So where is the ‘Home of Cricket’

We often hear Greenway Park and Campbell Park spoken about as our ‘Home of Cricket’ especially now that Greenway is fast becoming one of the best sporting grounds in the Shire.

So which ground is our ‘Spiritual’ home.

The answer = Campbell Park.

The land was owned by a Mr Campbell whose land extended from New Farm Road to what is now Campbell Park. Mr Campbell was friends with Les Methven (one of our Founding Fathers) through the Masonic Club. Mr Campbell gave what was a sloping parcel of land to Hornsby Council for use by the Cricket Club. Our job was to make it into an oval.

We worked through the HKCA and Hornsby Council who provided a bulldozer(s) to level the land. The hill was gouged out and the rubble pushed to the low side to eventually level the ground. Construction started in 1952/53 after our Club guaranteed that we would build the malthoid pitch, do the plumbing and provide enough chain wire to fence off the banked-up section of the ground. It was first used in 1954/55.

So while we play on many different grounds now, Campbell Park will always be special and would not have happened had it not been for the Cricket Club and the relationship between Les Methven and Mr. Campbell.

Campbell Park is also the Ground that has been part of more Club records than any other ground in the Association – check out the Ground History here

So when you play at Campbell Park spare just a fleeting thought of the history of this ground and the role of our early volunteers who made it happen.

The ever shrinking Knapper

When you are at the Club next, get a load of Rob Knapman (B1 Blue Skipper – left with Rick Turner) – if you can see him. Since last season, Knapper has lost just on 50 kilo’s in weight and still reckons he has more to go. What an amazing achievement.

What impact has this had on his on-field achievements? He is currently the No 1 ranked bowler in B1 Grade with 21 wickets @ 9.43! The all-time B1 best Club bowling average is 7.3 by D Lamb going way back to 1962/63 and who is to say he isn’t going to get there.

What would your decision be?

A question came up at the NSW Cricket Umpires during the week for a ruling. We will give the answer next week but think about what your Decision would be:

“You are the bowler’s end umpire. A No ball contacts the body of the striker, who is making no attempt to play it with the bat. The ball goes on to put the striker’s wicket down before being missed by the wicket-keeper who watches it roll over the boundary. There is an appeal. What happens next?”

The answer – next week.

Reelin in the years

First up, our theme music for this section – here

This Saturday is the 15^th anniversary of the most remarkable bowling performances in our history. On Saturday 5^th February 2006, Ben McNamara took 10/42 in the D1 Grade game against Kissing Point at Foxglove North – the only player in our history to get all 10 wickets in an innings.

In the photo, Ben is receiving his trophy from Amir Marzouk who was the last player to take 9 wickets in a game – 9/38 (A2 Vs Mt Colah @ The Glade in 2000/01).

Only 4 players have taken 9 wickets or better in an innings in our 90 year history. The best, before Ben’s effort was 9/28 by N Lobsey (C2) in 1972/73.

Ben, an opening bowler, played between 2002/03 and 2012/13 in Grades between D2 and B1. In the season that he took the 10 he finished the season with 41 wickets @ 15.4. Over his career he took an amazing 181 wickets at 18.3 – the 54^th highest wicket taker in our history.

So…who among our current day players have been our highest innings wicket-takers since Ben’s achievement? Here goes:

• 8/13 by Riley Miedler (A2) – 16 March 2013
• 8/20 by Simon Smyth (A2) – 8 October 2017
• 7/35 by Rob Knapman (B2) – 20 October 2018
• 7/60 by Dave Larkham (D1) – 1 December 2018.

He’s coming home

Word around the traps is that Scott Henderson, one of our greatest ever bowlers, is coming back to Sydney in March. Hendo played A1 between 2009/10 & 2016/17, won 4 x A1 Grade + 3 x T20 Premierships and is one of the best fast bowlers to have ever played for us. Between 2004/05 and 2016/17 he scored 1,942 runs @ 19.8 and took 258 wickets (22^nd best of all time) @ 14.3 with a best A1 performance of 6/15 (2013/14).

Workwise, Hendo was in London as the Events Manager of London Stadium delivering EPL games week after week, NY Yankees Vs Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball; Music Concerts with 75,000 people. Add this to his resume of being the Events Manager at the SCG.

So why is he heading home? If you were in Covid ravaged England – wouldn’t you?

So if anyone has any contacts and can see an opportunity then let your friendly editor know so that we can look after one of our own.

Best of the Best

With the business end of the season now here, how about those players who are the leading Association averages.

No 2^nd guesses with this one – the bowlers have been dominant with 5 players leading the Association averages and 1 batsman leading the averages. Our photo shows Tim Scoular (A1 & A2), one of our most feared fast men, in full flight.

Thanks for coming

Sheep Station Trophy # 16 and this time the C2 Reds (Stu) were playing the Blues (Buzz) in a top 4 battle. In a typically close fought contest the last thing you want is for a player to be BBQ’d in a run out and 2 makes it worse.

Enter Alex Chidgey (pictured centre, waving). For info there are a couple of other ‘rough nuts’ in the photo also – Nathaniel Chidgey (scoring and now in Brisbane to get away from this mob), Matt Digby (looking like he saw a serial killer), Zac Morris (right & sitting) and Stu Fiedler (right standing and the Skipper who has to make a call on Chidge’s immediate playing future).

If you have to BBQ anyone makes sure it isn’t the Captain. First problem – Chidge did the job on Stu.

2^nd challenge don’t do the same to another player. Enter Chidge again. This time he did the same to himself.

To quote Buzz, the winning Skipper on the day:

“Chidge, you may be playing D grade next week after burning your skipper 😜”

While on Stu

We have been running the story about Stu Fiedler (pictured left with Phill Hando) winning 21 consecutive tosses – at the cool oods of 1.5m:1.

The laws of probability are proving correct and Stu lost the toss again on the weekend – his 3^rd in a row and the 2^nd in a row to Buzz Burrows.