the history of western suburbs district cricket club 1921-2002

GENERAL FOREWORDWestern District Cricket Club has a long and proud history dating back to 1921. It is opportune that thishistory is recorded for the enjoyment of past, present and future club members. We are sure that we,the two living authors, speak on behalf of the third author Bert Shaw (deceased 15-8-55) in stating thatthe compilation of this history was a labour of love, bringing back many fond memories. There were aswell sad moments, remembering club members both young and old who are no longer with us. They aresorely missed.We make no apology for the heavy emphasis on statistics in this history because by its very nature,cricket is a statistical game.As the years go by, devotees are forever inventing new statistical parameters that their forebears wouldnot have dreamed of, and sadly did not in their record keeping, for example, partnership records.However, we are indebted to the club secretaries and recording officers and in particular to Bob Spenceand Denise Gray in recent times, for keeping such immaculate statistics. We are also very grateful toQueensland Cricket historian, Warwick Torrens for the material supplied by him. We are most gratefulto Vivienne Chavez for the many hours she spent typing and formatting this manuscript as well as adecade of annual reports. In an age when statistics readily lend themselves to computer compilation,it is our hope that this anthology will serve as an inspiration to a present or future club member tomaintain and improve the current records.Our club is now in sight of its century. With good fortune we hope it will sail through the eighties andnervous nineties to bring up a well deserved hundred.Roger Prentice on behalf of Jack McLaughlin6-6-2002