopportunities for young cricketers in the existing eight DistrictClubs, the ACTCA introduced a sub-district competition in the1975-76 season. This provided the Club with a competition forthe junior graduates and also offered the opportunity for seniorcricketers living in the area to be involved again in their favouritesport.Early in 1975 a special meeting at Weston Primary Schoolchanged the Club's name to Weston Creek Cricket Club. DonBrooker was elected President, Chris Harris- a newly arrivedteacher at Weston Creek High School- was elected Secretary andKeith Simmons continued as Treasurer. Two teams were entered2

Twenty Seasons Onin the sub-district competition. One comprised former juniorplayers and three fathers - Malcolm Overland, Les Drew and JimFaulkner. The other team was made up of players with wideranging backgrounds, abilities and ages.Like the early years of the nation's history, records of theinaugural senior season are extremely sketchy and are limited toanecdotal evidence provided by early stalwarts like Chris Harris,Don Brooker, Ian Phillips, Jim Nuttall, Laurie Evans, Pat Flynnand Percy Samara-Wickrama.The team of fathers and former juniors was relatively constant andsettled, in direct contrast to the other team whose compositionwas never certain, even on the morning of the match.Introductions to new team mates were necessary before the startof every game. In one match the Weston Creek captain asked thefieldsman at square leg to go a little deeper only to discover thathe was a member of the opposing team acting as an umpire.In the next season Don Brooker stood down from the Presidencyto concentrate on the development of the increasing number ofjuniors. He was succeeded by Laurie Evans. Ian "Pussa" Phillipstook over as Secretary from Chris Harris. Again two teams wereentered in the sub-district competition. There were 12 juniorteams. All the junior teams reached the semi-finals of theircompetitions with the Under 14s and Under lis going on to bepremiers. The senior teams, too,did much better and recordedseveral notable performances.Laurie Evans scored the first century for the Club while KenMatthews, the Naval Attache at the British High Commission,captured 25 wickets at an average of 14.08. Ken enjoyed hisseason so much that, before he returned to England, he donatedthe "Ken Matthews Shield" as a perpetual trophy to be awardedeach year for the best bowling performance.3

Weston Creek, CricketClubAt the end of the season,Secretary Ian Phillips produced a reportcrammed onto four handwritten pages which highlighted theClub's financial and playing performances. In the report he said:"We entered the season with quite a large financial deficit butthrough the efforts of our Committee in organising a number ofraffles and a successful progressive dinner we have been able toreduce this deficit quite substantially We also increased the feesfor juniors to $10 and $30 for seniors with a $1 ball fee permatch".In 1977-78 the Club executive changed again. Chris Maherbecame President, Percy Samara-Wickrama commenced his longand illustrious career as Secretary and Jim Nuttall took over asTreasurer. By now membership had risen to 57 senior players and204 juniors and the Club was developing into one respected notonly for its playing strength but also for its sound administration.Through vigorous representation to the Department of the CapitalTerritory, through the ACTCA, Weston Creek Cricket Club wasgranted the summer lease of Stirling Oval with a new pavilion andnewly laid turf pitch. This was a significant milestone in theClub's development as the oval quickly became the permanenthome base and meeting place. For a number of seasons seniorplayers and their families made then- way back to Stirling Ovaleach Saturday evening to share their triumphs anddisappointments, to enjoy a convivial drink and a hot-dog, and tobe part of the wonderful atmosphere that was so evident in thisyoung, successful and ambitious club.Donald Macleod and Don Brooker were given the responsibilityfor the preparation of the turf pitch which was ready for play inlate January 1978. The care of the pitch was later taken over byPat Flynn and his 'apprentice' Chris Body. Chris has accepted theresponsibility for it ever since. To celebrate the opening of theoval as a competition venue, a special match was arranged4

Twenty Seasons On"Wi*v i,BBChris Cowdrey, batting for the President's XI at the opening ofStirling Oval.between the President's XI and an Invitation XI for Sunday 26thFebruary 1978. The principal guest in Chris Maher's President'sXI was Chris Cowdrey, later to captain both Kent and England.The remainder of the team was made up of Weston Creek playersfrom various teams. The Invitation XI was captained by formerNew South Wales batsman Ray Flockton and included some ACTrepresentative players, players from other clubs and celebrities.The match, quite predictably, finished in a tie.Stirling Oval was chosen as the venue for the sub-district A gradefinal in March 1978 between Weston Creek and Teachers C C andafter a close tussle on a very good pitch, Teachers denied the Clubits first premiership.5

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubChris Cowdrey, receiving a Club cap from the President, ChrisMaher. In the background are Jim Nuttall and Chris Harris.Celebrating the opening of Stirling Oval. From left, Tim Overland,Ian Phillips, Laurie Evans, Chris Harris, Fred Gill and ChrisCowdrey.6

Twenty Seasons OnAt nearby Waramanga Oval, however, Ian Phillips led the subdistrictB team to a win in the final against CCAE to record thefirst of the Club's 15 premiership wins.During the winter of 1978 the Club made a joint submission withthe Ginninderra Cricket Club to be admitted as senior grade clubsin the ACTCA's district competition. Weston Creek had somevery promising young players in the district teams who wereanxious to further their cricket careers at a higher level. After aprotracted debate, and in spite of some strong opposition, theACTCA invited both clubs to enter teams in the 3rd and 4th gradedistrict competitions for the 1978-79 season with a possibility fullgrade status would be granted for the following season.Season 1978-79 therefore became one of the most significant inthe Club's history. The Club not only had a good ground but alsoofficial recognition as an emerging cricket force. Don Brookerreturned as Club President with Secretary Percy Samara-Wickrama and Treasurer Jim Nuttall. The trio proved a verycompetent and innovative executive which greatly assisted theClub in its transition to full grade status.Former Glamorgan CCC and South Woden player, Ray Williams,joined the Club and captained the 3rd grade team where hisexperience did much to help the younger players adjust to theirnew playing environment. Terry Lynch captained the 4th Gradeteam which had a most enjoyable, if not highly successful, season.The thud grade team, however, enjoyed much more success, butthey were disappointed when their final was washed out whenthey were in an excellent position to win.In addition to achievements on the cricket field, the Clubcontinued to provide some leadership in other areas. While theground at Stirling was a good match venue, the available practice7

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubTom Purcell and Brian Booth with a group of youngcricketers.facilities were much less satisfactory. In a co-operative venturewith the City Parks Administration of the Department of TheCapital Territory, the club designed and had laid two artificialgrass practice wickets, the first in Canberra. Two different typesof surfaces were tried and the experience gained from thisambitious experiment was used by the Department, the ACTCAand other clubs in determining the most suitable cricket surfacesfor new facilities.Perhaps the most pleasing and rewarding innovation was theintroduction of the Weston Creek Cricket Coaching Week duringthe last week in January 1979. The five-day programme wasdirected by former Australian Test captain, Brian Booth, ably8

Twenty Seasons OnDon Brooker opening the first Junior Cricket Coaching Week inCanberra. Former Australian Test captain Brian Booth who directedthe Coaching Week is at extreme right.Tom Pur cell conducting a groupsession.9

Weston Creek, CricketClubassisted by another leading Sydney cricket coach and seniorWeston Creek players. Capital Permanent Building Societysponsored the venture at a time when cricket sponsorship wasunknown in the ACT. The coaching school became an annualevent, serving the needs of youngsters from all parts of Canberraas well as those from Weston Creek. Brian Booth also directedthe next two schools. In subsequent seasons they were directedby the Club's visiting English professionals and later by seniorClub players. Following the success of these schools, theACTCA and other clubs later conducted similar programmeswhich greatly assisted the development of junior cricketersthroughout the ACT.The Club's own cricket magazine "Cover Point", now in its 15thconsecutive season, was launched in 1978. The magazine hasgrown from a simple 12 page publication of monthly matchreports of interest mainly to Club members, to one withpersonality profiles, photographs and articles of general cricketinterest in addition to match reports.Fifteen sponsors helped with the production of the initial "CoverPoint" and many of them have continued their support to this day.In his annual report to the Club's AGM at the end of the 1978-79season, President Don Brooker said: "It was in almost every waya most eventful season, one that saw the Club emerge as asignificant part of the cricket scene in the ACT, both on the fieldof play and administratively. This was not achieved without atremendous amount of dedication and hard work on the part ofthe Club's members and particularly the committee...for achieving,in one season, a standing in cricket circles that some, much longerestablished clubs have yet to achieve."Shortly after the completion of that season the CricketAssociation invited the Weston Creek and Ginninderra Cricket10

Twenty Seasons OnClubs to enter teams in all four grades in 1979-80, granting themprovisional grade club status. Brian Kensey, an ACTrepresentative and former Sydney first grade player, wasappointed captain of the first grade team. A further acquisitionwas the former Bankstown first grade player, Greg Irvine, whocommenced his long and distinguished association with WestonCreek.At the same time as the Club was working hard to achieve itscricket goals, it was involved in another highly ambitious andtime-consuming pursuit. In association with Weston CreekAustralian Rules Football Club and the Weston Creek BowlingClub, the Cricket Club raised the finance for and established alicensed club adjacent to Stirling Oval. This project came tofruition when the Weston Creek Sports Club opened for businessin March 1981. The partnership with the other two clubs broughtother benefits as well. In particular a substantial three years jointsponsorship by PA Credit Union. This additional source of fundsgreatly assisted the Club at a time when more equipment had tobe purchased for the increased number of teams and practicefacilities required upgrading.Through this sponsorship arrangement,the Club had developed aclose relationship with PA Credit Union's general manager, GeoffSmith, who was a Weston Creek resident. Geoff was to play amajor role in the advancement of cricket both in Weston Creekand in Canberra. Towards the end of the 1981-82 season theClub Secretary, Percy Samara-Wickrama, made some tentativeinquiries about inviting an English professional cricketer to playand coach and to assist in the further development of young andpromising players. More in hope than anticipation, Geoff wasapproached for additional sponsorship to fund the proposal. Hisresponse was surprisingly positive. "Put in a proposal to theBoard and I will support it", he said. Geoffs support apparentlycarried the day and as a result, Glamorgan County Cricket Club11

Weston Creek, CricketClubplayer, Terry Davies was invited to join Weston Creek CricketClub for the 1982-83 season.History in the making - Arrival of the first English professional inCanberra. Terry Davies of Glamorgan CCC (centre) at thewelcoming reception. With Terry are Percy Samara-Wickrama,Geoff Smith, General Manager PA Credit Union, Don Brooker, NoelShort, a long-time supporter of the Club.Terry's arrival at Stirling Oval was a great fillip for the Club whichcontinued to promise so much but failed to consistently provideresults. His enthusiastic and professional approach to practiceand match preparation and his ability to communicate well withthe young as well as the experienced players lifted playingperformance in all grades. Such was the all-round improvementthat the club became ACTCA Club Champions after only fourseasons as a district club.12

Twenty Seasons OnThe Club's spirits were high after the success of the previousseason and it was disappointing to learn, just a month or so beforethe start of the 1983-84 season that Terry Davies was unable toreturn for a second season. Having to act quickly, Percycontacted a long time cricketing friend from England, John Steel,who put him in touch with his beloved Lancashire County CricketClub and cricketing entrepreneur, Jack Simmons. Jack arrangedfor Lancashire vice-captain, John Abrahams, to accept theposition at Weston Creek. John's arrival in Canberra heralded thestart of a new era in the development of cricket in Weston Creekwhich raised the Club's profile, and made it a major force in ACTcricket.GEOFF SMITH, the man responsible for sponsoring the firstoverseas cricketer to come to Canberra. All other sponsors followedGeoff.13

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIn addition to having a considerable influence in further upliftingplaying standards, John's friendly and genial style made asignificant impact on the attitudes of players and officials. Duringhis three years with the Club Weston Creek matured to becomethe kind of Club that its founders had hoped it would be. John'scontribution to the ACT representative scene helped to build astrong and successful team that received recognition from highercricket authorities.During school terms John conducted coaching programmes inprimary schools throughout Canberra for boys and girls. Thisinnovative programme was devised and introduced by WestonCreek Cricket Club under the sponsorship of PA Credit Unionand with great support from Geoff Smith. The programmecontinued for a number of years on this basis before it becamepart of the Cricket Association's development programme.The Australian Cricket Board in 1984 introduced "KangaCricket", a modified game, for children from 8 to 10 yearsplanned for'primary schools throughout Australia. Weston CreekCricket Club, however, thought that it was such a good idea thatit introduced it as a junior club activity for under 10s. "KangaCricket News" published by the Australian Cricket Board inMarch 1985 reported:"In the first year of Kanga Cricket it was planned to introduce thegame to all schools in Australia and in the following seasonencourage community groups to also make Kanga Cricketavailable to children. However it has been pleasing to note thatalready Kanga Cricket is being introduced as a communityactivity in a number of centres through the country."In Canberra the Weston Creek Cricket Club has organised'Kanga Cricket' on Saturday mornings to replace its usualUnder 10 competition. Physical education teacher Barrie14

Twenty Seasons OnAbrahams has organised the programme which has beenextremely well received by the children and the parents alike.""Barrie arranged the children who participated in thedemonstration of Kanga Cricket as an on field demonstration atthe Prime Minister's XI versus West Indies match on the 22ndJanuary 1985."It was during the 1984-85 season that David Bertram (283) andBarney Devlin (150 not out) created a Club record 1st wicketpartnership of 440 in a City and Suburban 1-day match.Don Brooker umpiring Weston Creek Cricket Club v Colchesterduring the inaugural tour of England in 1985.15

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubDon Brooker in his Annual Report said,"... a highly successfulseason culminated in the Weston Creek Cricket Club becomingthe ACTCA Club Champions for the second time in threeseasons. Without a doubt the last season has been the mostsuccessful, in playing terms at least, in the Club's history .... allof the teams qualified to play in the semi-finals "As the 1984-85 season closed, another of Percy Samara-Wickrama's cricketing dreams was coming close to realisation. Ithad long been his ambition to take a team from Weston Creek ona tour of England where he had so many happy cricket memories.He had no trouble convincing the committee and the proposal wasenthusiastically received by the players. A team of 15 players,two managers and a scorer were soon preparing themselves forthe historic inaugural tour. All arrangements were made by Percythrough his various friends in England, and in August 1985, thetouring party departed on the four week 11 match tour whichtook them to some of England's most beautiful cricket grounds.A visit to the historic Old Trafford ground where the scheduledgame against a Lancashire XI was rained off, and a practicesession at Lord's were magnificent features of a cricket experiencethat most will never forget.Since that time, two more tours to England have taken place.Over the years, the Club has also placed 13 young players withEnglish clubs to gain experience playing under differentconditions.John Carr of Middlesex County Cricket Club replaced JohnAbrahams as the club's visiting professional in 1986-87., scoring614 runs at an average of 47 and, in the process, making a groundrecord score of 173 not out at Stirling Oval. Stuart Fletcher, apace bowler from Yorkshire followed in 1987-88. Since that timethe Club has not engaged the services of an overseas player.Having initiated the programme of bringing English professionals16

Twenty Seasons Onto Canberra, the Club took the view that it now had sufficienttalent and experience to face the future with confidence. In theseason 1986-87, Greg Irvine was appointed captain of the ACTrepresentative team and performed with such distinction that hewas selected in the Australian Country XI, an achievement herepeated the following season, this time as captain. This was anoutstanding achievement by a fine player and a great honour tothe Weston Creek Cricket Club.In 1987-88, Greg achieved even greater fame when he became thefirst ACT player to be selected in the Prime Minister's XI to playNew Zealand. Greg Irvine, Weston Creek and the AustralianCapital Territory became known throughout the nation afterGreg's outstanding performance in capturing five New Zealandwickets, reported in every newspaper in the country. The wholeClub celebrated in the reflected glory.Greg Irvine's moment of glory. With Prime Minister Bob ilawkebefore the PM's XI v New Zealand game.17

Weston Creek, CricketClubA number of players who made their way through the WestonCreek junior and senior grades have gone on to outstandingcricket careers in other places. Michael Bevan has become one ofAustralia's most exciting young batting talents and is performingwith distinction with the New South Wales Sheffield Shield side,while his fellow junior team mate, Huntley Armstrong, has made anumber of first class appearances, with South Australia. Formerjunior player, Peter Bowler, has performed outstandingly inEnglish county cricket over the past few seasons, creating anumber of run scoring records during the 1992 season.Although the Club has enjoyed many successes during the pasttwenty seasons, it has yet to win a 1 st grade premiership althoughtaking part in five finals. It came closest when it tied the one-dayfinal with East Canberra CC in 1989.In 1990-91, the Club again won the ACTCA Club Championship.John Ringwood, the Club President, in his end of seasonsumming-up said: "This has been one of the most successfulseasons for the Club with minor premierships in 1st, 2nd, 4th and6th grades and for the fourth time it has won the ACTCAClub Championship, an indication of high performance andconsistent achievement in all grades".Throughout its first twenty years the Club has had manyachievements and has much to be proud of. It would bewonderful if the next twenty years were as rich and enjoyable. #18

Twenty Seasons OnTHREE TOURS TO ENGLAND...•L •. • -- • . ajgc '1'. " ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^/St iTvwffi ff^ 'wllfliil f ' ItPls^s^c ^^^^^^^^^^^Picturesque ground at Wellington College, Crowthorne, with its 100year old pavilion.When Laurie O'Mara walked out at Crowthorne to open thebatting for Weston Creek in the match against the OldWellingtonians, history was being made. This was the firstoccasion when Weston Creek players took part in a match for theClub against an English team in England.It was in August 1985 when one of the Weston Creek CricketClub's dreams was finally realised as fifteen players, two managersand a scorer boarded a British Airways plane to start a four week,eleven match, tour of England.After commencing with a practice session at Lord's, the touristsplayed on some of England's most beautiful cricket fields rangingfrom county grounds to picturesque village greens. The19

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubLaurie O'Mara and Roger Lonie walking out to open the innings forWeston Creek Cricket Club - A historic moment.20

Twenty Seasons Oninaugural tour took the party through London, Chester,Manchester, Cambridge, Norfolk, then back to London. Sixmatches were won and four lost and to everyone's greatdisappointment the match against a Lancashire XI at Old Traffordwas washed out without a ball being bowled.In the end of the tour report, the then President and co-managerwrote: "Living, travelling and playing together for four weekscreated a wonderfully friendly and positive environment whereevery one of us grew in character. If it is possible, I think I amenjoying my tour even more now, in contemplation, than I didwhile I was in England. I hope we decide to go again."THE 1985 TOURING TEAMStanding (L to R): Matthew Collins, Kelvin Brown, Graeme Drew,Eammon Rooney, Paul Evans, Clive Jones, Dean Lovett, MarkWhatmore, Paul Bamforth, Colvin Kelaart.Seated (L to R): Paddy O'Brien, Greg Rouse, Percy Samara-Wickrama (Manager), John Waldron (Captain), Chris Body (V.Captain), Don Brooker (Manager), Roger Lonie, Laurie O'Mara,Cathy Phelan (Scorer).21

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubAt Canberra Airport - tour party departing on the inaugural lour ofEngland in August 1985.The touring team in front of the famous Pavilion at Old Trafford.Unfortunately, true to form, heavy and persistent rain prevented anyplay.22

Twenty Seasons OnTHE 1988 TOURING TEAMStanding (L to R):Doug Wesney, Scott Evans, Paul Palisi, MickGarrety, Tim Morris, Peter Seberry, Shelby Rainey, Matthew Hardy,Ewan Mackenzie.Seated (L to R): Dean Lovett, Wal Hall (Player-Manager), PaulEvans (vc), Chris Body (c), Percy Samara-Wickrama (Manager),Alex Simrr\ons.Go again we did, in June 1988. Many players who had not beenable to go on the first tour, inspired by tales of the fun of touringand of English hospitality were clammering for a second andlonger tour. Because of its uniqueness, the first tour was alwaysgoing to be a hard act to follow and the "Tours Organiser", ClubSecretary, Percy Samara-Wickrama, planned a different and moreambitious itinerary. Who had heard of a Canberra club teambeing offered a fixture against MCC? That was to be the highlightof the five week tour, but the English rain had other ideas.During June and July 1988, the second touring team playedseveral matches in London before travelling through Bath, the23

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubCotswolds, Chester, York, Cambridge and East Anglia winningall their sixteen matches except for two which were rained off.By now, the tours were becoming an important feature of theClub's programme and were regarded as providing opportunitiesfor young club members to further their cricketing experiencesand to prove themselves under different conditions. Planning of amajor tour takes an enormous amount of time and effort andplaces a great strain on the Club's administration but, once again,player interest prompted the planning of a third tour.THE 1991 TOURING TEAMStanding (L to R): Rohan Samara-Wickrama, Peter Martin, JonDilena, Greg Seberry, Phil Shakespear, Sean Mowbray, DavidHazell, Ewan Mackenzie, Chris Browning.Seated (L to R): Percy Samara-Wickrama (Manager), Allan Taylor,Chris Body, Peter Seberry (vc), Roger Lonie (c), Chris Burgess, ScottEvans, Darrin Griffiths.24

Mayor of Borough of East Yorkshire Tom Brown and the Mayoressmaking a presentation to the tourists before the start of the matchagainst Driffield Cricket Club during the 1991 tour. Peter Seberry,captain for the game and Percy Samara-Wickrama, manager, are inthe picture.25

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubAs well, since the first tour, arrangements had been made for anumber of Club players to spend a season with an English clubduring the Australian winter and the interest generated by thissoon had players eager to form a third touring party.In 1991 an itinerary of eighteen games played over five weekswas arranged and, guided by past experience, a better balancebetween travelling and playing was achieved. Six major centreswere used commencing at Bath, moving then to Chester, York,Nottingham, Norwich and on to London. In terms of playingresults, this was perhaps the least successful of the tours with sixgames won, two drawn and four affected by rain but, in generalterms, it was again a highly successful and rewarding experiencefor the tourists.These tours have now become established as a Club tradition.What of 1994? Any starters? •Weston Creek Cricket Club v AttenboroughCricket Club26

Twenty Seasons OnEARLYMEMORIES27

" / know a field where the grass is short,Where while-clad figures have wonderful sport,Where villagers gather to watch the game,And talk of the giants who made their name,With bat or with ball on this hallowed ground,As the echoing shouts from the trees resound".M0+BMM"THIS ESGLANt>"•ilSilMII^^B

Twenty Seasons OnT A £ J-jfisrrZZABOttBy Don Brooker OAMOur Club Patron andrecognised throughout theACT as the father of theWeston Creek Cricket Club.The Creek's strong communitybase and the high esteem inwhich the Club is held istestimony to the many years ofservice Don contributed. Aleg spinner of some note in hisday playing alongside KeithMiller et al for Manly, Donalso filled in, in the earlyyears of the senior club, butfound the company around theboundary far more to hisliking than out in the middle.Chris HarrisIhad arrived, in Canberra at the end of 1971 with myfamily, and my two elder children and I were keen tocontinue our sporting interests in our new environment. InAugust 1972, my nine year old son and I responded to anadvertisement in The Canberra Times calling a meeting ofWeston Creek boys and their parents interested in forming anew junior cricket club.29

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubQuite a sizeable crowd of strangers gathered at WaramangaOval on a Saturday morning to be addressed by the Chairmanof the ACT Cricket Association Junior Cricket Committee, thelate Frank Carse, and the long serving Honorary Secretary ColNicholas. It was probably my school teacher background thatthen prompted me to have the eager young cricketers line upin their various age groups. Having determined that there weresufficient numbers to form six or so teams, it was decided tohold a general meeting in the Fisher School hall in a week'stime to form a club and to make plans for teams to take part inthe ACT Cricket Association Junior Competitions in theforthcoming season.At the meeting at Fisher, it was resolved to form the WestonCreek Junior Cricket Club and Don Brooker was electedPresident, Lt. Colonel Tony Perriman, Honorary Secretary, andLt. Colonel Peter Badman, Honorary Treasurer. The firstregistration day was scheduled for Saturday 13th September1972, after which it was decided to enter seven teams, twoUnder 10's, two Under ll's and one team in Under 12, Under13 and Under 14 age groups.One of the first big problems facing the new committee wasobtaining cricket kits for the teams when the Club hadvirtually no money. In a display of rash confidence, sevencomplete kits, together with sufficient balls for the season werepurchased on credit from Willis Sports Store in Civic. NoelShort was the store's schools and club representative and heprovided the club with the same attention, consideration andsupport then as he has in the twenty years since. A grant of$400 from the ACT National Fitness Committee, following anapplication, greatly assisted the financial situation withoutsolving it and it was decided to hold an ambitious raffle.A parent of one of the boys who was also a team coach,Corporal Jesse James, offered to build a cubby house as a30

Twenty Seasons Onprize for the raffle to be drawn in the week prior to Christmas.It so happened that Jesse James's superior officer was theClub's Secretary, Tony Perriman, and so the cubby house wasduly built and painted in Army time and at no cost to theClub. The raffle books were all mad? and numbered by handunder the supervision of Warrant Officer Bill Hill, who alsohappened to be one of Tony Perriman's NCO's, at his home atRivett. Following visits to local shopping centres with theprize mounted on a borrowed trailer and much hard work byplayers ^nd parents, the raffle raised approximately $950 andensured that all of the Club's financial commitments could bemet during the season.I find it difficult to recall the names of all of those whocoached and managed teams during the first season, although Ido know Keith Simmons, Donald Macleod, Tom Murphy,Graeme Arthur, Ray Perks and Jesse James were among thosewho were involved.Each team operated as an autonomous unit with the Coach andthe Manager responsible for making their own arrangementsregarding practice, team selection and transport, contacting thePresident only if there was a problem. All of the teamsassembled at Weston Oval each Saturday prior to departing totheir various match venues. This practice continued for manyyears with the meeting place changing to Stirling Oval whenthe Club took possession of that ground.Most of the teams performed reasonably well for a first seasonalthough none succeeded in reaching a final. The Club's firstpremiership came in the second season when Graeme Arthur'sand Ray Perk's Under 12's defeated Wests at Lyons Oval sometwenty minutes before the Under ll's, coached and managedby Tom Murphy and Donald Macleod, beat Marist College atPearce.31

Twenty Seasons Onand bowled off a well struck ball. I certainly have no recall ofany batting prowess on my part!! I believe I was always outLBWMWhat I do remember and what has remained with methroughout the intervening years was the friendship,enthusiasm, good humour and love of cricket which permeatedthe team. It was this wonderful attitude which prompted me,at the end of my all too short stay, to donate my trophy. I wasfirmly convinced that the Creek had a great future and thatfaith has been more than adequately vindicated. It has givenme very great pleasure to see the growth and achievementwhich has gone on at the Creek over the past 20 years. Thetours to the UK have been so obviously successful and, I'msure, beneficial in more than just cricket terms for theparticipants.I have remained very proud of my association with WestonCreek and wore my cap regularly during my seasons in theHampshire and Southern Leagues here in the UK. I continueto wear my tour ties and am happy to explain their source andto expound on the achievements of the Creek.My recollections also include the social side of Creek cricket.The post match wash ups in the bar were always enjoyable andthe memorable ( "Grub Crawl" towards the end of my stay wouldtake some beating.I am very grateful to be able to contribute to this memorableoccasion and I wish the Club every success with your 20thanniversary celebrations. •33

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubTHE CLUB'SFIRSTPREMIERSHIP(1977-78 SUB-DISTRICT B)byIan "Pussa" Phillipslan was the captain of our firstever premiership team in 1977-78.He was also one of the originals,playing in the Creek's first seniorteam in 1975-76. He served assecretary in 1976-77 and was amember of the selection panel whoselected the weekend's team(s) inthe saloon bar of the StatesmanHotel from whoever was stillstanding at 10.00pm at night.Tim Overland"I grow old, I grow oldI will wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled." T.S. EliotAs I tried to dredge up memories of the Club's firstpremiership in the 1977-78 season, I was forced toacknowledge the aging process and I've once again resolved todo something about my lifestyle. I won't end up like Eliot'smadman shaking the dead geranium, no Siree. I'll give up thewhisky, however; we all know that Guinness is good for you.34

Twenty Seasons OnOf course I only needed the score book to refresh mymemory. It was all in there, just needed prodding, but givethanks to Chris Body for keeping these important andinvaluable historical documents.My association with the Club goes right back to the initialmeeting to form the senior club. I remember that DonBrooker, Percy Samara-Wickrama, Chris Harris, Pat Flynnand myself were there but I'm sure there must have beenothers as well.Initially we only had one team in the sub-district competition,however, by the 1977-78 season we had enough players tofield two teams. It was decided that the sub-B side shouldcontain the promising young players within the Club with afew experienced older heads to assist them. This policy ofpromoting and supporting young talent was a cornerstone ofthe Club's development. I am very proud to say that myfondest memories are of the sub-district B and third gradeteams I captained and the wonderful talent they helped todevelop. It's interesting to note that both these teams weresuccessful; the sub-district B winning the premiership andthe thirds losing in the semi-final.A number of the most promising players were in the WestonCreek High School side. This side had easily won the schoolchampionship for the two previous seasons. The team wasbrimming with talent with players such as Neil Evans,Andrew McLeod, Alan Giles, Andrew Newman, GraemeDrew, Vikram Varma, Ian Arthur and John Mitchell to namea few. Many of them went on to play in the top grades forthe Club. They were a formidable school side.One school game is particularly memorable. It was played onthe Weston Creek High School Oval against Campbell HighSchool and Alan Giles chose the occasion to hit 100+, mostly35

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubin fours and sixes that landed on Namatjira Drive. WhenCampbell went in to bat they were chasing approximately 250,in 30 overs, and they faced the daunting task of contendingwith an opening attack of Ian Arthur and John Mitchell. Ianwas immensely strong and a natural sportsman. He was anexcellent Australian Rules footballer and, for a time,Australian junior discus champion. Ian was fast and accuratewhile lanky, left armer John Mitchell was dangerously fast.He too was a good sportsman, an ACT representative soccerplayer, but as a bowler his best asset was his unpredictability.This unpredictability gained us many wickets and his speedand bounce rarely allowed the batsman to get hold of theloose ones.I was to pay for his unpredictability once though. It was in asub-district B game at Waramanga. He was causing thebatsmen a lot of problems and a number of defensive strokeswere travelling in the air on the leg side. I decided to putmyself at silly mid-on and told John to keep it just short of alength, on or about middle to leg, with the occasional shortone straight at him."Whatever you do, don't give him a half-volley on his legs!"was my final instruction. That, of course, is precisely what hedid and the grateful batsman belted it straight at me. I hadjust enough time to turn my head so that the ball didn't hit mebetween the eyes, instead it hit my cheek and flew off downtoward fine leg. I was knocked completely off my feet andmomentarily dazed. However, I soon concerned myself withwhat was happening in the field.It was the shocked expressions on the faces of my fellowteam mates that alerted me to the fact that all was not well.Their concern fuelled my anxiety and it was then that Irealised that something was hanging off my cheek. A sectionhad been ripped out and was hanging by a piece of skin.36

Twenty Seasons OnAfter a quick trip to the hospital, where they pushed it back inand put some sticking plaster over it I returned to the field,but not at silly mid-on.The sub-district B team was a well balanced side and thefaith the committee had in them was justified. The scorebookreveals some outstanding personal and team performances.Roger Lonie and Bob Coughlan's consistency with the bat andJohn and Ian's amazing bowling figures are good examplesbut one name in particular brings a smile to the eyes.The late Phil Boyd was the untidiest cricketer I've ever seen.If his shoe laces weren't undone, his shirt was or it washanging out. Often, all three occurred at the same time.Considering my role as mentor, I was constantly suggestinghe tidy himself up, not because I have an appearance fetishbut because the cricket manuals always insisted that youshould look like a cricketer. It was suggested that this wouldhave some beneficial effect on your game. Phil's performancemade me question that wisdom. Maybe it belonged to anotherera.Phil would amble in off a few paces and deliver anythingfrom a bouncer to a leg-break. It wasn't accidental, he knewexactly what he was doing, unfortunately he often didn't letthe keeper know. He was built like a tree stump and he couldreally hit a ball. Against East Canberra we'd made a goodstart and Roger Lonie was batting particularly well. As Ipassed Phil on my way out I suggested he give Roger thestrike. Naturally, Phil proceeded to clout every ball out to theleg side boundary and he was out for 24 during which timeRoger scored one.Phil, along with John Mitchell, played a major role in one ofthe most amazing victories the club has ever had. In a gameagainst City at Waramanga Oval, he took 4-2 in the first37

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubinnings and 5-3 in the second. John took 3-15 and 4-2. Itwas our only outright win of the season, although we cameclose on a number of other occasions. We hadn't battedparticularly well - all out 108 of which I'd made 43 andsundries was the next highest at 17 and I thought we'd have tobowl well to capture the 1st innings points. City made 57 andRoger Lonie, Dave Brown and Phil knocked up a quick 58before I declared. City commenced their second innings at5.20pm and were all out for 10 at 6.20pm. I don't know whatthe record lowest score is for any side but I certainly havenever seen a lower score.Another first for the team was the inaugural century scored bya senior player. I talked my mate,Ernie Glass, into playing forus in an early season game against Queanbeyan, once again,at Waramanga Oval. Roger and I made a strong startalthough we were both having difficulties scoring anythingabove singles because of the long grass typical of earlysummer in Canberra. I was umpiring when Ernie came in.He square cut the first ball and scrambled a single. His nextseven scoring shots were singles and he finally turned to meand said, "Is it always like this?" I confirmed his suspicionsand he then proceeded to hit every ball hard and high. Hewas dropped six times and scored 102. In the same gamePhil took 7 for 32.Every side, no matter how talented, needs luck if they are towin a premiership. In the final we played Ginninderra atCampbell and we posted a very modest total of 128. Mostbatsmen made a start, except for Ian Arthur and myself whodidn't trouble the scorers, but no one was able to go on withit. Although the total wasn't large, we were still fairlyconfident because we felt, with our bowling strength, wecould bowl them out. Ian Arthur gave us the expected earlybreakthrough but it rained overnight and the next day, we hadto contend with a wet ball that got lower and lower. They put38

Twenty Seasons Ontogether a number of excellent partnerships by getting ontothe front foot to everything.We were getting very concerned when we had our first pieceof luck. The ball split. We replaced it and had immediatesuccess. However, this ball soon became wet and it too keptvery low. The chances of another ball splitting must havebeen very slim but that's exactly what happened. I didn't haveanother old ball and Ginninderra only had one that was alsosplit. There was no choice, we'd have to use a new ball.Paddy O'Brien (what a lovely man and how sad it is that he'snot with us anymore) and I looked at one another and oureyes carried the same message. Let them take as much shineoff it as they liked but keep it hard. I was very particularabout making it look worn and the batsmen were determinedto make sure it resembled the old ball. At the last momentthey decided it might need some softening. Even at this pointthey let me get away with the deception. I borrowed one oftheir bats, placed the ball on the grass, and hit it a number oftimes. This seemed to satisfy them.Ian Arthur's first ball nearly took the propping batsman's headoff and he took three quick wickets to give us a win by 11runs. Ian finished with the wonderful figures of 26.2 overs, 6-33. Paddy and I gained almost as much pleasure from ourdeception as we did from the win.Yes, the memories are all there and just recalling them hasstirred the spirit. The gear is in the wardrobe and my lovelyStuart Surridge bat just needs a new grip. I'm tempted tomake a comeback with the Veterans. Maybe I won't need toroll up my trouser legs just yet. #39

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIh©MFF^W©TMJiBy Barney DevlinOur Irish connection reallyonly took an active interest incricket in his mature years.Nevertheless, for one whopicked up the game so late,Barney had considerablesuccess. His most memorableinnings would have been the150 not out he scored in a 50over match. To take a little ofthe sheen off this, however,was that he opened the inningswith a young whipper snapper,David Bertram, who scored283. Barney is a raconteur ofnote and a teacher with theDepartmentof Education.Chris HarrisIt is one of the sadder facts about the melancholy historyof the Emerald Isle that the game of cricket never managedto capture the Irish public's imagination. It was, perhaps, withthis sense of historical loss that a few years after my departurefrom the Shamrock Shore and my arrival in this land ofsunburnt plains that I commenced my cricketing career.The date was Saturday, 8 October 1977, just a couple ofmonths before my 33rd birthday. It was not the first time thatI had actually held a cricket bat in my hands, but it was thefirst time that I was going to try to use it to strike a movingcricket ball.The team for which I was selected was the Weston Creek subdistrict one-day team. The captain was another expatriate40

Twenty Seasons Onfrom the British Isles, the famous Jimmy Nuttall, and most ofthe rest of the side were teenagers, who, unlike me,understood such exotic terms as "mid off" and "fine leg".We fielded first and mercifully the ball generally kept wellaway from me as our opponents hammered it to all parts ofLatham Oval. When it came our turn to bat, I was told I wasNo 9, which I felt was very flattering. We collapsed in shortorder and, before I was really psychologically ready for theordeal, I found myself attempting to explain my guard to abemused umpire.My innings was quite brief as the number 8, 10 and 11batsmen proved even more inept than me. As we trooped off,having lost by over a hundred runs, I was triumphantlyundefeated on 5. Significantly, four of my glorious five runscame from a lofted hoick behind square leg. During my eightseasons with Weston Creek some 70% of my runs and about80% of my dismissals came from that same shot.I played for the rest of that season alternating between the twoone day teams - I guess the two captains took turns athaving me - and in 15, innings edged, miss hit andoccasionally hoicked some 136 runs.With that impressive career statistic behind me I still had theeffrontery to turn up again the following season. I soondiscovered that the committee was introducing an early formof industrial democracy into the Club; each team wouldselect its captain after the opening two weeks.At the end of the second game, which we lost by a handsomemargin, the acting captain called for nominations. I grinneddisbelievingly as Andrew Balls, a well known humorist,nominated me. My grin faded to tortured dismay soonafterwards when no other name was put forward. I can still41

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubrecall the derisive laughter of my wife and children when Ibroke the news to them that evening.And so it was that on the afternoon of Saturday, 4 November,1987, I found myself at Majura Oval, leading a team, few ofwhom I had ever seen before, against the Ainslie Club sidethat had swept all before it in the one day Competition for acouple of years.My captaining career began promisingly when I won the toss."We'll field," I announced confidently. The decision waspremature. When I rounded up my team to give them a peptalk I found that we had only eight players present. Worsestill, all three recognised bowlers were missing.As we took the field, I approached Shane Baker, who hadbeen selected as a spinner. "You're opening," I said, trying tosound authoritative."But I'm a spinner," he replied."Try to spin them a bit fast," I ventured.As Shane bravely completed the first over, most of thedeliveries landing on the concrete strip, I contemplated withhorror bowling the next over myself. Fortunately as thisbizarre possibility loomed before me, the first of the missingbowlers, Mark Feeley, arrived. Over the next half a dozenovers the remaining bowlers fronted up. In the circumstanceswe did quite well in restricting them to 183.The earlier averted disaster then ensued. I batted number 5,strolling to the crease with the score at 3-5. Before Ireceived my first ball it was 4-5. I carefully took guard asBrett Hannam glided in to bowl.42

Twenty Seasons OnBarney and David Bertram celebrating their record openingpartnership.At that time Brett was still a teenager, but had already playedfirst grade cricket for North Canberra. Unfortunately (for us)his training commitments for the Ainslie first grade footballteam prevented him from training for cricket, so to keep hishand in, he was playing for the one day side.His first delivery struck me on the pad as I shuffled acrossand up they went. "Not out," said our fearless umpire. Thenext one struck me on the pad and again their appeal wasrejected. I determined to get forward for the next delivery,having in my head some notion that this strategy would makeit harder for a left arm bowler to get an LBW decision.43

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubOnce again, the ball eluded the probing bat and glanced offmy left pad past the wicket-keeper. As I scurried through forthe treasured relief of the non-striker's end, I was taken abackto see the umpire's index finger rigidly aloft.Afterwards I questioned the youthful official about thedecision, suggesting that the ball had struck me well outsidethe line of the leg stump. "Yeah I know," he answered with ashrug, "but it was his third appeal against you!" I made surethat this young man was "promoted" to the role of scorer forthe remainder of the season.My colleagues fared little better than I did. In much less thanan hour, we were dismissed for 21, Jimmy Nuttall top scoringwith 3. Sundries totalled 8. Brett Hannam finished with 8-6.We were invited to follow on by their captain, in spite ofprotests from most of his teammates, who wanted to adjournimmediately to the adjacent clubhouse bar. In hopeful silenceI sympathised profoundly with their pleas. In vain.We did slightly better in the second innings, this timereaching 22. Of that impressive total I scored 15, including asix and two fours somewhere over square leg. Only threeother batsmen troubled the scorers.In the two innings we managed 33 runs off the bat, yetremarkably no batsman bagged a pair. Indeed two batsmenmanaged to avoid a duck in either innings. Young Hannamwould have had a good chance of receiving the man-of-thematchaward if there had been one; his match figures were15-12.Such was my auspicious beginning as a captain, a job Ihappily continued for several years until other commitmentsforced me to step down. Eventually, in December, 1984, a44

Twenty Seasons Onfew days before my fortieth birthday, I went forward to aninnocuous delivery and discovered what it meant to literallykeep my eye on the ball. As I waited in casualty to bestitched, I realised it was time I quit "facing" cricket balls.I have many wonderful memories of those eight great seasonswith Weston Creek, though on many levels none can comparewith my first game as a captain. #CITY AND SUBURBAN FIRST GRADE 1982-83Standing (L to R) Jeff Pridmore, Alex dimmons, Keith Parker,Ewan Mackenzie,Trevor Jones; Greg Ratford. Front (L to R) KeithJones, Hugh Abrahams, Tony Welsh (c), Barney Devlin, StephenMillar.45

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubmIftSSli|li«MiiiiiiI I PMMBy Ray Williams- , *Z*.Ray played county cricket forGlamorgan many years ago.He had the good fortune to bethe bowler at the other endwhen Sir Garfield Sobers hithis over full of sixes. Ray hadthe misfortune to be thecaptain of the 3rd grade teamin 1978-79 who had Easts onthe ropes in the final only tosee overnight rain prevent thevictory. This would have beenour first grade premiership.1Chris Harris1%K.«. m » < ;Few experiences in life can compare with the thrill ofanticipation of a good game of cricket the followingday.Most of us had gone to bed the night before with that tingleof excitement. I could hardly sleep when, as a 23 year old Iwas selected to play for the Welsh county of Glamorganagainst the visiting Australians. It was a great experience; itwas supposed to be a three-day match but one day was rainedout, as seems usual in the UK.Then came that day in 1978. It was certainly different - inAustralia and with Weston Creek's first year in grade cricket.I had been invited to captain the Club's top team which hady46

Twenty Seasons Onentered in the third grade competition and it turned out to be agreat season with a great bunch of blokes in our team.They were keen and capable, so much so we went through theseason, building up our teamwork and our general skills andhad a good win against Northern District Cricket Club in thesemi-finals.We were drawn to play minor premiers Eastern Suburbs in thegrand final. This was a team full of former first gradeplayers and captained by my good mate and later to become aWCCC player, Tom Anderson.We lost the toss and were sent in to bat. In Canberra inApril, as cricketers soon realise, there is always somemoisture in the wicket at 10am. By lunch we had slipped tobe 5/50. Fortunately, I was able to hang around with ChrisBody and by 4.30 we had reached 9/187, a very respectabletotal. Our young wicket-keeper, Mark Burgess, went out tojoin Richard Drew with the instructions to "hang around therefor an hour". They certainly did that, with 100 runs comingup in the hour.I was able to declare at 9/287.That night as I lay dreaming of victory, as I had dreamedmany years ago about being in the Glamorgan team beatingAustralia, came the most horrific sounds to a cricketer's ears.First, just a spatter of raindrops against the window and then atorrent, enough to fill Lake Tuggeranong twice.All that night and through the next day our aspirations of apremiership on our debut in grade cricket gradually wentdown the drain with the torrents of rain.It was so near and yet so far. •47

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubm d m mBy Pat FlynnPat served in severaladministrative capacities in theyears which included chairmanof selection and curator. Hehas to his credit the raredistinction of opening thebatting in a fourth gradematch in 1979-80 with his sonGreg and they both scoredcenturies, Pat 115 and Greg104 not out.His other claim to fame is the story he tells about hitting a ball outof the ground whilst playing cricket in the country town ofBaradine. The ball landed on a train passing nearby the groundand it was eventually fielded in Sydney.^^Jt was the 3rd of November 1979 and Easts had it won!It was reasonable to assume that a score of 254 by theirFourth Grade on the previous Saturday would prove morethan enough against Tom Porter and his men (and boys!). PatFlynn and his seventeen year old son Greg, had wiped 20 offthe score at the end of the first day and now began the longchase.Dad confidently drove past mid-off for 2 and was heard tosay "Play Straight" as the batsmen crossed. Easts were tohear that many times that day! Dad then played an48

Twenty Seasons Oninjudicious flick that just evaded the 'keeper. Greg called"play straight" but Dad felt fairly safe in that even his"french cuts" were reasonably straight.But play straight they did. In the next few hours the pair ran83 singles; Dad reached the boundary 13 times and Gregpipped him with 14. The running between wickets was agreat feature with encouragement flowing between the twoplayers at every cross. On 64 though, Dad put the flaggingEasts attack into the vicinity of Chifley shops. This, itappeared, was more in the nature of a demand for somerespite from Greg's constant calls of "just one", "come back","make it three" than a legitimate cricket shot.49

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubTom grew ever more garrulous as the afternoon wore on asthe fielding wilted and the confidence of the batsmen mixedwith discretion developed.Dad was first to the 'ton' and then the opening partnershipreached 200. But the tiredness won over Dad and, afterslamming three boundaries, he left a large gap between batand pad and was on his way to a disapproving head toss fromGreg.Greg played slowly in the 70's as a beautiful cameo innings of40 unfolded from David Body. But, on 80, Greg lashed fourboundaries and celebrated his '100' with a savage pull throughmid-wicket. Tom called it quits with the Creek 4/291. Laterthat night he was to reflect that he had been quietly confidentall along.The next week, Dad and Greg opened again. Dad was out inthe second over 'playing straight' to a ball that saw him caughtjust backward of point and Greg followed soon after. SicTransit Gloria! But the 3rd November had been a great dayand Cricketer Magazine of January 1980 was moved to ask"Is this a Record?" It probably is, for in the wonderful gameof cricket most things are, at one time or another.Greg left to go to university. He married and began theprocess of organising a repeat of November 1979 as the seniorpartner some time in the future. He still plays cricket inYoung in NSW. Dad finally took the often given advice ofhis friend Don Brooker, and, before the run outs, misfields,and dropped catches became too much, retired to the country.®(Cartoons reproduced from "Cover Point".)50

Twenty Seasons OnM \ -CJFiJ CJKSTSflBy Tim OverlandTim Overland was a very reliable opening bowler for the Club. Heregularly spearheaded the attack and was a prolific wicket taker, havingbagged 353 wickets at an average of 15.08. He bowled 2175 overs andnearly quarter of them maidens. He gave of his best every time he had theball in his hand, and he loved bowling. If rules were to allow him, hewould have bowled from both ends. An enthusiastic member of the Club,he served in several committee positions.Ian Phillips51

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIt is almost five years since we left Canberra to move toSydney. One of the hardest things to leave behind wasWeston Creek Cricket Club and the friendships that we hadbuilt up over 15 years. When I received a letter from PercySamara-Wickrama inviting a contribution to the 20thAnniversary publication my mind was filled with plenty ofmemories, some happy and some sad. The real dilemmaconfronting me was having to choose from a lifetime ofmemories, and my mind went back to the early years of theClub.One of the major influences in my time with the Club wasJim Nuttall who captained the 1976-77 sub- district B side inthe second year of the Club's senior life. Jim was definitelynot your average kind of cricketer. His side was full of manyyoung inexperienced players (and many old inexperiencedplayers, too) and Jim was always prepared to open the batting,take the first ball, or field in close. Some great catches weretaken in the gully that year by Jim.Jim's basic philosophy about playing cricket was that it wasimportant to play the game, and that winning was great (notthat we won many games) but that the game was greater thanthe individual; enjoying your game was the main thing. Thisbasic philosophy was one that flowed through the Club. Jimwould argue that the one thing that made Weston Creek standout from most of the other clubs in Canberra was that wecatered for players of all standards. Just ask one of the longtime members about Gabe Bloxham.Jim was born in the north of England a long time ago. Hisbroad northern accent is still a dead give away. Not manywould know that he is a fully qualified caterer and worked fora time in the kitchens of some of the finest hotels in England.This is just one of his many and varied skills. He moved toAustralia with his wife Marjorie, eventually settling in the52

Twenty SeasonsOnCanberra suburb of Rivett and raising a fine family. Iremember Simon and Jane being a real credit to their parents.Jim was a tireless worker for the Club, being Treasurer forfour years as well as a player for at least seven seasons. Asone of the organisers of the Silver Circle annual fund raisingventure, Jim seemed to spend his life on the phone. I was aregular visitor to his home and I was always made to feelwelcome. In fact the first official presentation night in thesenior Club's history was held at the Nuttall residence. Notonly was Jim mine host but his catering skills were put togood use as he played chief cook and bottle washer.Jim Nuttall receiving an award of recognition on behalf of hisDecorating Business, for sponsoring the Club for ten seasons.53

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubJim is also a trained painter and decorator - "service withcivility" is his motto. The quality of his workmanship isbeyond question and value for money is his real trademark inthis, as in life. A big problem that came with this job was along suffered back complaint that, at times, severely restrictedhis mobility and forced his non participation, but there can beno doubting his courage. In the twilight of his career, hereceived a nasty blow to the head whilst batting. Undaunted,he donned a batting helmet and continued to bat the only wayhe knew how.It would be impolite (but probably accurate) to suggest thathis batting was agricultural; it may be more appropriate tocall it unorthodox. I have seen Jim send the first ball of thegame steepling back over the bowler's head. I have also seenhim get out very early in an innings. There were manyoccasions when his style paid off, and he always gave thebowlers something to think about.As is often the case, a good fast straight one would often behis undoing. To any who cared to listen, Jim was able torecount many a story about his early days when,as a strappingyoungster, he opened the batting and bowling for his localside. Having seen him turn his hand to many things duringour acquaintance, who am I to question that?.After he started wearing his helmet to practice, all the youngtearaways thought that it would be fun to try and knock thehelmet off his head. It was many a youngster who also hadto face the wrath of one J. Nuttall as he picked the ball upafter being bounced and threw it over the back of the netuttering in that deep northern drawl something about how he"wanted some proper practice and these young buggers couldfetch t' ball for themselves".His bowling style is also one that will live on in my memory.54

Twenty Seasons OnWearing his Harold Larwood lookalike boots, he would tear inand,with a jerk of his right arm behind his back, followed bya ripping action, bring his arm over. Many unsuspectingbatsmen were deceived into playing a false shot. In someways Jim was more underrated as a bowler than Chris Harris,the well known demon lob bowler of yesteryear.One of Jim's "greatest" efforts was also one that he is notlikely to promote. Jim had won the pewter for the week asreward for his contribution to the running of theaforementioned Silver Circle. It was filled many times withScotch and something before the end of the night. By thenJim was not fit enough to walk, let alone drive, so Marj drovehim home. That does not seem to be too remarkable exceptthat Marj did not know how to drive. Jim sat in thepassenger seat and gave directions - a remarkable effort 011both parts. Indeed, Marj is a credit to herself as she put upwith a lot during Jim's time on the executive of the Club.One of the sad moments in my time with the Club came withJim's decision to retire from the Club but it was always apleasure to see him visit from time to time. Indeed, the Clubcould do with more genuine people like Jim, someone who isprepared to put in with little or no thought of reward. It isthrough the efforts of members like Don Brooker, PercySamara-Wickrama and Jim that the Club has become what itis today. Just as it was an honour to play for Weston Creek,it is also an honour to count a man like Jim as a friend. #55

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubT A * jFi>rr rJfisrrsBy Brian KenseyA prominent member of BobSimpson's 1971-72 premiershipwinning Western Suburbs CricketClub in Sydney, Brian played withmany first class cricketers beforework commitments brought him toCanberra.In Canberra he represented theACT against England, West indiesand India. As captain of theCreek's first grade team, Brianhelped the fledgling Club and themany up and coming youth intograde cricket. In 5 seasons Brianmade 1472 runs at 29.44 whichincluded 3 centuries and 7 halfcenturies.fs.It was with much pleasure in the off-season preceding the1979/80 season that I accepted an invitation to captainWeston Creek Cricket Club's first First XI. In looking backon this decision, a number of points come to mind. It was forme a chance to help a progressive club establish itself as adistrict club of significant influence both on and off the field.Some others who were around at the time think there werealso other motives for joining; these are purely speculative.I think it epitomises the values of WCC(J the fact that I was"invited" to captain the club. This may seem old fashioned insome respects; but the fact is that WCCC to me had the rightapproach to cricket. I think this can be best shown byquoting from Don Brooker's editorial in the September 197956

Twenty Seasons Onedition of Cover Point "The Club has been established anddeveloped by people who love cricket and who enjoy to playit in a spirit of friendly competition. It is, and always will bepossible to be serious and dedicated and yet get pleasure fromthe game and from the company of opposing players."And so the 1979/80 season saw Weston Creek in the ACTCAfirst grade competition for the first time. It must be saidoverall that it was not an overly successful season. We hadone outright and three first innings wins and finished secondlast. We did perform very creditably in the 25-over Twilightcompetition. However the important fact was that the Clubhad established itself, both on and off the field. This paiddividends and, in my last season in 1982/83, Weston Creekmade the semi-finals in first grade and also won the ClubChampionship for the first time.The team had many characters. I will always remember myfirst practice with Greg Irvine. I perceived him as a verypowerful batsman who had a weakness in that he hit hisdrives in the air; little was I to realise at the time that Gregwas to become a legend in ACT cricket and prove that, atleast for him, this was a very effective form of attack. Hispower hitting was a pleasure to behold. His singing after thegame at Kimbo's in Phillip also showed another side of GI.Greg was a "Bankstown" boy from Sydney. I can rememberthat he was slightly embarrassed telling his ex-Sydney firstgrade team mates that he now played for a team calledWeston CREEK. It did sound to some like a bit of a dropfrom Sydney first grade. This situation was made worsewhen one Saturday early in the season a match at StirlingOval was delayed for a short time while a kangaroo hoppedacross the field.While not being overly successful in our first year, two clubstalwarts, Chris Body and the late Paddy O'Brien were a57

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubtremendous help in moulding the team. They typifiedwhat Weston Creek stands for and it was a pleasure being inthe same team as them. Paddy scored two half centuries thatyear.THE FIRST 1ST XI1979-80Standing:- Paul Dujfus, Andrew Macleod, Trevor Cohhold, BobGrabham, Graham Nine, Greg Irvine. In Front:- Alan Giles,Richard Drew, Chris Body, Brian Kensey (C), Paddy O'Brien.Absent: Neil Evans, Richard Cotton, Phil Mclntyre, Colin Imms.We did occasionally have trouble getting 11 players onto thefield at starting time. The man from "Big W", Phil Mclntyre,seemed not to be able to arrive at a game more than 15minutes before the start. His batting was akin to DavidGower's in recent years; he played some beautiful shots earlyin his innings, the only problem being that he normally alsodeparted early in his innings.While our juniors did not shine that much in our first year, itwas refreshing (and sometimes a challenge!!!) to play with58

Twenty Seasons Onthem. Neil Evans, Ric Drew, Alan Giles, Colin Imms, TimMorris, Andrew Macleod and Tim and Simon Overland allwere blooded in that first year. This philosophy was later toreap benefits for the Club.A feyv "not so junior" players also helped tremendously in thatfirst year. I will always remember the sound of TrevorCobbold and his flat feet as they thumped into bowl, givinghis normal 110% effort. Our two other pace bowlers, DickCotton (some, except Dick, may argue that Dick's pace was alot slower than "fast") and Graham Hine also toiled tirelesslyfor the team. It was a pleasure to play with them. Ourkeeper, Paul Duffus, was also effective behind the stumps.The 25-over Twilight competition in 1979-80 proved to bethe highlight of the year for the side. We won the openinground and semi-final games in the last over. Who will forgetthe last over of the semi-final against Woden with the Creekrequiring three wickets and Woden three runs. It ended in atie with the last wicket falling on the last ball (we proceededto the final on countback). The final also had its highlights;we were beaten by Wests though not disgraced. The supportthrough .attendance at matches given to our team by lowergrade players, supporters and administrators during theTwilight competition showed other ACTCA clubs that WestonCreek had something special.As I have already said, the First Firsts did not have an overlysuccessful season on the field. However, it was an enjoyableone with its challenges that made the side stronger and set thefoundation for the Club's future successes. •59

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubranpimm©§By John "Wacka" WaldronOne time president of the Cluband captain of fourth gradeJohn Waldron was a solid nononsense right hand batsmanwho preferred to bat high inthe order. He could also turnhis hand to good effect withslow medium seamers. Myspies inform me that he hascontinued to make valuablecontributions in veterancricket. / can remember whenhe really was the veteranplayer in the Club, often beingreferred to as Old Man, and Idon't mean in the old schooltie sense.An entomologist by profession, he worked with the CSIKO for manyyears. "Wacka" had the honour of captaining the Club on itsinaugural tour of England in 1985. , ,o J o Tim OverlandThe promotion of Weston Creek to first grade status forthe 1979-80 season was an historic occasion for theClub. Brian Kensey, Greg Irvine and Dick Cotton led theway in the first XI with a team containing many promisingyoung cricketers.The second grade side had the experience of Ray Williams,Greg Rouse, and Chris Harris as well as future stars in thelikes of Simon and Tim Overland, Richard Drew and AlanGiles, to name but a few. Unfortunately, the second sidecould not "crack" a win in the first half of the season, despitesome very close finishes.60

Twenty Seasons OnIn those days, when school holidays came at the end of theyear, many club members left Canberra for up to six weeks,and selectors and captains had real problems in filling eventhe higher grades each Saturday. In the first match in January1980, second grade called up players from as far down asfifth and seventh grades to make up the team. Anyone overthe age of 21 who had played more than one game in secondgrade that season (and I qualified on both counts) assumed thecaptaincy.We were drawn to meet the leading team, Northern SuburbsCC,that day at Majura Oval and play was delayed two hoursdue to a saturated wicket. Losing the toss meant we had tobat first unfortunately. Fifteen year old Tim Morris openedthe batting on being promoted from third grade that day andrising in the order from his customary number 10 position inthirds. Tim top scored with 23 as the team struggled to reacha total of 71 runs. I had hoped the renowned "hitter" fromseventh grade, Paul Dixon, would rally to the cause that dayafter his recent feat of hitting a ball into a gentleman's loungeroom adjacent to a large oval.Not to be deterred by our meagre total, the young Creek teamwas anxious to have a go at the opposition. Our tear-awayfast bowlers, Tim Overland and Tim Morris soon had theNorth's batsmen in trouble, even making our score of 71 lookrespectable under the circumstances. The leg spin of AlanGiles gave "old" Tim Overland a rest, but the arrival at thecrease of the legendary "hitter" from Norths, Pat Hannam,caused a few alterations to the field placings, to say the least.The return of Tim Overland to the bowling crease saw him"clean up" Pat and the last two batsmen with successive balls,with Norths all out 68."Young" Tim Morris bowled unchanged to finish with sixwickets for 20 runs and complete a great double.61

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIt was a remarkable win against the odds, and being the firstvictory for second grade there was a feeling of elation by allmembers who played that day. A pat on the backside fromfirst grade captain, Brian Kensey, at Stirling after the gamewas enough to know I had done it! •DID YOU GET ANY WICKETSTODAY, DAD?by Bob CoughlanBob Coughlan was one of the mostfrustrating batsmen a bowlercould come up against. He hasturned many a bowler to despareas he had very little respect forthem. No matter what they bowledat him, he would glide it down tothird man or tickle it around thecorner and while the bowlers losttheir cool, he grew in stature.Bouncers, beam balls or yorkerswere all treated the same. Duringhis career he had played many amatch winning innings scoring2600 runs at 19.27.Ian Phillips62

Twenty Seasons OnWhat makes a person want to play cricket? Why wouldanyone subject themselves to spending around five orsix hours in the heat of a summer's afternoon on a cricketfield instead of sitting in some cool, shady spot, watchingcricket on television and slurping a few "tinnies"?The answer to those questions is obvious. We love it. Thereis nothing better than batting, standing twenty yards awayfrom a deranged "gorilla" who hurls a missile at you, with thesole intention of separating you from your "crockery". It'sgreat to stand for hours in the hot sun, trying to field the ball,only to get a freakish bounce where you either miss itcompletely and look like a galah, or get a nice little smack inthe "yapper". You could be hit in another unmentionable areawhich could jeopardise another career as well as your cricket.To analyse the type of person who would enjoy such a gameis fairly simple. You have to be a nut. As a self-confessed"nut" I feel qualified to give an account of what is involvedin the weekly routine of the average cricketer. First of all,there are the practice sessions. These are usually held onTuesdays and Thursdays and involve polishing up methods ofgetting your match-day cuts, bruises and fractured battingaverages. Each match-day you rise at noon, remember that itis Saturday and not Sunday, rush like crazy to get ready, thenresign yourself to the fact that you will have to be latebecause you have not put on your bets at the TAB as yet. Atthe end of the day, each player retreats to the club tocelebrate the bruises, the catch you almost caught, or the factthat you reached double figures with the bat for the first timein ten years.Such is life at the Weston Creek Cricket Club. A typicalpost-match session at the dub can be summed up like this.63

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubYou have just recorded your fourth consecutive "duck",dropped a catch and got belted out of the bowling attack. Assoon as you step inside the club, the questions start flowing.How many runs did you get? Did you get any wickets? GeeBob, you're not having a good trot are you? Then yourcaptain starts making you feel better by saying that if we canget a decent allrounder into the team we can win thepremiership. He adds that he would prefer an openingbatsman who can double up as a spinner. It really makes youfeel great as that's the role that you have in the team. Whenyou finally arrive home you go through the same routine.How did you go, Dad? Did you get any runs? Did you getany wickets? Did you win? "Shut up, kid."As far as my cricketing career was concerned, I was fortunateto have had a relatively injury-free ten years with the Club.Admittedly, there was a time at Mawson when I wasscratching my ankle with the spikes on my boot, \Vhen Ioverbalanced and spiked myself. This can happen to anyone.On another occasion, I was batting in a semi-final againstANU at ANU South, when I was hit where no batsman likesto get hit. It took three years and twenty-seven days to cartme off the field. I was bowling at Rivett at the end of a hotSaturday afternoon, when the batsman played the ball straightback along the pitch. After watching the Test players ontelevision, I decided to be smart and emulate them by flickingthe ball up into my hand using my foot. I almost lost twoteeth.In summarising, the off-field and on-field "comedies" areunforgettable, whilst the actual matches will eventually fadefrom memory. I have thoroughly enjoyed my cricketing daysat Weston Creek and hope that circumstances will permit meto return to play cricket at the Creek in the near future, as aVeteran. #64

Twenty Seasons OnTim Overland receiving anaward from his skipper -, PaulDuffus.A VJ£W rfiC)jVI B^j-JJj x JL) Tr\*by Paul "Devious" DuffusSrrUMPSSo called because of his great skill with a cricket ball, "Devious" started hiscareer with the Club as an opening batsman/wicket keeper in our first yearin first grade. Coming from Woden Cricket Club, he made many valuablecontributions with the bat and behind the stumps. His catch diving down legside to dismiss the opposition's leading run maker in twilight match will liveforever in the memory of those fortunate enough to be present.Paul was the captain of the premiership winning fourth grade side in1986/87. It was insipirmi captaincy that saw him bowl his opening bowlerinto the ground, plus tremendous glove work by Rousey that saw the cupcome to the Creek. Never mention to Paul about how you failed to lodgeyour tax return or how you managed to get that little bit extra back on yourrefund (does he still work for the ATO?).Early retirement was brought about by bad knees and deteriorating eyesight. Paul is spending much of his spare time playing golf where he doesnot have to worry about trying to keep track of the balls. Possibly his realproblem is that he is standing too close to the ball - after he hits it!Tim Overland65

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIt was with some trepidation that I travelled to Stirling Ovalon a cold Sunday morning in the middle of August in 1979.I had just completed a very successful premiership winningyear with the Woden Cricket Club's second grade team butwas anxious to experience cricket at the top grade level. Itdidn't take long to meet some of the real personalities of theWeston Creek Cricket Club.I met Don Brooker and Percy Samara-Wickrama as theypatrolled the back of the nets ensuring everything was in orderand that new recruits were being introduced - a practice theywould continue to adopt every season thereafter. Havingconcluded practice, I wondered whether anyone would go fora refreshing cordial. It was with much pleasure that I wasdragged to Matildas Tavern by Chris Harris and PaddyO'Brien and it didn't take me long to pencil my name into thescore book. So was to begin a very enjoyable career thatincluded padding up in all 5 grade teams. My only regret wasnot getting to take 10 wickets in my career as, forever thetrusted WCCC records will show, only 9 top line batsmensuccumbed to my guile.I had many great experiences and played cricket with somelively and interesting characters - the memories linger on.Let me share some of these with you as accurately as thepassing time will allow.One experience that always comes to mind is the semi-finalof the Twilight competition in 1979. We were keen to dowell - our first year in first grade and besides that there wasmoney at stake! The Creek compiled a more than usefulscore of 4 for 156 off the allotted 20 overs. Brian Kenseyand Chris Body put on 80 odd for the opening wicket beforeGreg Irvine struck 52 in 43 minutes, including a mighty 6 offthe last ball of the innings. We were looking good. ButWoden hit out and took 25 off the first two overs. At 3 for66

Twenty Seasons On101 and plenty of overs in hand they were well placed. Whatexcitement followed! You had to be there to believe whathappened over those final overs. Current Creek stalwart andex-Woden player Ken Bone held their innings together. Hetook his side to the brink of victory. With three overs to goand four wickets to fall, Woden needed only 6 runs to win.As Trevor Cobbold walked back to his mark to bowl the finalover, Woden needed three runs to win and had three wicketsin hand. With five balls to go, only one run stood betweendefeat and victory. Two batsmen were run out trying to makethe winning run. The last man in had one ball to face and noother option but to run at all costs. Another run out and thegame was ours. From memory, we had a few ales tocelebrate that amazing win. The win qualified the Creek forthe final against Western Suburbs Cricket Club.67

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubThere were many other memorable performances in thoseearly years in the Twilight competition - a game at which theCreek seemed to excel. Brian Kensey's square cut for 6 overthe sponsors car at point at Manuka and Greg Irvine's cloutover the trees at Kingston and down the street towardsManuka Football Club will never be forgotten. My workmates tell me my first ball duck in a Twilight matph againstQueanbeyan wasn't bad either. The picture of my middlestump cartwheeling out of the ground which appeared large aslife on the back page of The Canberra Times the followingmorning was the talking point of work colleagues for somedays. What the side-on picture didn't show, however, wasthat perhaps this was the best ball ever bowled. It dipped,swung, cut, moved off the seam etc, etc, etc before knockingback my middle stump. (Editor: Trying to leg glance astraight ball off middle stump will often bring this result.)The efforts in those early matches set the scene for somewonderful games over subsequent years and, no matter howthe team was progressing in the Saturday competition, theteam rose to the occasion in these Twilight encounters. I amsure this had a lot to do with the large support the playersreceived from fellow club members and other supporters.However, the support was not always welcome! In theTwilight final against Wests in 1979, Ray Williams was hit onthe head by a ball from Wests paceman, Andy McDonald.Now, WCCC supporters, buoyed with some refreshments,really did let fly with abuse and questioning of Andy'sparentage which only made Andy bowl shorter and faster. Hehad a fiery look in his eyes. Not much joy for those of uspadded up waiting for our turn to bat.The Creek developed a proud tradition of top lineperformance in this type of limited over game. I am sure theperformances in those early days contributed to the futuresuccess.68

Twenty Seasons OnTim Overland (Shirl) was certainly a great character and afine fast bowler. He had a distinguished career with theCreek both on and off the field. However, the performance Iwill remember the most was his bowling in the fourth gradegrand final against a very strong team from Easts C.C. in the19864987 season - a match winning performance. Defendinga very modest first innings score he bowled unchanged for 37overs and finished with 7/70 with 10 maidens. Onememorable wicket was a M.Haywood (now in the New SouthWales side) LBW - 0 - without playing a shot possibly theturning point in the game. This game indeed has specialmemories as the team played with enormous spirit throughoutthe year and a premiership win was a fitting result.I played with Dick Cotton at Woden Cricket Club for anumber of years prior to joining up with him again at theCreek. He was one bowler who really could make the balltalk. In the early 80's when the NSW Cricket Team travelledto Canberra to play Pakistan, Dick was used as a net bowlerat the turf wicket at Dcakin Oval and proceeded to clean up acouple of well known batsmen with his big in-dippers. His58 wickets at a cost of 8.00 ensured Woden won the secondgrade premiership in 1978-79 prior to joining the Creek. Healways performed with distinction and was a great student ofthe game. What Dick didn't have in his kit bag wasn't worthknowing about. He is the only captain I know who wouldvolunteer to field at short leg and always managed to pull insome screamers. In those days, apart from taxes and highballs at Ballymore, there were only two other certainties inlife - Dick Cotton rolling up to practice with a ball thatlooked very new and always consuming a bar of chocolate forlunch on match days.What can one say about Laurie O'Mara? He was the onlyfieldsman I played with who consistently needed a leg rope tokeep him in position. It was generally a matter of setting a69

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubfield and letting Laurie field wherever he wanted. Hisattacking approach to batting starting with the first ball of aninnings defied any captain's pre-match instructions. Hisindividualistic style was a captain's nightmare and the game'sbonus.Two of the great characters - Bob Coughlan and Laur ie O'Mara - atthe end of another innings.And then there was Bob Coughlan. One wonders why theACT Health Budget was in dire straits as Bob had the knackof getting injured every week. Bob was not even safe in thedressing room. There were rumours at one stage thatMedibank Private was interested in a sponsorship! Onememorable incident occurred when Bob was umpiring a gamein fourth grade and raised his foot to scratch his ankle. In anincident that could only happen to Bob and defies accuratedescription, he caught his spikes in the cuff of his trousers,70

Twenty SeasonsOnand not only tore his trousers, but fell base over apex as well.That was Bob! However, you could always rely on Bob atthe batting crease - and his efforts spawned a new phrase incricketing jargon when discussing gutsy performances -"Coughl an -like".The annual "Kambah against the Rest" games featureprominently in the folklore of the club. The Kambah captain,Chris Harris, was almost totally responsible for this. In onememorable game, Chris instructed his players that, when JimNuttall came in to bat, we would bowl a golf ball first ball.The very next ball we would bowl an egg. All went to plan,and Chris handed the egg to Leon Buchanan for safe keeping.Chris bowled the golf ball as planned, Jim getting such ashock, he merely Dlayed the ball to mid off....to LeonBuchanan. The cracking of egg shell in his pocket as he bentdown to field the golf ball, and the subsequent stain on histrousers, incapacitated the fielding side for some considerabletime.In the same game Paddy O'Brien also suffered at the hand ofHarris. Now Paddy was having a horror stretch with the bat.Chris Harris had decided that with the first ball that hit Paddyon the pads, the entire fielding side would appeal, and that theumpire wise to the act would give him out (to be recalled ashe trooped off the field). True to form, the second ball hithim on the pad, and on schedule, he was given out LBW....byGreg Ratford from square leg! Paddy also had the misfortuneto suffer at the hands of the social club which gave an awardfor the most memorable performance of the day, and duringPaddy's run of outs, he won the award for emulating the greatSir Donald Duck, not Bradman.One of my best memories of Steve McDonald was not on thecricket field but on the golf course at Queanbeyan. Steve'stee shot nearly cleaned up his partners and ended up in thebush some 30 metres in the opposite direction from where he71

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubwas aiming, having ricocheted off an irrigation pipe. Debatesstill rage at the golf club about where he should have playedhis next shot. Thank goodness his performance on the cricketfield didn't endanger the lives of his team mates!Having played with other grade clubs in both the ACT and inBrisbane, I witnessed the administration of a number ofclubs. To say that WCCC had by far the best executive is anunderstatement. The professionalism, dedication, commitmentand unselfish efforts of people such as Don Brooker, PercySamara-Wickrama, Chris Harris and Chris Body and manyothers, went a long way to ensuring that WCCC establisheditself as one of the finest cricket clubs in the ACT, promotingsuccess both on the field and off. The club has always hadgood team spirit whether winning or losing, and while wealways played and trained hard to win, what was reallyimportant was the comradeship both on and off the field. It iswith pleasure that I recall my years as a member of theWeston Creek Cricket Club. •ANOTHER "TWILIGHT COMPETITION" WIN 1981-82Paddy O'Brien, Andrew Macleod, Tim Morris, Brian Kensey, TimOverland and Greg Irvine applauding Dick Cotton into the pavilionafter beating South Woden Cricket Club.72

Twenty Seasons OnA^UOYABLZM O ' S rBy John AbrahamsJohn Abrahams, a formercaptain of Lancashire CountyCricket Club, was WestonCreek's captain and coach forthree seasons between 1983and 1986. During that periodhe helped change the directionof not only Weston Creekcricket but lifted ACT from alittle known countryassociation to what it is today.Since his retirement from first class cricket, John has beenappointed National Coach for North of England. He was in controlof the England Under 15 s and this year was coach of EnglandUnder 17 s -rsAugust 1983, Lancashire are playing Derbyshire atBlackpool in the County Championship and, during theLancashire innings, there is an international telephone call forJack Simmons. A desperate un-Australian voice introduceditself."Hello, this is Percy Samara-Wickrama of the Weston CreekCricket Club in Canberra, Australia.""Hello Percy, it's Jack Simmons. If you're ringing about JohnAbrahams, he's just batting.""Who's bowling, Jack?""Michael Holding, Percy!"73

Weston Creek, Cricket Club"I've had a quick look at John's record in Wisden, I think I'llhang on for him!" was the supposed reply.No doubt most of you will have heard this anecdote and,whether true or not, the telephone call and quick look inWisden was effectively the start of a very happy three yearconnection with Weston Creek Cricket Club and Canberra.My performances during the first season convinced the firstgrade players that the real John Abrahams had been kidnappedby a porter at Heathrow airport, locked him in a broomcupboard and spent six months in the sun playing a bit ofcricket! Fortunately, subsequent seasons proved moresuccessful personally and from the Club's point of view.One game during the 1984-85 season stands out as unusual, forthe method of the victory caused some confusion with thecricketing public of Canberra. WCCC were in 2nd position onthe table with two matches to play, the first at Majura againstNorths, not the strongest side that season having only 91points compared to the Creek's 120 and Wests with 125points.The first innings went as expected, scoring 378 for 8 declareddue mainly to two centuries, one from Chris Body, who wasfinally persuaded to continue his run spree in first grade andallow others to roll the Stirling Oval pitch, and Greg Irvinewho is capable of destroying good bowling let alone what wasthen probably not the best attack in the ACT.Norths finally succumbed for 212 all out. Thanks to a gutsy,stubborn knock from Shane O'Mara, despite the wicket-takingpace of Tim Morris. There remained approximately 35 oversleft including the mandatory 20 in the last hour. Havingestablished that the Creek would retain any points alreadyattained, we decided to go for the outright victory. This74

Twenty Seasons Onwould probably make us leaders in the competition and takesome pressure off for the final match. Should Norths win,they would still not be challenging the top positions.During the close season, I was given a copy of THE ART OFCAPTAINCY by Mike Brearley, too late to save anycaptaincy career with Lancashire, but he wrote about a matchin which he forfeited a Middlesex innings to encourage theopposition to chase a target which he saw as his team's bestchance of victory.Norths therefore required 169 to win and WCCC had to bowlthem out. To their credit, their batsmen tried to achieve thetarget with more positive batting; it became so easy for one1984-85 FIRST GRADE v NORTHERN DISTRICTS CCStanding:- Kelvin Brown, Greg Irvine, Clive Jones, Paul Evans,Roger Lonie, Ken Bone. In Front:- Paul Bam forth, Chris Body, JohnAbrahams (C), Chris Burgess, Colvin Kelaart.75

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubof their later order batsmen (a Texan I believe) that he did notthink it necessary to score on both sides of the field and forthe only time in my career it was possible to bowl with an 8:1legside field placing, unfortunately not because I was spinningthe ball too much.(Later when playing in the local league, another Texan playedin a similar way and when questioned as to what part ofTexas he farmed, replied, "I've paid my subs, I can hit whereI want!") They were always in with a chance of winning,which kept them playing shots giving the 'Creek moreopportunities to take wickets.The match ended in a comfortable victory for WCCCthus contributing towards a minor premiership despitedrawing the final game.This was one of many enjoyable matches played over threeseasons for the Creek, the only regret being that the firstgrade failed to win a major premiership. The overridingmemory, however, is of the people I came into contact withthrough the Club, too numerous to name individually.It would be bad manners and very remiss if some are notmentioned, as I am sure the majority will understand. From1st to 8th grade players, juniors, the youngsters who attendedthe coaching clinics, the schools, committee members,supporters including wives/girlfriends, children, and everyoneconnected with the Club made the stays enjoyable, beneficialand memorable.Geoff Thomson, (Cathy and the boys), The Canberra Times,Julia Loney of Lend Lease, Barrie Abrahams and family (ofthe education department and WCCC), and Geoff Smith, thethen manager of the now defunct PA Credit Union CooperativeBuilding Society, all went beyond the call of duty76

Twenty Seasons Onand responsibility to enhance the quality of the visits.And last, but by no means least, the two people withoutwhom none of this would have been possible, the two menwith the vision, drive and organisational skills to bring'professionals' to the ACT, Don Brooker and Percy Samara-Wickrama. Appreciation from me not just for theaforementioned qualities but also for their welcome, guidance,friendship, and acceptance of me (warts and all!) into theirfamilies and into the family of the Weston Creek CricketClub.Recent attempts to meet up again have proved fruitless buthopefully it will happen, possibly on some cricket field orprobably in some cricket pavilion bar. •77

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubKen played for several seasonsin the 80's (which included atour of duty as captain of 3rdsin 1985-86) before his desireto become wealthy and to bewith his young family curtailedhis on-field involvement.Through his business, he hasbeen one of the Club'sfinancial sponsors and untilthis year, when the age limitwas moved to 40+, one of ourkeenest Veterans. Thiskeenness was exhibitedthrough his efforts to alwaystry to throw the ball over thestumps from 50 metres out.The shoulders of the rest of usherd much earlier sent themessage that a throw of thisdistance required a relay.]@@[d)mmBy Ken WildChris HarrisOne of the most notable and subsequently embarrassingevents during my playing days at the 'Creek occurredduring the season 1987-88.At that time I had the honour (sometimes dubious I think!) ofcaptaining the 3rd grade side which was a fairly talentedbunch.We performed well in the early games and, with excellentperformances from the likes of the late Paddy O'Brien, JohnKidd, Tim Overland, and Greg Lonsdale, were leading thecompetition at the halfway stage.I missed the first game after the Christmas break and resumedin the next match against Norths at Dickson.Norths were always competitive and especially so that year as78

Twenty Seasons Onthe ultimate result for the year proved (we was robbed!).The Dickson track looked, as usual, to be slow and low and,knowing that, we elected to bat after winning the toss.With a few good partnerships we were progressing well andlooking forward to a good tally.Amongst those to bat was a young chap up from the juniorswho, as often happened at this time of the year, was a totalunknown to me. Those "in the know" said he was prettyhandy with the ball and would be worth a few overs. Hecould also bat a bit they said.Our bowling looked fairly formidable with Tim, Paddy, PinoD'addo and Co., and the batting had been doing enough to getus home. So I didn't think the new lad would be prominent inthe stats.As the batting order had been selected, he didn't figure in thetop 7 on this day anyway.Back to the game, and just after tea we wanted to push on toget a crack at Norths for a few overs that night. With this inmind, the instruction was sent and a few wickets tumbled inthe run chase.I elevated several hitters in the order at which point the youngchap, by now padded up for an hour, was looking a bit out ofsorts with my captaincy.Eventually the call came and he marched to the crease withabout 5 overs and 2 wickets to go.I must admit after a few strokes he did look as though he hada bit of potential. Seemed to have a bit of time and a goodeye. At the close, he remained not out on 22.79

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubThe following week I gave him a few overs of his left armmedium pace and he picked up a couple of wickets in quicktime and the batsmen appeared to have trouble facing up tohim.He never played under me again having had a back problemnot long after.Oh his name, one Michael Bevan who I believe is doingvery nicely in the current New South Wales Sheffield Shieldside. #Michael Bevan at Manuka Oval during the Prime Minister's XI vPakistan.80

Twenty Seasons OnA VETERAN'S GAMEby Lionel LavertyA legend in his own timethrough his deeds on the field.In the season of 1982-83, hecaused havoc for oppositionbatsmen throughout Canberra,snaring 71 wickets and it willtake a remarkable performanceto even come within 10 of it,let alone to break it. Lionel isalso known for his ability tosniff out trophies and winthem. Much of his success canbe directly attributed to this asall a captain had to do to gethim to perform, was tell himthat so and so had justdonated a trophy for such andsuch and you could bet poundsto peanuts that Lionel wouldwin it. There is one thinghowever, (despite his countlessanecdotal offerings), thatLionel was never seen to doand that was to bowl astraight ball.Chris HarrisThe ACT Cricket Association in its quest to retain olderplayers' interest at Club level introduced a Veteran'scricket competition open to the eight grade clubs.With a 35 year age limit and other restrictions, clubs arefinding it difficult to field 11 players who can bend down letalone run 22 yards.However, Weston Creek has no such problems, with a widearray of oldies to pick from. With such a wide field, thechairman of selectors has to employ cunning methods to comeup with a balanced eleven.81

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubThis particular game was played at Manuka Oval, withWeston Creek facing South Canberra.The participants are legends in their own estimations let alonethe Club. The twelve available were Kensey, Rouse, Harris,Williams, Zanker, Wild, Waldron, Laverty, Gahan, Rann,Mosley and last but not least, Bowdler.The first dilemma was who would be in the actual team toplay the final, and who would be dropped? The first selectedwas Rann; he was a logical choice. Firstly, we felt that wewould win the game and secondly, and most importantly, ashe was the club treasurer, we would need access to funds forthe inevitable celebration after our win. (This is known asconfidence in cricketing circles.)The next position up for grabs was that of wicket-keeper.Harris had filled this role on a few occasions but he declinedafter having to use his chest to stop a few of Gahan's slowerballs. Mosley was selected, firstly because he had youngereyes and secondly because he felt it was about time he brokea few fingers again and thirdly, and most importantly, becausehe knew that Laverty could bowl a straight ball.With Rouse injured, rather suspiciously, we needed anopening bowler. Gahan was selected not because of his speedbut by the way he said "Sorry" to Harris each time he hit himon the chest. We also knew that he had this burning desire tosend via willow wand a 5Vi ounce article from Manuka Ovalto Manuka Circle.This game of limited over cricket needs people with all roundskills; they need to be able to bat a little and bowl a bit. Itwas also handy if you owned a restaurant and bar for aftermatch activities, so Waldron was selected to partner Gahanwith the bat and ball. We all helped "Wacca" at therestaurant after the game.82

Twenty Seasons OnWhen Zanker was selected, we took into consideration hisbatting and bowling ability, plus it's not often that peoplewhose name starts With Z get picked in teams, so to abidewith the Club's EEO policy he got his guernsey.When Kensey withdrew with injury as did Rouse, wewondered if there was any truth in the rumour that contractswere taken out on them and not only by our opposition.You also need the services of what is known in cricket as thecalmer, one who keeps his head in moments of pressure, ateam man, and we had the man for the job - Bowdler - betterknown as "JB". There is no truth in the rumour that Harrishad him selected because he wanted to be able to run fasterthan at least one member of the team.There is a story going around WCCC that one day it wasdecided to stop eternal arguments about who was the fastest,forever. The contestants, Bowdler, Harris and Waldrondecided to run around the boundary line at Stirling Ovalduring the 15 minute tea break. Time was called, the runnerslined up and they were off!!!To bring a long story to a close the race was stopped due tolack of time. In the lead was Waldron followed by Harris andtracking behind was Bowdler. Bowdler protested after theevent explaining that he was just about to begin a spurt thatwould have taken him to the lead, Harris complained abouthis knees and Waldron was quite content to tell everyone overa few beers after the game that it's good to be out in frontfeeling that breeze blowing through your hair. The questionis still unsolved, will we ever know??Wal Hall "The General", with the speed of a 30 year old plusa good arm to boot, was needed to patrol the entire boundaryat Manuka. He would tell us all to stay close to the wicketand he would cover the rest of the field. The real reason forhis selection was the desire of all the members of the WCCC83

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubto see those rusted pads fall apart. Once while walking out toopen batting he realised his box was missing from its restingplace. Pausing for a moment he said to his partner, "Whatdamage could it do anyway at my age?"As most of us were concerned about our repayments on ourhome loans, with interest rates higher than our batting averagewe searched for moral support and who popped out of thebank vault but Moneylink's Mister Ken Wild. Besides beingable to bat, he would also be another source of funds for ourcelebration afterwards.When you are the next bowler to bowl, loosening up either inslips or the outfield and you watch your team mate bowling atthe other end being carted all over the ground by GarfieldSobers, (it turned out to be a world record score from oneover in cricket) you tend to think things are a bit unfair. Putthat with playing in a grand final, batting against the numberLionel being cheered off the field by Chris Harris on left, JohnBowdler, Peter Zanker and John Waldron.84

Twenty Seasons On1 team in the competition, with a score of 9 for 289 and playrained off you have had your fair share of bad luck. We as ateam decided to reverse this trend and redress the wrong doneto a loyal member of WCCC, and we selected Ray Williams.We knew that a trophy would be given to the player of thematch, so a search was carried out to find who had amassedhis fair share of awards. It had to be Laverty. Thepsychology behind his selection was that the player of thematch is selected from the winning team and if Lionel was onthe team it would ensure our victory, not because of any realability with bat or ball but his uncanny knack of stealingtrophies.The role of a 12tn man is a demanding one. You need a manwith a professional approach to the game. We approachedHarris and he accepted!!! Would you believe he did field inthe game and gave us all a lesson on how not to accept asitter? All who know Harris realise he was selected for hisability for after-dinner speaking. Really, Chris would talkbefore, between and after any dinner, given the opportunity!The result is now history. Harris captained a winning team,Ray Williams fulfilled his dream of a grand final win;Mosley hurt his fingers; we ate tons of food at Wacca'srestaurant; we got a few dollars out of Rann; Zanker earnedhis guernsey; Kensey and Rouse won the best supporters'prize; Wal Hall was last seen running around the boundarycalling "mine!"; Wild got out of advancing the team cheapmoney; JB was still batting "last in", got it!!!; Mick Gahanmissed his six, (there is always the next time, Mick), andLaverty got his trophy.We may have unorthodox selection procedures, players whocan't bat, bowl or field but we have a great time, and sharethe great spirit that Weston Creek is renowned for. #85

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubTIM OVERLAND - BATTING GOLF SHOTSA- shining star of the Club for10 seasons between 1979 and1989, Greg captained theWCCC first grade for fiveyears. During his years withthe Club he represented theACT in over 100representativematches,playing against all touringteams. In 1987, playing in thePrime Minister's XI matchagainst New Zealand, he took5 for 42. For the club, hemade 3815 runs at an averageof 33.76 scoring 6 centuriesand 19 half centuries. rsBy Greg IrvineRecently on a foggy and cold Canberra morning I set offto Yass to play a round of golf with a couple ofhackers who actually called themselves golfers. Whenwalking to the pro shop I remembered an incident whichoccurred on a Weston Creek Cricket Club Golf Day back inthe early 1980's on a Public Holiday Monday after the "Foodand Wine Frolic", an annual Canberra Holidayevent.WeekendWell, you can imagine an early hit off with blood shot eyes,seedy heads and 18 holes of golf to play on a rather hot day.Tim Overland in those early days was a bit of a teetotallerand only drank the occasional spirit so he looked remarkablygood and fighting fit for the day's play. He also not onlylooked immaculate but Tim had all the right golfingequipment, the Niblick spiked shoes, the Pro sport buggy andbag with the Jack Nicklaus full set of clubs including thelatest metal head drivers which were supposed to hit the ballfurther and straighter than conventional woods.86

Twenty Seasons OnThis all looked a little too serious for Tim's hungover playingpartners, so we decided that we would let the professionaltake the honour on the first hole and open the innings for theCreek that day.Now Tim was known as an opening bowler and a batsmanwho knew which end of the cricket bat was up but he lookedvery impressive with that No. 2 metal driver in his hand! Thequestions which were going through everyone's minds were,"How far was he going to hit his tee shot?" and, "He's goingto flog the pants off us! Have we underestimated his battingability?"Now to put you in the picture, the first tee at Yass has a smallcarpark to the right of the tee with the club house behind andthe pro shop in Hie left hand corner of the Club. Just in frontof the pro shop is the practice putting green with a rockerygarden leading to the main carpark and then up to the roadwith several houses further on.So back to the first tee with Tim Overland addressing the ball,preparing for the first shot of the day with the sense of theunknown ahead of us. Tim wriggles his hips, takes a longslow backswing and proceeds to play the best square driveever played on a cricket field let alone on a golf course.The ball travelled over the top of the pro shop, the puttinggreen, the carpark, on to the road wnere it bounced andtravelled up the drive of the last house. We could not controlour laughter as we rolled around the tee knowing that Tim, afirst grade rabbit batsman had not let his comrades down.If you want to know, like all dedicated bowlers (who arefamiliar in fetching cricket balls) and golfers, Tim went intothe backyard but was unable to find his ball althoughreturning with someone else's ball. •87

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubP O t t T / ^ m YOr CfUDXHTBy Diane EvansDiane is a winner. Anyone hHHh ML ,able to organise four g^^^HH 1 m ,cricketing males under one BkMB'. F (roof and put up with changingmoods depending on theirmatch results, clean and ironcricket whites for yet another weekend, and enjoy it all, has to begood. Diane was certainly good for the Club. Along with Laurie, shemanaged the juniors of Weston Creek for four years. In those days itwas common to have nearly 300 boys and girls playing junior cricketin the area.My first memory is 1948-49 listening to the old wirelessjust after the Bradman era; K. Miller, I. Johnson,W. Johnstone, A. Morris etc and in later years my very favouriteAustralian cricketer, R. Benaud.Cricket had a very high profile in my home town, Brian Boothbecoming an Australian captain and Norma Whitemanrepresenting Australia in England in 1951.I played during my high school years - very keen but not muchtalent. My uncle who had been a prominent A' grade player inBathurst used to cringe when Monday's paper was printed, High'B' all out for 1, this being scored by the number 11 batsman.My mother suggested that I concentrate on my tennis andhockey and leave this game of cricket to the 'boys'. Of course88

Twenty Seasons Onthen I became involved with someone who had quite a bit oftalent and I did a much better job of scoring and preparingmorning and afternoon teas. Thus started a love/haterelationship with this fascinating game. Many hours on my ownwith three young children, the not so good part, far outweighedby the wonderful and exciting times which we have all had overthe years and the fantastic people we've met along the way.After moving to Canberra in 1974, we started a relationshipwith the Weston Creek Cricket Club. To my delight, Paul andScot are still playing 1st grade and 2nd grade with the Club.Neil, our eldest son, moved to Bathurst and then to Sydney dueto work commitments after coming through the junior ranks ofWCCC and two seasons with the inaugural 1st grade team in1979.I have experienced with my family the winning of 12 grandfinals in juniors and seniors in the Weston Creek Cricket Club,one 2nd grade in Sydney grade competition and one Under 21Poidevin Grey competition in Sydney, several in Bathurst, aswell as many defeats. Of course, the most disappointing defeatwas when Paul as captain of the WCCC 1st grade team almostled the Creek to its first grand final win ever in 1990-91. Nevermind, I'm sure it will come soon, maybe 1992-93 season.Ten years helping to run junior cricket was a very busy time forme. It is a great game for boys and girls. I believe it is a greatcharacter building sport; be loyal to your fellow players, yourteam, your club; great mateship after the game (frustrating forothers) and a great point of discussion for many days, weeks andsometimes years to come.As we all know, it is very time consuming and so many hoursare filled in for the children at the weekend and in holiday timeat home playing backyard cricket, which is the best practice ofall. And most important, it teaches patience, eg. to be losing a89

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubgame for 2 hours and fifty minutes of a three hour game andcome home the winners. How disappointing for the opposition!The losing side had to learn the hard way and quickly how toshow very good sportsmanship. By the way, this was an U15grand final and Margaret and I were close to suffering a cardiacarrest and I'm sure a few of my friends were finally convincedthat cricket could be an exciting game after all.And then there were two occasions when the unbeatables werebeaten; as a matter of fact, consecutive years, both in the semifinals.After being undefeated all year, I arrived at the game tofind that the Weston Creek U11 team had bowled the oppositionout for 52 runs. I continued on my way to other games and afterbeing home for quite a few hours happened to ask, "How manyruns did you win by?" There was no answer, only a flood oftears...."We only got 30". The very same day, a prominentWeston Creek coach was tearing his hair out having 1 wicketdown and ten runs to win and losing the game. "How could thishappen?" - that's cricket.There have been wonderful opportunities in the ACT for ourboys to play representative cricket at all ages right through toColts and Open. There have been also many games playedagainst visiting teams and the opportunity to travel to manystates of Australia. I was so proud when Paul was selected inthe Australian Country team to play Sri Lanka in Bendigo,Victoria in 1990.In 1985 Weston Creek Cricket Club under the direction of PercySamara-Wickrama organised a tour to England. I wasabsolutely ecstatic about all members of the Club having thisopportunity to play in the Old Country. Paul went on this tourand I was so happy for them all.Since then both he and Scott hav.e toured with the 1988 touringteam. Neil has had a season playing with the Neston Cricket90

Twenty Seasons OnClub in the Wirral, and Scott with Ingham and District CricketClub in Norfolk, also joining the touring team from WestonCreek, in 1991. We were fortunate in being able to join two ofthese tours as supporters.It was a great experience travelling around England beingassociated with a cricket team. The cricket grounds scatteredaround the countryside, some with a tradition of over 200 years,were something to behold. To visit Lord's, Trent Bridge andOld Trafford were moving experiences.And now it's almost October, 1992. Some say cricket is aboring game - we think life is boring without it. What wouldwe talk about? It is possible to talk for two or three hours abouta game, criticizing, complaining and then immediately startlooking forward to next weekend's match. My mother once saidto the boys, "Why do you continue to play when you returnfrom a game and spend the rest of the day feeling miserable?"They'd reply, "There's a chance we might score a 'ton' nextweek." We've had a few of these and it's been very exciting.And so the fascination continues.Congratulations to Weston Creek Cricket Club on twenty goodyears.Good luck and may you have many more successfulcompetitions. %91

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubCLUBBy John BowdlerA long-serving player whohas now plunged deeply intothe administration and becomeClub President (1992-93).John is a passionate followerand lover of the game ofcricket and is somewhat of anauthority on the exploits ofone Doug Walters. Tie has anequal passion for, andknowledge of, the fortifiedwines of Rutherglen whichmakes him wonderful companyat a dinner party. Born andbred in Tamworth, NSW,where in keeping with thelifestyle, he developed his slowto medium nagging deliverieswhich have resulted in over120 victims for the Club. Withthe bat, he has scored over2300 runs and is in 19thposition and rising, on Clubaggregate. . „ .0 0° Chris HarrisMy first contact with the Weston Creek Cricket Club was inthe mid 1970's, when the Club was changing from a juniorclub to one fielding teams in senior cricket - initially the City andSuburban Association. I had got to know Don Brooker when hewas a senior leg spinner with the Woden Club in the early 1970'sand I was attracted to playing for the Club located in my area ofCanberra.I decided not to join the Club then, preferring to continue to play"turf" cricket. That was one of the big mistakes of my cricketingcareer. My fortunes with the then Woden Club were not so goodafter that and, as I have discovered in recent years, playing onartificial turf or concrete is not the end of the world. The mainloss however was that it was not until 1978 that I was introducedto the comradeship and spirit of WCCC.92

Twenty Seasons OnAn early, strong impression of the Club was of the characterswithin its membership. It was hard not to be struck by their rangeand vitality, and the influence they had within the Club. As muchas your batting or bowling form it was necessary to be well armedevery Saturday with your own "defensive shield" for dealing withthese characters and handling the good natured ribbing whichwent on. This process was made more interesting in that wegenerally won our matches, which if anything added to the highspirits and camaraderie on and off the field.There were other players who weren't so prominent in theirmanner, but who had a name nonetheless. Some were accidentprone, others unique in their style on the cricket field or off it.These characters were often the "straight men" to their moreflamboyant colleagues, but were just as valuable to the make-upof the Club.In thinking how best to express my memories of the Creek, I wasdrawn back to many of the cricketing books I devoured when Iwas a teenager. These books were typically written by greatplayers of the time, and included something like a World XI fromcurrent players, or a team made up of the best players of theircricketing times. It was therefore easy to take the next step andconsider naming a "Characters' XI" which would reflect myexperiences of Weston Creek in the Club's early years of gradecricket.In picking the team, I have restricted myself to those with whom Iplayed (which means a wide range of grades from the "lowest"team to second grade). Naturally balance between batting andbowling was important as was variety in the bowling attack. Myselection criteria were placed on cricketing ability as well as thecapacity to take the spotlight or have the ability to do the unusual.The selection process did not need much thought in some cases,as the choices were obvious. However in others, there was heavy93

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubcompetition for positions. My apologies to those of my manycricketing mates who missed out - I can assure you I wouldn'thave minded a "game" myself. The team in batting order is(although I'm sure there would be some argument about that!!):1. Laurie O'Mara 7. Mick O'Ryan2. Bob Coughlan 8. Colin Imms3. John Waldron 9. Peter Mosley4. Paddy O'Brien 10. Lionel Laverty5. Barney Devlin 11. Greg Ratford6. Chris HarrisThe openers would be guaranteed to get the side off to at least aninteresting start. While not the classic left-right combination, thestyles of Laurie O'Mara and Bob Coughlan were so different as toget the bowlers thinking just as much. Laurie would be happy togo "over the top" in the first few overs while Bob would play thepatient foil. With his many knocks and bruises, Bob could neverbe accused of not getting behind the ball! The running betweenwickets would be fun to watch.At number three John Waldron would add solidity. His flashingcover drive would be a source of frustration to the bowlers.Following John would come the late Paddy O'Brien, a perfectnumber four because of his capacity to take the attack to thebowlers and to turn round a difficult situation.The Irish connection would continue at number five in thepresence of Barney Devlin. Barney was another with the abilityto take an attack apart with his strong, if often unorthodox, onsideshots. Chris Harris would be a perfect number six - either tocarry on the good work of the earlier batsmen or to re-group ifearly wickets had fallen.Mick O'Ryan would come in at seven and would add a powerfulattacking weapon to the batting line up. Then 1 would have Colin94

Twenty SeasonsOnImms at eight, another sound but big-hitting batsman. PeterMosley, wicket-keeper of the team and a more than usefulbatsman, would be at nine.The last two in the order would also promise carnage if they wererequired to perform - in the unlikely case that the preceding lineup failed. At 10 would come Lionel Laverty and last but not leastGreg Ratford. It would be a very talented batting line up thatwould have these players at ten and eleven. There would be a lotof dressing room pressure on those who went before them!The bowling would have great variety. Lionel Laverty tried totake a wicket with every ball. Once he got the ball into his hand,it was very difficult to get it off him (Lionel must find VeteransXI cricketing frustrating with its limit of four overs per bowler).The other opener would be left-armer Greg Ratford. Greg was afierce competitor who was a real hand-full when his blood wasup. Mick O'Ryan at first would provide a variety of options totest the ability of the batsmen.The most difficult selection is of a slow bowler, given thedominance of the faster men in Club attack. While Colin Immscould also bowl mediums (although Colin would say they werefast), he would be mainly in the side as a spinner. Spin bowlingsupport could come from Bob Coughlan, who turned himself intoa more than useful left arm slowie in his later years with the Club,while John Waldron, Paddy O'Brien and Chris Harris could alsoturn their arm over if needed.The choice of captain is not easy - most of the team- would fancythemselves as being in charge. In a toss-up, I have given the jobto Chris Harris, as one of the biggest characters in the team hewould be well placed to stay above the cross-flow of comment.But he certainly wouldn't be short of advice - so a nomination ofvice-captain is superfluous.95

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubI could not say that this is the perfect fielding team, but it wouldacquit itself well. Laurie O'Mara would be the natural selectionfor the covers and Bob Coughlan for short-leg. There would beplenty of choice for the other positions.This team might not threaten a first grade premiership, but wouldacquit itself exceptionally well in the middle grades. It would bea high standard opposition indeed who could bowl out such a sidefor a low score and then resist its bowling to post a winningtotal. A glance over the leading run-scorers and wicket takers forthe Creek shows that virtually all the players are high in theselists, indicating that characters are also cricketers.Most of all, my Characters' XI would exude vitality and never letthe opposition get on top in the confidence stakes. Cheekycomments would come as quickly as each run, and there would bea strong supportive network within the team. The dressing roomwould be noisy, and full of wise-cracks. Any team member whodidn't live up to his colleagues' expectations in playing a poor shotor misfielding would regret it by being the brunt of team banterfor the next few hours and at the club afterwards.It would be a privilege - and a lot of fun - to watch the Characters'XI in action. £96

Twenty SeasonsOnoiifio o m ^ n o nBy John SteelJohn Steel of Merseyside, England is an associate member with along connection with the Club. In the early 80's he helped recruitEnglish professionals to play in Weston Creek, arrange EnglishClubs for Weston Creek players requiring overseas experience andhelped organise three tours to that country. During the Club's 3rdtour of England John joined the tour party as "our umpire".psWhat can I say about Weston Creek Cricket Club?Being so far away I should, perhaps, just keep quiet.I knew a lot about WCCC long before my first trip toCanberra. Percy had for some years been sending memagazines, ties and treasures.... which some would callrubbish. Elaine, Chris and I were put down at Mascot, verygently at about 7am in December 1985 by Qantas. Ansett putus down rather bumpily at Canberra Airport at about 3pm andit was off to the cricket! Well, Elaine went straight to bed97

Weston Creek, CricketClubbut Chris and I were away to Queanbeyan. Percy was a littlelong faced because the Creek had been put out for a lowscore in a one day game. I had faith in JA and a few more,who were just names at that moment, and of course we won.The pleasant memory I recall is of walking round theboundary fence and feeling very pleasantly warm as GregIrvine and friends proceeded to sort out the opposition.Chris Burgess and Ewan Mackenziethe Steel's.with Elaine during their visit toThe following day we met John Abrahams, Bods, Col and, Ithink, Jock over a barbecue. I was not too aware of myselfthat day.During our short stay we chatted to Percy about the tour of'85. For an all too short time we were with the tourists whenthey won excitingly at Oxton. We lunched at the Carnarvon98

Twenty Seasons OnCastle. I can see now in the sunshine Don, Greg, Laurie,Paddy....and some young folk. We enjoyed the day atHeadingley and the time JA gave up to entertain us but wewill not dwell on the Old Trafford happenings. The raincould not be helped but I felt the Lancashire players were lessthan hosts. I was ashamed.Our paths next crossed when your Ambassador to England toplay at Neston in 1986 visited us - by name, Michael Kovacs.What a splendid young man you had sent to us, in every waya lovely guest. I imagine some are smiling, but they'd betternot let me see them!! Michael was great company and stillwrites to us very regularly.We also played hosts to 'Jock' Mackenzie and Chris Burgesswhen they escaped from the Worsley area for a short while inthat interesting Mini.Our taste for things Australian had by now been well andtruly whetted! We spent 1988 in Sydney where I had atwelve month exchange post teaching mathematics at SydneyGrammar School. In truth, it was a plan to see as muchcricket as possible and to do as much umpiring as possible.To this end I wrote well in advance to the NSWCUA andfound them very welcoming indeed. They are a mostimpressive set of people. They accepted my English"qualifications" without demur. I did hope to do some ACTgames as well. In fact to enable me to stand at a 2nd gradegame between WCCC and Tuggeranong, I had to sit anexamination which in total took six hours! Ask Percy. I onlysaw my result by reading The Canberra Times on Fridaybefore the match. I did enjoy the game, not least for thefrequency and volume of the appeals 'Jock' made every timethe ball hit the pads or went close to them. He didn't get onelbw but we won easily enough. Pity I had to caution Drew G.99

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubLater in the year was that splendid 10th Anniversary game atStirling Oval. There was an incident here too - two in fact.When my mate, J • Waldron, came in to bat, it seemed afriendly gesture to me to assure him that he could use hispads as much as he needed in complete safety. The bowlerseemed less than impressed by the conversation. Later on, atall young gentleman out at deep square leg appealed for anlbw. Who would be an umpire in Canberra!! While I wastrying to explain to him as nicely as possible the general ideaof good behaviour in The Noble Game he let drop the factthat he had played Sheffield Shield cricket. That clearlyexplained the whole thing. I didn't ask for his name afterthat!!Our next WCCC event was offering dinner to Neil Evanswhen he was at Neston. The day I went to umpire their 1stteam, he had been awarded a 2nd team game!Now we come to 1991 and the third tour. Much of thesummer was spent on my back on the bedroom floor with abad back but I was able to become vertical just in time to jointhe tourists in London. There followed nine really enjoyabledays. We could well have done the MCC side but for rain.Wellington College was one of those days that linger on andon in the memory. Bickley Park was a good win. Radlettwas spoiled by rain and RAF was a mismatch. Things thatstick in my mind about that spell: Roger captained the sidewell and batted attractively. Jock bowled beautifully. Seanlooked good - fully dressed. Chris Browning smoked toomuch. The umpires were an odd lot. They are much morefriendly up north. Some were good. Others told me theywere good.That's about it. My chance meeting with Percy in 1979 inEngland has brought to the Steel family many Canberranblessings. May there be many more. %100

Twenty Seasons Onj-JOWW3C5LEZXiA'teDby Chris HarrisOver the past hundred years,country New South Wales hasbeen a fertile breeding groundfor outstanding Australiancricketers. It was also thebirth place of Chris Harris.Born in the fabled Coonamble,shortly after the cessation ofhostilities in World War II, thevery name of Chris Harris canstill bring a wistful tear to theeye of a wizened outbackcricket enthusiast.Lost to country cricket by his move to Canberra, where he hasbrought enlightenment to the lives of thousands of ACT high schoolstudents during the last 20 years, Chris was one of the foundingfathers of the Weston Creek Cricket Club.With a bat clasped in his mighty hands or a ball rolling through hisknotted fingers or, best of all, with a microphone at his sweaty lips,Chris has created many of the Club's most memorable moments. Atleast that's what he told me to say. As the old saying goes, Chris,it's been a pleasure sharing a box with you.Since the birth of the Weston Creek Senior Club atWeston Primary fn 1975, there have been manymemorable moments for our players and supporters. From thetime the first catch was taken by Col Jenkins, flat on his backon Dickson Oval in sleet and light rain in October 1975, untilthe last ball of the 1991-92 season, much camaraderie andfriendship has ensued as a result of our on field exploits.101

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubIt's funny how I remember such an insignificant thing aswho held the first catch and not who took the wicket. Icannot remember if we won, drew or lost the match. All Ican recall is who took the first catch. I suppose this is thekind of memory that will develop into a good yarn in years tocome.I know there will be many yarns in this publication - yarnsbased on on-field activities of our players.I have fond memories of our annual presentation nights. Theywere different from the usual cricket presentation nights - noboring speeches, no drunken episodes. Each function had itsown unique flavour and happy memories.The first such was at the end of the 1975-76 season - in therather large lounge room of Jim Nuttall's residence. Smallbeginnings.Jim had his house tastefully organised with seats around thewalls, as was the way in the old English diance halls of hisyouth. He also surprised us all with his culinary skills bypreparing all of the food for the evening. Again, my memoryis really stretched to remember more than two things aboutthe night. One was Ian Phillips, our first premiership winningcaptain, providing us with the laugh of the evening by tryingto walk through Jim's brand new plate glass door, nearlybreaking his nose and dropping all his beef stroganoff ontothe plush new carpet. Fortunately Ian's only lasting injurywas the embarrassment he endured. It took me some years tofind an occasion which provided me with as much mirth atsomeone else's expense. It finally came, when Bob Coughlanwas felled by a ball in the groin in a 4th grade match againstANU. The vivid picture of the tears in Bob's eyes and theuncaring concern expressed in laughter by his team mates stillcauses me to chuckle today. Bob was that sort of bloke. Hispainful experiences always made us laugh. But I digress.102

Twenty Seasons OnThe other event I remember about our first presentation nightwas receiving a batting trophy for which there was nocompetition. What happened was Honorary Treasurer Jim andHonorary Secretary Percy Samara-Wickrama had doubled upand both bought trophies. So in order to justify theirpurchases I was asked by Jim if I would like to be the"worthy" recipient of one. In explaining why he had selectedme he suggested that I was the only person who, in anacceptance speech, could tell a convincing enough story tomake everyone feel the trophy was indeed recognition ofsome outstanding exploit of mine. It must have worked aseveryone applauded and congratulated me at the end. Ourpresentation nights grew rapidly from that point, not only inthe numbers attending but also in reputation.In those early days, we did not own our own club premisesand so we had to hold these nights in restaurants and otherrented places. The entertainment for the 1978 PresentationDinner took the form of a 'cabaret. Dave Flatt, Terry Lynch,John Derrick and myself formed the Club's own "Barber ShopQuartet" performing to the accompaniment of Ray Williams atthe piano. The song was composed by Ray and his wifeJackie and early rehearsals at Ray's home helped establishsome important aspects of our act. Ray was as competent atthe piano as with the new ball, three of the four members ofthe quartet could neither sing nor dance and we had to beselective as to the timing of the performance.We packed into Matilda's Tavern for this one. We must havehit the right combination as no one noticed the shortcomingsand the evening was a great success.AN END OF SEASON SONGThis song was composed by Jackie Williams for thePresentation Night at the end of 1978-79 season.103

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubSung by WCCC's own "Barber Shop Quartet", (Harris-Flatt-Derrick-Lynch) to the musical accompaniment by Jackie andRay Williams.Weston Creek's the Club with the talentMaybe you think we haven'tBut as well as play ballWe sing for you allSide by side.Oh, Don is our great white leaderAnd Percy makes sure that we're eagerLaurie picks the teamsAnd Pat-as-well it seemsSide by side.CHORUS:Through all kinds of weatherWe'll go batting onAs long as we're togetherAnd at the end the beer's still on.Oh, each game we face with courageBut KB's our favourite beverageAs the ball comes alongWe'll hit it real strongSide by side.Our third grade's the best that we have seenThe premiers we nearly would have beenBut it rained all dayTook the premiership awaySide by side.CHORUS.....Tonight we'll drink to us allThe bat, the stumps and the ballFor next year we'll shootYou'd better watch outSide by side.CHORUS.....104

Twenty Seasons OnChris Harris "talking to Don Brooker via Satelite"One year Don Brooker could not attend the end of seasonpresentation dinner as he was due to travel overseas. It wasinconceivable to think that the Club could have its end ofseason Presentation Dinner without its founding father present.Greg Irvine, Percy Samara-Wickrama and myself decided ona stunt to include Don in the proceedings. Prior to hisdeparture for America, we recorded a mock interview in hisown lounge room decked up with travel posters and suitablyselected background noises, and mock hearing plugs andbutton microphones.On the night of the Presentation Dinner, a large TV screenand a telephone handset were set up and as the MC it was myduty to announce to the 140 or so guests that at a prearrangedtime I would be interrupting the proceedings to bringa short message via satellite from Don Brooker as soon as hehad landed at LA Airport. At a predetermined time, a waiterarrived and announced that the OTC line was open, and I105

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubpicked up the phone. Percy, who was sitting at a table with 9other guests had the remote control key pad taped to his rightshin and pressed the "play" button. Suddenly the screen camealive and Brooker was seen fiddling with an ear plug - "Whois that....is that you Chris? I can't hear you". For the next 10minutes I asked him questions to which he had perfectanswers. It must have looked authentic. Keith Simmons, apast player/Treasurer/Auditor/Accountant who had the Club'sfinancial interests at heart demanded to know who was payingfor the "satellite link up".In . terms of huge extravaganzas, nothing could beat thewedding reception we put on for John Abrahams in 1986.John was our very popular playing professional fromLancashire who, upon his return to his homeland that year,was to be married. Debbie who had spent the summer inGreg Irvine proposing the toast!!!106

Twenty Seasons OnCathy Phelan with thebridegroom.Australia had already left to be in England in time to makearrangements. Many of us were aggrieved that John wouldnot pay our expenses in order to attend his wedding, so wedecided to have a surrogate ceremony before he left. Ourwhole Presentation evening was turned into a weddingcomplete with reception. The bride was a store mannequindressed in Karen Irvine's wedding dress. I was the minister,Percy the father of the bride, Ann Hall the matron-ofhonourand the whole first eleven were the bestmen. It was alovely wedding with the speeches providing much humour atJohn's expense, particularly the recounting of the story of howhe lived through the time when several friends shared his flatin Holder. There is one incriminating photo of the weddingpublished in the 1986 Year Book. It shows one of our 1stgraders in some type of embrace with the mannequin. Cometo think of it we don't know what happened to the mannequinat the end of the evening.107

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubTim Morris kissing "the bride" to the amusement of the rest of firstgrade members.The last Presentation Night I would like to share is the time Ibroke my golden rule 'NEVER LET GO OF THEMICROPHONE". This was in 1989 when I unwisely askedIan King to say a few words. Ian, having had such a highcelebrity status, was the obvious choice to give a serve toduring the night. He was a wonderful target providing all andsundry with much laughter. However, did he make us pay forthis. His "few words" went for an hour and the white-toothedsmile he gave as he passed back the microphone let me knowhe had got square.All the other nights had their special moments with awards,protector cams, community singing and embarrassing butclean events recounted, being some of the features. The smallband of us who organised them each year always selected a108

Twenty Seasons Ontheme or central character around which we could developsome humour to which everybody could relate. We lookedupon them as a time to not only recognise the individual andteam achievements for the season past, but to alsoacknowledge the friendships and characters that made theClub.Ian King being "knighted" by DonBrooker..... AND HOW WE RAISED FUNDSThe successful formula for fund raising in any sporting club is asillusive as the search for the "Holy Grail". With each newcommittee come new ideas and new enthusiasm, which in somecases develops new ways to go broke. Weston Creek has beenno exception to this especially in our attempts to be theforerunner in the establishment of a Canberra casino in the mid80's. A friend of mine had all the games, roulette, crown and109

Weston Creek, Cricket Clubanchor, unders and overs etc. so all we ever had to find was theappropriate venue and attract an adventurous crowd.Our first attempt was held in a shearing shed at Mickey's Gully, aproperty a short trip outside the city limits along the Cotter Road.It was also held in conjunction with the final draw of our SilverCircle. To entice others, "lucky door" prizes of $500 and $250were offered and, for a $10 entry fee, the participants could haveall they could eat and drink. A very attractive package and itcertainly did encourage a reasonable crowd to throw themselvesinto a gambling frenzy at the tables.As it turned out no one complained of the smell of sheep nor didthey worry about the greasy lanolin feel of the floor, walls andtables which is typical of any well-used shearing shed. Thevenue was also sufficiently remote as to deter the interests of theCanberra Gaming Squad. All in all, with all of the giveaways, itwas a very enjoyable night, although the declared profit of $500was to some committee members disappointing. However therewas enough evidence to convince most that with a fewimprovements we could be on a real bonanza the following year.Our second and final attempt was held the next year. This timewe decided to really go up market and conduct the event on LakeBurley Griffin using the facilities of the tour boat, the "Mimosa".We established that we could invite around 80 people at $10 perhead to cover costs, and with the unique venue we would beknocking requests back like flies.The night arrived us did the required number of guests and we allboarded the boat at the Acton Jetty. When we began to set up thetables we became aware of a few space constraints. We realisedthat we were going to have some difficulty in keeping thegamblers a prudent distance away from the money placed on thetables. After a couple of passes up and down the Lake we lostour fear of being boarded by the water police and settled into the110

Twenty Seasons Onintense process of running the tables. At about the same time,we noticed that most people were very happy with how their luckwas running as very few of them appeared to be losing. The"croupiers" looked decidedly stressed by the proximity of thecrowds and it became obvious to all why real casinos have atleast two people running each table and a no-mans-land betweenthe game and the player.As the crowd got happier and happier and our takings got lessand less, we knew we were really in trouble when the "Mimosa"began to circle continuously adjacent to the National Library.The reason for this being that the Captain in the wheel house,upon hearing all the laughter and the cries of "I've won, I'vewon" lashed the wheel in a hard clockwise lock and had joinedthe lucky people at the tables.It was a much relieved organising committee when the 12 o'clockcurfew for on Lake activities arrived and the Captain cut theleash on the wheel, straightened the "Mimosa" and headed for theActon Jetty. After the extremely happy crowd departed we satdown and counted the takings. It turned out to be a very simplebalance sheet. Costs $800 - Takings $800.20 - Profit 20 cents.We went back to meat tray raffles the next year. •111

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SOMEBACKWARD GLANCESARTICLES REPRINTEDFROM"COVER POINT"ANDPHOTOGRAPHS FROMTHE PAST113

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubJohn RingwoodABRAHAMS WILL BE MISSEDby John RingwoodFew would argue with the proposition that John Abrahamsmade a big contribution to cricket in Weston Creek andCanberra. Many are more than sorry that familycircumstances will prevent him returning to Australia for thecoming season. All wish him well for the future.John's contribution to Weston Creek cannot be measuredsimply by the number of runs he scored, or the wickets hetook for the Club. These figures, of course, were important inthat they added strength to the first grade team, and builtconfidence and enthusiasm in players and supporters alike.But the personality and style of the man will be rememberedlong after the runs and wickets are forgotten.114

Twenty Seasons OnAlways recognised by the boys and girls, John Abrahams signingautographs at a shopping centre.In these times when some of us wonder what happened to thatspecial spirit cricket has always been renowned for, it wasrefreshing to see the way in which John played the game.Winning was important, but the losses were accepted with thesame grace and good humour.And this feeling communicated itself to the impressionableyoungsters in the Club, many of whom benefitted from Johnlsadvice when he felt that a friendly word would help someoneimprove their game.A measure of his success, too, was the habit many shared infollowing the scores in the County Championship through the115

Weston Creek, CricketClublong winter months. When Abrahams scored runs, we werepleased. When his name was not in the lists, we guessed heprobably didn't bat, or the printer had been guilty of anomission.When John first came to Weston Creek he found a club thatwas growing in strength. He leaves it stronger and moresuccessful than ever, as two Club Championships in a rowtestify.A grateful club will remember him with affection, and thehope that he will have many more good days in the sun, onand off the field. •Reprinted from "Cover Point", Volume 9 No I, October 1986.JOHN CARR DOES IT AGAINby John RingwoodFew of the oldtimers at Stirling Oval could remember aninnings to compare with John Carr's 173 not out againstANU Cricket Club.Even President Don Brooker couldn't suppress a smile inacknowledging the strength and power of John's innings."Not bad for a bloke who doesn't hold the bat properly", Donsaid.Many have joked at John's unorthodox stance at the wicket,but the opposition bowlers had little to laugh about as hepowered his way .to a. hundred in about 140 minutes andadded the rest in little more than an hour. Few doubt that hewould have made it 200 had the game gone on to the finishbecause there were still a dozen overs left of the 20 requiredto be bowled in the last hour.116

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubCarr returning to the pavilionStirling Oval.after his record breaking innings atHas there ever been an innings like it at Stirling, or anywhereelse in Canberra cricket? Powerful it was, and compiledunder pressure, as Weston Creek was in trouble at lunch withCol Kelaart, Paul Evans and skipper Greg Irvine back underthe showers with barely 30 runs of the required 286 neededfor victory. And the ANU bowlers had the smell of successin their nostrils and could be excused for thinking that thematch would be over by teatime.117

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubBut the Oxford, Middlesex and Weston Creek wonder hadother ideas. Coming in at the fall of Irvine's wicket at 12.55,Carr took it easy during the last two overs before lunch. Noone could have foreseen the entertainment that was to comeduring the afternoon. With the help of Clive Jones, who wasin sparkling touch, John pushed the score along, adding about70 in the first hour after lunch. The partnership developedwith fine strokes and snappy running between wickets andsoon it became apparent that the match could be saved;perhaps won. When Jones holed out at deep fine leg the pairhad added 111 in better than even time. Chris Burgess figuresin a near 50 partnership and then, 15 minutes after tea, Carrreached his century.There was now plenty of time to get the runs. All it neededwas for someone to stay with Carr. Hugh Abrahams steppedinto the supporting role, and played his part admirably.The ANU bowlers stuck to their task but there was little theycould do to stop the flow of runs.When the umpires pulled up stumps the Carr-Abrahamspartnership had put on 99. Abrahams had a six and a handfulof fours in his valuable 39 while Carr's 173 included 17 foursand two sixes, one of which cleared the sightscreen at thenorthern end by a long way.It was as if Carr's battered Newberry bat had been madewithout edges; it seemed all middle. Mid-off, mid-on, midwicketand the bowlers had their work cut out as his powerladendrives tested them. No surprise if the groundsmanfound scorch marks on the turf in the arc between mid-wicketand extra-cover. Towards the end of his innings, John unleashedhis own specials, a front foot pull shot that depositedthe ball to a spot just inside the boundary. And his placementwas such that fieldsmen had a lot of chasing to do. For thosebeyond the boundary it was a sheer delight.118

Twenty Seasons OnThis was the second first grade hundred for the Club onStirling Oval this season. It was a pleasure to see John scorethe first one, and it was even more of a pleasure to see himmake the second. It was something we will all remember fora long time. •Reprinted from. "Cover Point", Volume 9 No 5, March 1987.IRVINE TRIUMPHS INPRIME MINISTER'S MATCHby John Ringwood119

Weston Creek, CricketClubEveryone involved in some way with Weston Creek CricketClub must have been thrilled by Greg Irvine's performancefor the Prime Minister's XI against the touring NewZealanders at Manuka Oval on 23rd December, 1987.Greg not only covered himself with glory, taking 5 wicketsfor 42 and scoring 14, but also reflected great credit on theWeston Creek Cricket Club itself.From the moment he followed Allan Border onto the lushgreen of Canberra's most beautiful ground, Greg looked verymuch at home with international cricketers and gave theimpression that playing in such company was a perfectlynatural thing to do. And for Greg, of course, it is. He hasrepresented the ACT at very high level for some years, havingplayed against various international touring sides includingGavaskar's Indians and Howarth's New Zealanders earlier inthe 1980's.If he had any big match nerves before the packed crowd atManuka, he did not show it. His first ball brought him DipakPatel's wicket - caught at cover by Mark Waugh. His teammatesran in from all parts of the field to congratulate him,and they did that four more times during the course of thenext hour. The Kiwi opener, Rutherford, top scorer on theday, was Greg's next victim, bowled. Then followed RichardHadlee, caught by Border in the covers, then Smith caught byCapes and finally Snedden, caught at mid-off by DavidHookes. Some wags in the crowd suggested that it was agood thing that Border had not unleashed the local heroearlier otherwise the game might have been over before lunch.Greg's five wickets was the best bowling performance for thePrime Minister's XI against a visiting international side sincethe fixture was reintroduced to the Australian cricketingcalendar by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.120

Twenty Seasons OnGreg Irvine with his captain Allan Border at the PM's XI v NewZealand match at Manuka Oval.121

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubWhen the home side batted Greg was placed at number 6behind Greg Mathews and Mark Taylor, and Tom Moody,Mark Waugh and David Hookes, and just above the great manhimself, Allan Border. Greg batted impressively and one shotover mid on for four was the sort of Irvine shot We know andlove. When Allan Border joined him at the wicket the sightof Border and Irvine batting together somehow seemedparticularly appropriate, and it brought a lump to the throat ofmore than one Weston Creek supporter, and perhaps a fewothers as well.The sight was, sadly, short lived. With his team fallingbehind the required run rate, Greg lofted a drive which wouldhave cleared the fence on most other grounds but was wellcaught by the fieldsman on the long on boundary.Many at the match would not have been at all surprised ifGreg had been named "Man of the Match". He dideverything right and showed once again what a wealth ofcricketing talent he has.If Greg Irvine was a happy man at the end of the day then hewas not the only one. Greg's effort was a special Christmastreat to everyone associated with Weston Creek Cricket Cluband an inspiration to the many youngsters who saw him playthat day. #Reprinted from "Cover Point". Volume 10 No 3, January 1988.122

Twenty Seasons OnIAN KING - LARGER THAN LIFEby John RingwoodNo matter how you look at him, Ian King is animpressive, larger-than-life character.For most of us at Weston Creek, Ian came to light last yearwhen he played a few matches to loosen up for the AboriginalTour of England, and afterwards set a new record for thelongest speech ever at a Creek presentation night dinner.Those who were not quite sure who Ian King was before then,knew and remembered him after that night, and many morehave come to know him since he took on the job as clubcoach at the beginning of this season.123

Weston Creek, CricketClubAs a young lad from Stradbroke Island off Queensland'ssouthern coast, Ian found himself suddenly battling for a placein life in the hard reality of Brisbane. A reluctant but, inretrospect lucky, introduction to the Police Boys' Club soonbrought him a realisation of the enjoyment that was to be hadfrom sport. Under the watchful eye of the man he still refersto as his mentor, Ian became a keen participant in the Club'sactivities and eagerly joined in boxing, table tennis and othersports. Proficiency in the ring led to a period as a professionalboxer but, before he left his teens, he had already establishedhimself as a cricketer of some promise.Ian had a season under Bob Madden's tutelage at theBankstown Club in Sydney where he was plucked out offourths to play first grade and set a club record by taking 45wickets for the season (a figure subsequently topped by JeffThomson). He then joined Toombul in Brisbane, the club ofTest greats, Wally Grout and Ken Mackay. By this time, hehad developed into an aggressive and enthusiastic fast bowler,good enough to be noticed by the Queensland selectors.Ian made his Sheffield Shield debut for Queensland in 1969-70 against Western Australia in Brisbane. The WesternAustralian side also contained a young Shield debutant, fastbowler Dennis Lillee,Fast bowlers belong to a special brotherhood and opponents onfield often become firm friends off it. So it was fairly naturalthat the two new boys, Ian King and Dennis Lillee, should getto know one another. The two developed a friendship thatendures to this day.Ian played eight matches in his one first class season. Andwhat a season it was! In his first match at the Gabba, RodMarsh and Ian Brayshaw were two of his victims. AgainstVictoria he took 4 for 96. In January 1970 against South124

Twenty Seasons OnAustralia he turned in his best Shield performance, 6 for 70.In all he took 30 wickets against some very tough oppositionat an average of 28.36.The critics were impressed with this young man. He was thefirst Aboriginal cricketer to play for Queensland since thelegendary Eddie Gilbert. According to cricket writer JackPollard, Ian King was the fastest bowler to play forQueensland since West Indian speed star Wes Hall. Unlikemany fast bowlers he generated speed with an action "assmooth as silk". Pollard writes that Ian "gave glimpses of raretalent, exceptional pace and splendid fielding ability".When Ian developed back problems, his friend Dennis Lilleeput him on to a specialist in Perth for treatment. Ian moved tothe West where he worked at a variety of jobs, learned moreabout the game of cricket through his association with theInveraritys, Lillees, Marshes and others who formed theformidable Western Australian Shield team of the 1970's andenjoyed his share of success. In 1974-75, playing with thePerth Club alongside Lillee and Marsh, he won the first gradecricketer-of-the-year award with 62 wickets at an average of13.8 and included in that haul figures of 7 for 47, 7 for 82, 6for 42, 6 for 53 and 5 for 44.Ian was especially interested in the coaching techniques thatwere proving so successful for Western Australia, techniqueslight years ahead of anything he had seen before. Heemployed every opportunity to apply his knowledge and therewere many who were willing to learn.Ian's natural enthusiasm, determination and ability to lead byexample brought success for the teams in his charge, andearned him a solid reputation with players and administrators.The word got around, so that when the decision was made tosend an Aboriginal cricket team to England to commemorate125

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubA friendly word with one of his prodigies.the very first Australian tour by the Aboriginal side of 1868,Ian King was a natural to organise, prepare and train them. Incompany with tour manager, International Rugby star MarkElla, Ian accomplished his task with the skill andprofessionalism that are so much part of the man. Needless tosay, the tour was a great success.Having achieved more than most in cricket, and in other areasas well, Ian King returned from England a few months ago toresume his work with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in126

Twenty Seasons OnCanberra. He had no desire to be involved in cricket again,but somehow he found himself talking to the Weston CreekClub about helping it to find a way to improve its performancein the 1988-89 season. He took on the job as club coach andhas quickly introduced routines that have transformed practicesessions as well as player attitudes.His methods were, for some, a shock at first. Very quickly,players who had assumed that there would be the same oldroutine of turning up anytime for practice, having a bit of a batand bowl, perhaps throwing a few catches and then leavingsomeone else to pack up the kit and lock the nets, found that alot more was expected. There were special stretching exercisesfor batsmen and bowlers, running, fielding practice as neverbefore, lectures on developing professional attitudes, and muchmore. Team performances were analysed thoroughly andprecisely, pointing out the strategies needed to achieveobjectives. Young players caught on rapidly and found theyhad a coach who was thinking all the time, who had answersto questions some of them had not even thought about, letalone asked; above all, a coach whom they respected andliked. For many of the old heads, the King phenomenonshowed them that perhaps the game of cricket had just a littlemore for them to learn.Psychologist and sensitive person that he is, Ian admits that thetraining schedule he has introduced to Weston Creek is just thestart, and that the results of his efforts will become apparentover the next few seasons. For him, success is not somethingthat happens in a flash, or very rarely, and it is more likely tobe gained by a lot of work, self discipline, and an enthusiastic,positive approach. If the comments and attitudes of theyoungsters under Ian's care is any guide, then the seeds havealready been sown, and the harvest will be very rich indeed. #Reprinted from "Cover Point", Volume 11 No 2, November 1988.141

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubWCCC FIRST GRADE 1986- 87A strong combination although it failed to win any accolades.Standing: Michael Bevan, Clive Jones, Tim Morris, Ken Bone, JohnCarr, Kelvin Brown. Front: Hugh Abrahams, Paul Evans, HuntleyArmstrong, Greg Irvine (c), Col Kelaart, Chris Burgess, CathyPhelan (scorer).128

Twenty Seasons OnHuntley Armstrong receiving the "Young Cricthe third successive season in 1988.No, O'Mara didn't win this one. Two Club stalwarts, Bill Northamreceiving the major batting award from the donor, Laurie O'Mara in1984.129

Weston Creek, CricketClubMICHAEL BEVANMike Bevan's senior career with the Club began uneventfully with only afew innings in the 1985-86 season. However the next season he explodedinto action, scoring 171 runs in second grade at 57.00 average and 118runs in first grade for 'once out, including a superb 83 in the semi-finalwhere he put on a magnificent display of batting with Huntley Armstrong,who scored 94. He was named in the Australian Under 17 squad and ACTUnder 17 Player of the Year. It appeared he had been stung into actionby Huntley's successes the previous season. At this time he was also apretty devastating fast bowler and he captured 14 wickets in firsts andseconds for 20 runs apiece. He then left the Club for Tuggeranong ValleyCricket Club and two seasons later he had an outstanding season for theACT scoring centuries against the New South Wales 2nd XI and theWestern Australian Institute of Sport Colts, and fifties against the NorthCoast and the Victorian 2nd XI. This was also the season where he set anew aggregate record at the Under 19 Championships, in Canberra (449),including centuries against New South Wales and Western Australia. Thisperformance saw him selected for the Australian Institute of Sport CricketAcademy in Adelaide and it was not long before he scored his maiden firstclass century for South Australia in the second innings of his debut match.In 1990-91 he moved to New South Wales and etched his name in thehistory books by scoring five centuries against five different states, inconsecutive matches - the only player ever to do so.130

Twenty Seasons OnHUNTLEYARMSTRONGAfter many successful seasons with the Club's juniors Huntley Armstrongburst on to the senior grade scene for Weston Creek's second grade side in1985-86, scoring 363 runs at 40.33 and finishing the season in firsts. Hewas named player of the series at the Australian Under 16 carnival inPerth that season after averaging 99.25. The following season he scored592 runs at 39.46 in first grade and won the second of his three WestonCreek Cricket Club Young Cricketer of the Year awards. 1987-88 was alean year for him in club cricket but he represented the ACT withdistinction at open, Colts and Under 19 levels and became the first WestonCreek player to represent his country when he helped the Australian Youthside win the World Cup in Adelaide. A score of 244 (of 279 balls with 10sixes and 25 fours) against Queensland at the Under 19 carnival inBrisbane helped ensure his selection. Since then Huntley has moved toAdelaide where he has made a handful of first class appearances for SouthAustralia although he is yet to fulfill the rich promise he first displayed atWeston Creek Cricket Club.131

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubGreg Ratford who claimed all ten wickets in a 3rd grade matchagainst South Woden in 1980-81. His figures were 16.2 overs;3 maidens, 10 wickets for 39.132

Twenty Seasons OnKENBONE1983-84 season lo end of 1991-92 season has taken 261 first grade wicketsat an average of 16.90 per wicket. In that time he had sent down 2020overs of which 631 were maidens. On 13 occasions he had taken morethan 5 wickets in an innings.133

Weston Creek, Cricket Club1985-86 THIRD GRADE - MINOR PREMIERSBack Row - Scott Freeman, Tim Overland, Ken Wild (c), EamonnRooney, Rob Chapman, Mick Garrity. Front Row - Alistair Clark,Matthew Collins, Alex Simmons, Greg Lonsdale, Peter Seberry.CANBERRA CITY AND SUBURBAN FIRST GRADE 1983-84Standing (L to R) Ewan Mackenzie, Michael Kovacs, Steve MorrisBruce Coe (c), Darren Hossack, Dave Carter. Front (L to R)Stephen Millar, Greg Ratford, Mick Lowrey, Keith Parker, ScottEvans,134

Twenty Seasons OnTWO MILESTONES -In the season 1981-82 Tim Overland became the first Club memberto take 200 wickets. By the time he left the Club and Canberra, totake up a position in Sydney in 1988, he had taken this tally to 353.Chris Harris became the first member to play 100 innings for theClub. When he retired in 1990 he had played 191 innings scoring3 792 runs.These two records were honoured by presentations of engravedsilver trays.135

Weston Creek, Cricket Club< llMt?% If." * Stf' Nt' vTtf J" s, •Bod)' inspects the ducks?The result of weed killer at Stirling.136

Twenty Seasons OnCHRIS BODYChris is one of the original Weston Creek juniors, his involvementstretching back to the formation of the Club in the early 70s. He played inall grades on his rise to first grade, culminating in the 1984-5 season whenhe won the ACT batting award acummulating 708 runs. He has always beeninvolved in the administrative side of the Club and the Club would not bewhat it is today if it were not for Chris's continuous contribution. He is theonly player to have made the three tours of England, being captain of the1988 tour. His real claim to fame in this regard however, is the tour hecaptained to Coonamble in 1981. This was the first ever Weston Creek tourand produced many memorable events both on and off the field. His role asChairman of the Grounds committee has resulted in Weston Creek CricketClub having one of the best grounds in Canberra.137

Weston Creek, CricketClubSnow stops play! Two days after the start of the season on 12October 1987 over 100mm of snow fell on Stirling.138

Twenty Seasons OnSome 'old stagers' celebrating yet another win!! "Wacka" WaldronWal Hall, Laurie O'Mara, Chris Harris and Bill Northam at Stirling -1985.'139

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubRAY WILLIAMS LEADS THE FIRST "3RD GRADE TEAM"Standing (L to R) Ray Williams (c), Mark Burgess, Ern ie Glass, JohnWaldron, Phil Mclntyre, Pat Flynn. Front (L to R) Bob Grabham,Richard Drew, T. McGregor, John Derrick, Stephen Day.NSW SHEFFIELD SHIELD TEAMHaving a net at Stirling Oval, 25th October 1980, prior to their threeday match against Pakistan at Manuka Oval.140

Twenty Seasons OnStanding (L to R) Bill Miller, John Giles , Ron Smith, Terry Lynch,Tim Overland, Simon Overland, Chriss Harris. In front (L to R)Earny Glass, Laurie O'Mara, Ian Phillips, Bob Coughland.3RD GRADE 1985-86 MINOR PREMIERSStanding (L to R): Scott Freeman, Tim Overland, Ken Wild (c),Eamonn Rooney, Rob Chapman, Mick Garrety. Front (L to R): AlistairClarke, Matthew Collins, Alex Simmons, Greg Longsdale, Peter Seberry.141

Weston Creek, Cricket ClubABOUT THE EDITORWords cannot adequately describe the interest in, and loveof, the game of cricket Percy has. It is one of those thingsyou have to see" to believe, and it only takes a few moments ofbeing in Percy's company to appreciate it.142

Twenty Seasons OnHis collection of cricket memorabilia is thought to be on par withsome of the best in Australia. Few people can keep up with thepace or match the standards he sets as a cricketing administratorand I consider him to be one of the best. It is not as if he haspursued his interest in cricket at the expense of everything elseeither, as he has also managed along the way to carve out asuccessful career as a Chartered Professional Engineer, involvedin his church activities and various other community groups andcommittees unrelated to cricket and raise a family of three.Where he finds the time goodness only knows but one thing is forsure, he has not finished yet.This publication is an example of that. It is not something thathad to be done. It was something that Percy thought would begood to do as it would enhance the already extensive writtenhistory of the Weston Creek Cricket Club. The Club's history hasbeen faithfully recorded over the years in the Club's magazine"Cover Point", Year Books and Tour Brochures, all of whichwere the brainchild of and edited and published on behalf of theClub by Percy. If another club in any other sport has a writtenrecord the equal of Weston Creek Cricket Club, they too musthave a person like Percy. Personally I think the good Lord brokethe mould after Percy was conceived.If this publication is a testament to the players who have made acontribution to the development and growth of Weston CreekCricket Club over the past twenty years, then this small column istestament to the fact that very httie of what the Club has achievedwould have occurred if Percy had not been at the crease.Chris HarrisCanberra, 1992143

PAST PRESIDENTSDon Brooker OAM 1972-73 to 1975-76 \Laurie Evans 1976-77Chris Maher 1977-78Don Brooker OAM 1978-79 to 1980-81 \\ John Waldron 1981-82\ Don Brooker OAM 1982-83 to 1987-88 fJohn Ringwood 1988-89 to 1990-91John Bowdler 1991-92m, -

LIFE MEMBERSDon Brooker OAM 1981Percy Samara-Wic/crama 1982Jim Nuttall 1983Chris Harris 1987Ron Casburn 1987Greg Irvine 1988Chris Body 1988Beverley Alley 1990Barrie Abrahams 1990Joanne Rush 1991