History

The South Caulfield Cricket Club was strong during the 1950’s fielding four senior teams and a junior team. Jack Hill was an enthusiastic administrator who also prepared the ends of the matting wicket. The team would often be picked up for away games in an open-tray truck.

Prominent cricketers of the 1950’s included George Gellie who was a fine attacking batsman, a young Milne McCooke who was an aggressive fast bowler, Jim White, a resourceful medium pacer, Keith and Stewart Callahan, Joe Smith a solid opener, the Baker brothers, and bowlers Bill Irby, Bill Green and Geoff Cuttriss.
During the 1950’s, general meetings were held in the Old Grandstand near the Bowling Club every month. At these meetings match reports were given for the previous month’s games. Bill Ladson was President and Bill Hiddleston was secretary and treasurer.
In the 1958/9 season South Caulfield was defeated in the Grand Final by Washington after going through the season previously undefeated.

The beginnings of the South Caulfield Cricket Club go back to 1925, soon after the establishment of Princes Park. The Park was created over a tip which was filled in. The tip was replaced by an incinerator at the corner of Dover Street and Sussex Road which was there until the 1960’s. The incinerator operated on Saturday mornings and gave the cricket at Princes Park a distinctive atmosphere. The first cricket club to use Princes Park was a Church team. Some of its members wished to play better cricket and formed Princes Park Cricket Club which played on the current main oval. From 1925, the main oval was shared by Princes Park and Caulfield South. Caulfield South played in the Caulfield District Cricket Association and Princes Park played in the Brighton District Cricket Association where it won the premiership in 1934. Princes Park moved into the Caulfield and District Cricket Association and again won the premiership in 1938. This grand final was against Murrumbeena and began in Glen Iris. It was played to the finish which was not until Anzac Day 1938 and was played on three grounds. A Murrumbeena player played League football for St. Kilda and was absent in his team’s second innings. Caulfield South changed its name to Caulfield City for a number of years but in 1946 Princes Park and Caulfield City amalgamated as Caulfield South. Its first secretary was Carl Hennig, an early Life Member. The best cricketers of the period 1930-1950 were Carl Hennig, Bill Hiddleston and Bill Ladson. Carl Hennig played with the VCA under 23 Colts under Test player “Stork” Hendry. He was a top-quality leg -spin bowler, fine batsman and excellent fieldsman. Bill Hiddleston was an aggressive opening batsman and wicket keeper who still jointly holds the club batting record of 166.

The South Caulfield Cricket Club was strong during the 1950’s fielding four
senior teams and a junior team. Jack Hill was an enthusiastic administrator who also prepared the ends of the matting wicket. The team would often be picked up for away games in an open-tray truck. Prominent cricketers of the 1950’s included George Gellie who was a fine attacking batsman, a young Milne McCooke who was an aggressive fast bowler, Jim White, a resourceful medium pacer, Keith and Stewart Callahan, Joe Smith a solid opener, the Baker brothers, and bowlers Bill Irby, Bill Green and Geoff Cuttriss.

 During the 1950’s, general meetings were held in the Old Grandstand near the Bowling Club every month. At these meetings match reports were given for the previous month’s games. Bill Ladson was President and Bill Hiddleston was secretary and treasurer. In the 1958/9 season South Caulfield was defeated in the Grand Final by Washington after going through the season previously undefeated.

A major development occurred with the laying of the turf wicket on the main oval prior to the 1961-2 season. The club entered the Victorian Junior Cricket Association (VJCA now VTCA) in South B. During the early 1960’s the Firsts played 3rd’s teams of clubs such as Murrumbeena, Hampton, Carnegie and McKinnon on their outside grounds. The club was promoted to South A in 1963 despite the Firsts not having won a flag after the Seconds won the premiership. The premiership team was captained by Daffy Southam and included Bob Mathieson, Mick Crowley, Alan White, Bill Green, Ross Venn and Ray Schmidt. The promotion was largely due to the efforts of Bill Hiddleston who was on the VJCA Executive and came despite a decline in membership of the club.
The membership of the club declined rapidly when many established players shifted away from the area. The club ceased to field junior teams after 1967 and players for the thirds were sometimes recruited from the London Tavern. In some years the club struggled to field two turf teams. During this period the club was kept alive largely through the determined efforts of Bill Hiddleston and Ken Kay as President and Secretary.
In 1966, Milne McCooke returned to the club and with Ken Kay was instrumental in the re-establishment of junior teams a few years later. Steve McCooke played under 14 cricket at 9 years of age during the first year a junior team was formed in 1969. Prominent cricketers of the 1960’s included Daffy Southam, who was a competitive and individualistic batsman and handy slow bowler, Len White, a reliable opener and captain of the Firsts, keeper-batsman Ken Kay, Ray Nicholls, Colin Martin and Mick Crowley who once took 9 wickets for 3 runs with a windmill action. Three good cricketers who also had successful League football careers with Richmond were fast bowlers Tony Jewell and Graeme Burgin and the top class keeper, Dick Clay. The strength of the club improved considerably during the latter 1960’s. The thirds were resuscitated and played on a matting wicket on the current 3rd’s and 4th’s ground. A regular player in the thirds at this time was a young Max Stephens.

The 1970’s saw the elevation of South Caulfield to Senior Division of the VJCA in 1974. Again, this was despite the fact that the Firsts did not win a South A flag although the club was successful in the early 70’s in South A losing a grand final to Frankston in 1970/1 and losing two semi finals to Clayton and Hampton.
South Caulfield had a number of top class cricketers who consolidated the strength of the club and laid the foundation for the next thirty years during which time the club has remained in Senior Division.
Daffy Southam, Phil Rofe, Barry Nye and John Taylor were consistent batsmen. Terry Lorkin and Milne McCooke were valuable all-rounders and Alan Roberts and Graeme Burgin were sharp fast bowlers. Roger Spaull and Mike Smith were both match-winning spin bowlers. Roger Spaull took 67 wickets in two seasons including a hat trick and Mike Smith took 59 wickets at an average of 7.3 including 9/7 against Carnegie in 1973/4.

Wayne Seccombe became the club’s first professional coach in 1973/4. He was a very thoughtful and consistent opening bowler and handy lower-order batsman as well as an excellent leader who imposed greater discipline and will to win and provided invaluable experience. In his first season, the club lost one game during the home and away season but were beaten by Hampton in the Semi Final.
The first season in Senior Division was 1974-5. The Firsts led by Wayne Seccombe performed above expectations and finished second at the end of the home and away games with seven wins including an outright and three losses. The batting was not strong with only one score over 150 runs. John Taylor won the batting averages with 296 runs and Bill Cornish was second while still playing junior cricket. Bill scored the only half century of the season in the Grand Final.

The bowling comprised arguably the best attack South Caulfield has ever had. Mike Smith took 33 wickets at 10, Alan Roberts 38 wickets at 12 with best figures of 9/19 and Wayne Seccombe 27 wickets at 12 including a hat trick against Hampton in figures of 5/27 which was instrumental in a fine outright win. Steve McCooke lent support while still playing under 15 cricket. Other members of this team included Milne McCooke, Geoff Kay, Alan Brookes, Brian Lazarro and Graham Hough.

The semifinal against Hampton saw a great victory. Wayne Seccombe led from the front taking 4/11 in bowling Hampton out for 137 in perfect batting conditions. Milne and Steve McCooke opened the innings and put on a quick 40 of which Milne made 31. Darkie Lazzaro came in as night watchman and put on 56 with Steve. A winning score of 208 was reached after contributions by Mike Smith and Wayne Seccombe of 33 and 31.

The Grand Final saw South Caulfield easily beaten by Murrumbeena. In reply to Murrumbeena’s score of 208, South Caulfield could manage only 80 and 120. Geoff Kay made fighting scores of 15 and 27 and proved himself one of the best wicket-keepers in the competition with 16 catches and 5 stumpings during the season. Milne McCooke also showed his fighting qualities with 21.

The Seconds, captained by Ray Nichols won only three matches but included a number of young players who were to leave their mark. Rob Russell was the wicket-keeper, Derek Thurgood showed great promise as an all-rounder as did Eric Spence. The top batsmen were Steve Kay and Ray Nichols. The bowling was widely shared by Martin Roller, Jim White, Peter Beed, Darky Lazzaro and Ray Nichols.

The Thirds were captained by Greg Knott and sometimes struggled for numbers. Good performances came from Alan Donaldson, Derek Thurgood, Mark Kelly, Philip Spence and Terry Culph.

The Fourths, captained by Max Stephens contained several very talented junior players. Mark Kelly won the batting averages while still 16 years old. Brian Lawson, in his first season averaged over 25. Geoff Russell had scores of 61 and 46 and Max Stephens was a consistent batsman and took 4/6 in one game! Kipper Downie took 17 wickets at 13 and Gary Bramston took 21 wickets at 16. Other young players who showed ability were Paul Stormont and Craig Tonkin.
The under 17’s were led by Rob Russell and reached the grand final but were beaten by East Brighton. The best batsmen in this team were Bill Cornish who scored a memorable 106 not out, Gary Bramston, Rob Russell, Derek Thurgood and Mark Kelly. The bowling was led by Terry Culph, Bill Cornish and Martin Roller.

The Under 15’s were led by Steve McCooke who was an outstanding bowler with a best performance of 8/20. Geoff Russell, Ross Singleton and Paul Stormont also had very good seasons.

The Under 13’s made the finals for the fourth year in a row, led by Laine McCooke. Ross Tonkin and Steve Reeves also showed ability.

The Firsts had a disappointing year in 1975/6 with only three wins and six losses. The batting averages was won by Steve McCooke while still playing as captain of the under 16 team. After this season he went to District club Melbourne where he was to play more than 300 games over 25 years, culminating in selection for Victoria in 1995. Steve was an outstanding junior cricketer who won the Junior Club Champion trophy 8 years in a row. It was appropriate that the outstanding cricketer produced by South Caulfield was the son of Milne, a club stalwart who was a top player for more than 20 seasons and a mentor for generations of junior cricketers.

The batting was generally inconsistent although Rod Bright and Bill Cornish played some fine innings, notably Bill Cornish in his score of 105 not out against Spotswood during which a partnership with Steve McCooke added 127 runs for the third wicket. Eric Spence came into the side towards the end of the season, after making many runs in the Seconds, scoring 76 against McKinnon.

The bowling was carried by the slow bowlers Graeme Hough and Mike Smith who took 23 and 22 wickets. As always, Wayne Seccombe was reliable and took 19 wickets and Steve McCooke completed a fine season with 13 wickets.

The Seconds were led by Steve Kay and had an excellent season winning 7 matches and losing 2 to reach the Finals before going down in the Semi to Spotswood. Eric Spence was prolific in scoring 315 runs which together with a further 124 in the Firsts gave him an aggregate of 439 runs which resulted in him winning the Club Champion trophy. Steve Kay was the best bowler with 25 wickets, supported by Darky Lazzaro.

The Thirds also lost the Semi Final after finishing second under Ken Kay. Peter Aldridge won the batting averages, scoring 325 runs. Paul Kelly took 33 wickets including 6/85 in the Semi-Final. The Fourths, again led by Max Stephens were best served by Colin Jeffree, Brian Lawson and Brian Reeves. Young players who showed ability were Richard Britton, Geoff Russell, Gary Chaulkley and Laine McCooke.

The under 16’s won the Flag in a season truly dominated by Steve McCooke in his last year at the club. He scored four centuries including 146 in the Grand Final. He was also a fine bowler with a best performance of 9/37. Although overshadowed to some extent, Geoff Russell had an outstanding season and averaged over 50 and scored two half-centuries. Geoff and Steve were to play football together for many years at Ormond and were team mates in many A Grade Premiership teams. Laine McCooke gave great support in the Grand Final with 36 runs after captaining the under 14’s during the season. Ross Tonkin did well with bat and ball in this side. Geoff Singleton showed out in the under 12’s.

John Ryan was appointed Coach and captain of the firsts for 1976/7 coming from South Melbourne. He replaced Wayne Seccombe who remained as vice captain. Wayne had been extremely successful in his three seasons, leading the club to the finals twice, including a Grand Final in the first year in Senior Division. He brought a strong competitive approach into the club which resulted in a greater degree of discipline. These years laid the foundation for the club’s long, unbroken period in Senior Division and its standing as a respected senior club in the competition.

The club remained strong with the inclusion of experienced cricketers such as John Ryan and George Munro and the development of young, talented players such as Eric Spence, Bill Cornish and Robbie Russell. Under John Ryan, the Firsts again made it to the Grand Final only to lose to Bentleigh. The Semi Final against Carnegie was a thrilling game won by two runs after trailing by 36 runs on the first innings. In a low-scoring match, Stewart Peake took 7/36 and Rod Bright 5/16.

In home and away games, the team lost only two matches. Its strength was in the bowling where Stuart Peake took 39 wickets including 7/36 and 5/31 in the two finals. Graham Hough took 38 wickets and Wayne Seccombe took 25. Only three opposition teams made more than 160 runs.

The batting was inconsistent with only two half-centuries for the season by Bill Gardiner and Bill Cornish. John Ryan headed the averages. Stuart Peake performed well down the list to finish second in the batting averages which together with his great season as a bowler made him a worthy Club Champion.

The wicketkeeping was shared by Rob Russell, Peter Frayman and late in the year, Ken Spicer from South Melbourne. Peter Frayman and Stuart Peake put on 60 for the last wicket against Hampton.

The First Eleven went through a period of major personnel change in the early eighties. A number of new players came to the club who made major contributions over a long period of time. Steve Bean has been a consistent opener with a huge appetite for runs. Gary Rosewarne was a crafty left-arm swing bowler and solid batsman who brought a very competitive attitude to the club. Steve Richards was a top-quality opening bowler, excellent slips fieldsman and match-winning batsman who saved his best for Finals and big occasions. Laine McCooke graduated from junior ranks to be a fine all-rounder. In addition to being excellent cricketers, these players also made outstanding contributions as clubmen off the field over a long period.

A potent batting middle order developed around Geoff Russell, Richard Trayling and Kevin Kilday. Geoff Russell on his day was an attacking, match-winner and brilliant cover field. Richard Trayling ranked among the best wicketkeepers seen at the club in addition to his great batting skills. Kevin Kilday was a top-flight off-spinner and forceful batsman with renowned safe hands in the slips. Good contributions were also made by Glen Stewart, Howard Berns, Geoff Magrin and Denis Grace who coached the club between 1980-3.

During this period, it had become apparent that the policy of developing junior cricket was paying great dividends to the club. Players who came into the senior teams from junior ranks at this time included Rob and Geoff Russell, Laine McCooke, Derek Thurgood, Bill Cornish and Adam Hankin.

Harry Hart was appointed captain and for 1983/4 with Bruce Saunders as assistant coach. Harry Hart was a fast and hostile bowler and led a very capable attack which took the Firsts into another Grand Final in his first year only to be beaten by a strong East Malvern. The strength of this team revolved around the bowling of Harry Hart, Laine McCooke, Kevin Kilday and Steve Richards and the batting of Geoff Russell, Richard Trayling, Kevin Kilday and Laine McCooke. In the Finals matches, Geoff Russell and Richard Trayling batted magnificently in partnerships of 109 and 76. Harry Hart gave his all in taking 7/80 in the Grand Final.

After a poor season during which the club struggled to avoid relegation by winning two of its last three games, Chris Farrington was appointed captain-coach for 1985-6. In the first of many productive seasons, he led the club back to the Finals although losing to Watsonia in a rain-marred match. Chris Farrington was an astute captain and team leader who got the best out of teams and led from the front both as a solid left-hand batsman and clever seam bowler. The bowling was strengthened by the recall of Gary Rosewarne after several highly successful seasons captaining the seconds.

By the end of the 1970’s, the club fielded five senior, five junior and two ladies teams.
In 1981-2, three of the senior men’s sides played in the finals with both the Thirds led by Mick Phillips and Fourths led by Peter Frayman beaten in Grand Finals. Geoff Henwood was a very effective bowler in the Thirds which included experienced cricketers in Brian O’Meara and Roy McCusker. In the fourths, Peter Frayman had an outstanding season with the bat to win the Club Championship. Although beaten in the Grand Final, the team contained a number of young players who made important contributions to the club in later years. These included Peter Corkhill, John Ramser, Peter Seccomb, Gary Chalkley and Geoff Singleton. Max Stephens led the fifths with Ken Kay playing his last season as deputy. Experienced players in the fifths included Kipper Downie, Twiggy Lawson Senior and Phillip Lipton. South Caulfield fielded two women’s teams both of which were successful in reaching the finals. The senior team was captained by Kathy Grace and leading performers were Debbie Thurgood and Mellisa Thompson.

An era ended for the club when Bill Hiddleston stood down as president after nearly fifty years involvement with the club. During this time, Bill was a fine all-round cricketer and administrator in the roles of President, Secretary and Treasurer and sometimes all three at once. He was also involved in the Princes Park Management Committee and an executive member of the VJCA. Bill was the first Life Member of the club and also a Life Member of the VJCA. Bill represented the heart and soul of the club over a long period including very difficult years for the club during the 1960’s when Bill almost single handedly kept things going. It was largely as a result of this that the club was able to expand and prosper and become the proud club it is today. Bill was a gentleman in the full sense, respected by everyone and all who had contact with him was aware of his special qualities. He occupies a unique place in the history of the South Caulfield Cricket Club and the values and principles for which he stood have remained within the club long after his death in 1985.

His memory is perpetuated by the trophy awarded to the winner of the Firsts batting averages which bears his name.
A changing of the guard occurred in 1983 with the advent of a new, young administration led by Peter Frayman as President assisted by Steve Kay and Steve Richards.

A very important feature in the early 1980’s was the development of a very successful junior program. Peter Corkhill was instrumental in building upon the foundations laid by Milne McCooke. By 1981, the club fielded four junior teams in under 16, 14 and 12 age groups and we have been fortunate in reaping the benefits of this over the past fifteen years. Not only have many good cricketers come from the junior teams, a number of them have also taken up important roles in the club off the field. We are in an area of great competition between clubs for a declining number of potential young cricketers. It is a credit to Peter Corkhill that he was able to establish a large number of teams in an area where other clubs found this impossible to achieve. His fine work has been carried on by Ken Kay, Max Stephens and Robbie and Bernie Russell and Col Jeffree. It is of the utmost importance that the encouragement of junior cricket within our club continues in order to ensure its continued existence and success.

In 1983/4, the seconds were captained by Darky Lazzaro and although including several well-known identities failed to capitalise on their ability. Geoff Magrin compiled 161 not out against Royal Park. The team included Rob Russell, Steve Kay, Bill Cornish, Derrick Thurgood, Steven Bean and Howard Berns. Bruce Saunders made 99 not out which was notable because Steve Bean played out the last over as a maiden.

This season saw the emergence of several junior players who were destined to give fine service to the club. Sean Crough made 106 for the thirds and Adam Hankin, Nick Hansen, Aarland Roth and Adrian Connolly came under notice in the Fourths.

While the Firsts struggled in 1984/5, the year was notable for the Premiership won by the Seconds under the leadership of Gary Rosewarne. This premiership broke a drought which had lasted since 1962/3 during which time the club played off in a number of losing Grand Finals. The determination and application which Gary was able to instill into the team brought about a hardening of resolve which was to usher in a successful era for the club.

Premiership success was unexpected early in the season because a number of experienced Seconds veterans such as Steve Kay, Rob Russell, Howard Berns and Steve Bean had either left the club or were in the Firsts. This left the way open for players to come up from lower grades to form a strong team. These included Adam Hankin, Mick Delaharpe, Phillip Lipton, Aarland Roth, Nick Hansen and Eric Spence making one of a regular series of resurrections.

The Fourths lost the semi final despite a century from John Ramser and being in a winning position. Peter Purcell had a brilliant season winning the Club Championship and the Thirds batting and bowling averages. Dave Clements took a hat-trick in figures of 7/26.

Three under 14 junior batsmen destined to play in the Firsts caught the eye in the Fifths under Brian ‘Twiggy’ Lawson. Chris Larsen, Henry Jones and Nick Caple all made useful scores towards the end of the season. Laurel Phelan captained the women’s team and made the most runs with Melissa Thompson having another good season.

In 1985/6 Bill Cornish scored two centuries in the Thirds including an incredible century in 35 minutes at Ormond.

The Women’s team saw outstanding performances from Julie Eggington scoring 101 not out and Leigh McNamara taking a hat-trick among her 32 wickets.

Season 1986/7 was notable for the arrival of Stuart Carboon to the club and his immediate impact in winning the Club Championship, the first of a record seven. The Firsts narrowly missed the Finals, largely because too much was left to Chris Farrington, Stuart Carboon, Howard Berns and Kevin Kilday.

The Seconds went no further than the Semi final. Daffy Southam came back to the club after a long absence and characteristically won the batting averages with 313 runs at 44.7. As a Life member and character, his return was most appreciated and it was especially pleasing to see that he had lost nothing despite being over 50 years of age. The only concession to time was that he wore at least one batting glove at the crease.

The Seconds again won the flag in 1987/8 under Glen Stewart. In a very even team which always had a large number of contributors, Steve Richards was outstanding all year with 254 runs and 32 wickets to win both averages awards. Nowhere were his performances better than in the finals with both bat and ball. Daffy Southam had another excellent season. Chris Larsen with 101 and Henry Jones established themselves as fine developing cricketers.

Ian Frances played his first season and made good contributions to the Seconds finals campaign. Other prominent members of this Premiership team included Darky Lazzaro, Mick Delaharpe, Nick Hansen, Adam Hankin, Geoff Magrin and Peter Purcell.

The Firsts improved to play in the Finals in 1987/88 but for the second time in three years suffered the consequences of a washout after failing to finish in the top two. This was the first season Ian Knights played at the club and soon showed his quality with a century. Chris Farrington was again a consistent all rounder. After many years in the Seconds, Darky Lazzaro was promoted and won the Firsts bowling averages. Lyndon Falke also came to the club and proved to be a top quality keeper and useful batsman. Laine McCooke returned to the club from South Melbourne which added depth and experience in both batting and bowling. David Cronin played several games and showed considerable promise, having come up from the junior teams.

The Thirds finished in the middle of the ladder with the best batsman and bowler being Sean Crough. Jon Restarick also showed he was a young cricketer of the future.

The outstanding cricketer in the Fourths was Tony Izekiel who also came through the junior teams and was a very effective in-swing bowler for the Fourths for a number of years.

The Fifths, captained yet again by Max Stephens made it as far as the Grand Final, largely due to a great season by Col Jeffree which won him the Club Championship. Peter Watkinson, Terry Breyiannis and Dave Peake were other major contributors.

This season saw the introduction of a Sixth senior side led by Kevin Ringer. Initially this team was successful as a social side but later it became a valuable introduction to senior cricket for many junior players. The stalwarts of this team in its early years were Steve Smith, Cosmo Impagniatello, Sten Sakkas, Russell Barnett, Tony Conway, Craig Gent and Keith Long.

The 1988/9 season was Chris Farrington’s last season as coach of the club although he played with distinction for a further 10 years. He led the club with great distinction and was an enormous asset to the club as a leader on the field who commanded great respect from team-mates, all club members and opposition players. The club was particularly honoured to have Chris as its coach because he was also a great clubman off the field who showed interest in all teams and activities of the club. He won either the batting or bowling averages award in each year while club coach and showed all players around him the requirements for team success.

It was fitting that the period during which Chris was the club coach culminated in him winning the Roy Paxino medal for Player of the Year in the VJCA. Although the Firsts missed out on the finals, largely because of the loss of several players from previous years, a number of young promising players broke into the team and showed that the elusive Senior Division flag may not be far away. Ian Frances continued to improve and took hauls of 8/29 and 6/20. Chris Larsen showed he was an extremely talented young player both as opening batsman and keeper and Shaun Crough improved to such an extent that he won the First Eleven batting averages. John Resterick and Herv Carlos also played in the Firsts for the first time after starting the season in the Thirds and injected keenness and enthusiasm.

The Seconds lost only one game leading to the Grand Final and finished on top far ahead of the next team. In the Grand Final, the Seconds were beaten by Murrumbeena after having the worst of the pitch conditions.

The side consistently made high scores because of its great batting depth led by Sean Crough, who also found time to win the Firsts batting averages. He scored two centuries. Other batsmen who scored heavily included Rob Russell, Geoff Magrin, Mick Delaharpe, Glen Stewart and Steve Bean. Herv Carlos came of age with his effortless style of batting and scored 112 not out.

The bowling was led by the competitive and cunning skipper, Gary Rosewarne who took 35 wickets at 8.5. He was supported by Peter Purcell, Steve Bean and Darky Lazzaro who took many wickets as usual.

The Thirds were captained initially by Daffy Southam who finally retired mid-way through the season. This ended a long and colourful career at South Caulfield spanning forty years with interruptions by a successful and distinctive cricketer. He was a fierce competitor but loved cricket as a game. This made him very popular with team mates and opponents alike. He was very much a big occasion player over a long period and was able to use his experience to score 53 not out in his last year.

The Fourths were captained by Phillip Lipton. Mick Phillips batted well to compile 284 runs and the bowling was led by Tony Izekiel, Col Jeffree and Phillip Lipton. Paul Kenrick showed great potential which earned him promotion to the Thirds while still playing under 14 cricket.

The Fifths under Max Stephens made the finals for the third year in a row. Shane Wiley had an outstanding season with both bat and ball, Peter Harris scored 130 n.o. and Kipper Downie was as consistent as ever.

The under 12’s included several players who have gone on in later years to play senior cricket. Sean O’Sullivan, Pasqual Bunyan and Chris Fernando were all playing some seven years later in senior teams.

The 1989/90 season saw several major changes at the club. Ken Kay stood down from the position of president after four years. This was the culmination of a very long period during which Ken acted as Secretary and Treasurer. The club is enormously indebted to Ken for his efforts over many years to ensure that the club remained healthy and strong. It is a testimony to Ken that his efforts were largely successful and the club is in the position it is in today. Of particular importance was Ken’s continual encouragement of young cricketers. He did this because he saw the development of juniors as the key to the club’s future but he also loved to see all young cricketers learning and enjoying the game. It is in the nature of clubs that very often too much is left to too few but Ken never let the club down with his tireless efforts in many ways and his influence is deeply ingrained in the club through the many players who he helped and advised both on and off the field.

Phillip Lipton became President with a largely new committee which included Sten Sakkas, Darky Lazzaro, Laine McCooke and Steve Bean. This season was exceptionally successful with five of the six teams playing off in Grand Finals. This resulted in Premierships to the Seconds, Fifths and Sixths. Despite this outstanding success, keen disappointment was felt in the defeat of the Firsts after going into the Grand Final undefeated.

Gary Rosewarne was appointed as club coach and played a major role in the on-field success of the club. He brought to the club the benefit of his winning touch as a captain and leader. Chris Farrington remained as Firsts captain and as usual for him had a great season with both batting and bowling. He again was Club Champion and finished second in the VJCA Player of the Year award the year after winning it.

The side was considerably strengthened by the return of Stuart Carboon and a great season by Ian Knights who scored 487 runs at 40. Chris Farrington and Stuart Carboon both had very fine seasons as bowlers. Lyndon Falke also returned to the club and added considerable talent and experience. A number of young players pushed their way into the Firsts and made significant contributions. These included Chris Larsen, Nick Hansen, Jon Restarick, Dave Cronin and Nick Caple. It was particularly pleasing that all these players came up through the ranks from under 14 or under 12 teams and represented some reward for the great efforts made in conducting the junior teams of the club.

The team went through the season undefeated up to the Grand Final but were defeated by North Caulfield largely through the innings of 168 by Robert Lamb.

The Seconds were again a powerful team and this time went one better than the previous year to win another flag. The stars were the veterans Gary Rosewarne and Steve Richards. However the team showed great depth throughout the season and in the finals. Jon Restarick, who scored 116, Nick Caple and David Cronin batted very well and showed they had matured into Firsts-quality batsmen. Nick Hansen had a great season as a bowler who was also more than handy with the bat. The most notable performances of the season included the demolition of Watsonia for 16 and 40 with Steve Richards taking 5/5 and 5/14. Steve Richards also starred in the Grand Final making 113 not out coming in at 6/68. Nick Hansens’s 5/52 made the premiership safe.

The Thirds led by Robbie Russell reflected the strength of the club by battling into the Finals and recording a magnificent Semi Final victory over the top side, Richmond Union. The team was best served by Rob Russell who scored 448 runs including a typical swashbuckling innings of 150. His best innings was a fighting, aggressive innings of 83 in the Semi Final with the team in trouble. Adrian Connolly, Phil Eastman and Peter Purcell lent great support in this game. Peter Purcell’s innings was particularly colourful after being struck in the mouth. It was inspirational to see him get up and keep batting at a crucial stage of the match.

The Grand Final proved to be an anti-climax after a good start was not taken advantage of and dropped catches.

The Fifths captained by Peter Harris won the Grand Final after trailing on the first innings. The best-performed batsmen were Dave Horton and Terry Breyiannis while the best of the bowlers were Col Jeffree and David Peake. Phil Savage made a match-winning 55n.o. in the Grand Final.

The third Premiership for the season was won by the Sixths, led by Sten Sakkas, in a close match. Richard Schmidtke and Shane Goss were outstanding players at this level. Steve Smith and Kipper Downie also played well. The Junior Club Champion was Paul Kenrick who also played in the Fourths while still under 14. The most improved player in the under 12’s was Ashley Russell. Sean O’Sullivan won the batting averages for the under 14C team and Chris Briggs won the bowling averages for the under 12A team.

The season 1990-1 was historic. The club under the captaincy of Stuart Carboon won its first senior premiership in the VJCA after 30 years in the competition.

It was the first Senior Division premiership after 17 years and five losing grand finals and made up for the disappointment of the previous season. The flag was eventually won after the team was last on the ladder at the Christmas break. At this stage, there had been three losses, one win and two washouts. The turn-around came with the boost of the return of Chris Farrington. A string of wins followed including a fighting victory over Bentleigh, largely due to 123 by Farrington. The team narrowly lost the last game of the year to Murrumbeena but somehow climbed from fourth to second.

The Semi-Final saw a convincing win over Newport largely due to the batting efforts of Herve Carlos and Chris Larsen and the bowling of Steve Richards who took 5/50.

The Grand Final was a memorable game against Bentleigh at Bentleigh who finished on top of the ladder after the home and away games.

Batting first, South Caulfield lost early wickets but were held together by Ian Knights who made a fighting 82 despite a hand injury. With support from Stuart Carboon, Kevin Kilday, Nick Caple and Herve Carlos the score was taken to 270. Magnificent bowling and fielding reduced Bentleigh to 8/112 at the end of the second day. Carboon led the way with 5/31 off 25 overs bowling off a shortened run. Farrington, Richards, Kilday and Richards all gave valuable support. Play was delayed on the third day due to watering of the wicket by Bentleigh supporters, but on resumption, the last two wickets soon fell.

The strength of this team lay in its eveness. Stuart Carboon had a great season with both bat and ball and was a worthy and appropriate Club Champion in the Premiership year. Ian Knights and Chris Farrington had another successful season and were ably assisted by the batting of Nick Caple, Steve Bean and Chris Larsen. Kevin Kilday was an extremely effective spin bowler.

The Seconds were a young side led by Gary Rosewarne. It had a good season playing off again in the Grand Final but losing to Bentleigh. The talented young players included Nick Hansen, John Restrick, David Cronin, Henry Jones and Tim Powell. Shane Goss and Gary Rosewarne bowled well all year and Andrew O’Connor won the batting averages with consistent performances. Nick Hansen had a particularly good game in a low-scoring match making 38 and taking 3/14.

In the Grand Final, dropped catches were costly as Bentleigh made a big score. On a rain-affected wicket, the Seconds were easily defeated. John Resterick and Paul Kenrick fought hard and Paul took 3/65. This was a fine effort as Paul was still playing under 16 cricket and won the Junior Club Championship.

The Fourths had a good season under the fine leadership of Peter Frayman. The team made the finals and was frustrated by bad weather which prevented a result in the semi final. The highlight of the season was a convincing win over Brighton who had been undefeated for two seasons. This was largely due to the fast bowling of Josh Cordtz who came through from junior ranks. The strength of the side was in its bowling led by Tony Iezekil who took nearly 40 wickets and Matthew Cooper.

The outstanding junior cricketer was Paul Kenrick in under 16’s. In the under 14’s, Sean O’Sullivan captained the side and Pascal Bunyan was the leading batsman.

The Women’s team was reformed under the captaincy of Mellisa Thompson and coaching of Adam Hankin. The high point of the season was a score of 386 with centuries to Mellisa Thompson and Sandra Kerrison. Nicole Worth took 9/43.

South Caulfield dominated the VTCA in the first half of the 90’s, often undefeated through the home & away season in both 1sts and 2nds, with frustrations in sudden death finals making 1st XI premierships elusive. The 2nd XI continued to collect premierships, and the club’s strength attracted enough players to expand to 5 senior men’s teams.

The second half of the 90’s was more challenging. Richard Britton stepped up as President and saw through a change of the guard. The strong group that had dominated through the early 90’s (Farrington, Knights, Carboon, Horsey, Richards, Kilday) retired as a bunch. A young team, led by Jonathan Restarick and Mark Pilditch, highlighted by Ashley Russell and leveraging a premiership U16 team including Luke Russell, Russell Wiley, Leon Gouzenfiter, Chris Everett and Sean O’Sullivan was unable to challenge for 1st XI premierships, but had the tenacity to uphold SCCC’s enviable record of never being relegated from the highest division.

The young group that staved off relegation in the late 90’s stepped up to be much more competitive in the ‘naughties’, pressing for finals each year. Our 2nd XI remained strong and the club (led by Rob Russell as president) continued with enough depth to maintain 4 strong teams. Each year built greater depth, strength and belief. Rod Pallot took over as President from Rob Russell in 2005 and oversaw some
complex seasons of disruption as the council renovated the Bricker Pavilion.
Loss of permanent rooms impacted finances (kiosk and bar) just as much as training/playing. In 2008, Jon Restarick took over as President, starting the longest Presidential reign of the clubs history. The late ‘naughties’ were challenging as the club recovered from financial (and player depth) strain from the rooms renovation, with nets renovation following soon after. At one point the club was reduced to 3 senior sides, and only 1 junior side (as we had missed the early potential of ‘Blasters’ cricket). As we exited the ‘naughties’ the club was rebuilding, with better financials, Matthew Stahmer starting our ‘Blasters’ program to renew the junior program,
and targeted recruitment of strong players.

The club continued to build, year on year, with emphasis on juniors, growing local talent, a long term relationship with Lancashire County Cricket Club and some wonderful Sri Lankans. From the start, the objective to make SCCC a multi year destination for international players was successful and we had great multi-year service from Sampath Perera, Thilina Masmulla, Alvitigala Kanishka (G-Train), John Simpson (England rep), Simon Kerrigan (England rep), Nicky Caunce, Jordan Clarke and Steven Mullaney. Through the combination of local/international capability, the club climbed the ladder with regular VTCA Senior semi finals and finals appearances, often pipped at the post by Yarraville Club.
Throughout the decade, having leveraged the international coaching, the club made a deliberate decision to reduce reliance on international players and build a longer-term local capability. A strong relationship was built with St. Kilda district cricket club (via Ashley Rusell), providing a pathway for our juniors; as well as a recruiting ground for long term leaders. Therefore, by the middle of the decade, the 1st XI was a strong mix of SCCC grown players, long term internationals and ex-district players (Glen Lalor, Will Rusell, Lewis Mildenhall). The strength in the 1st XI flowed through the grades. The 2010’s was also a wonderful period of return on our junior program as we watched Josh O’Donnell, Zach Hanson and Sam Emberton make their way to the 1st XI.

The long term regeneration resulted in South Caulfield being the dominant on-field cricket club in metropolitan Melbourne for the 2nd half of the decade. After winning, our second 1st XI premiership in VTCA, the club (along with most in the south) took up the opportunity to move to CSB (Cricket Southern Bayside).
South Caulfield 1st XI made the next 10 grand finals, and won 8 of them to dominate CSB. The 2nd XI continued to thrive, winning premierships (against 1st XI sides) and eventually making its way to CSB Division 1 (two divisions above any other 2nd XI side). Our 3rd XI was too strong for CSB (completing an entire season undefeated) and made the decision to play top division in MCC cricket (wonderful led by Andrew Kahofer). The club’s strength resulted in growing to 7 senior teams in season 2022/23, as well as 4 junior sides (3 playing turf).