Parramatta District Junior Cricket Association (PDJCA)

1930-31 – our first season as a Club (West Pennant Hills) when we played C Grade (26 teams in 3 Divisions) against Westmead. The game was most likely played at Parramatta Park. Our first Team was:

W Bowerman, F Shields, J Blissett, W Ross, G Blissett, L Blissett, William Allum, M Shields, Warwick Franks, G Booth, H Booth. Source: Cumberland Argus 6/10/1931.

1931-32 – played C Grade and shared North Rocks Park (cnr. North Rocks Road and Farnell Ave North Rocks) with Carlingford A Grade.

1932-33 – played C Grade with 29 teams in 4 Divisions

1933-34 – again played C Grade with 33 teams

1934-35 – C Grade, Division 1 containing 33 teams

1935-36 – no team was entered but there was a team called Carlingford Wanderers in B1. It is not known if this was an offshoot.

1936-37 – no team entered

1938-39 – we were back playing B1, Division 1 with 22 teams. Season info follows:

o Graded players were: V Clifton, E Collins, l Smith, F Bowerman

o E Collins – 8 innings, 296 runs @ 37 (high score 78).

1939-40 – played B1 Grade, Division 2 with 24 teams. Information from this season:

o Graded players: L Smith, L Pogson, S Franks, F Bowerman

o S Franks had the bowling figures with 38 wickets @ 14.9 (101 overs, 557 runs)

1940-41 – played B1 Division 1 with 18 teams. Information from this season:

o Graded players: S Franks, D Smith, L Smith, I Williams, William (Bill) Allum

o S Franks had the batting figures with 19 innings 519 runs @ 28.8 (high score 80)

The War years

Between 1942 to 1945, during WWII, there was no competition.

Hornsby Ku-Ring-gai Cricket Association (HKCA)

The Post-War Years

In1946-47 the WPHCC reformed but this time in the Hornsby Ku-ring-Gai Cricket Association (HKCA) later becoming the HK&HDCA. Joining us in entering the Competition were Mt Colah, RSL, Waitara Catholic, Thornleigh Waratahs and Northern Districts.

Notable events in the same year were:

We have been privileged to catch-up with Wally Childs (4th May 2008) and he confirmed the following information:

• The WPH Sports Club (formed in 1968/69) consisted of Cricket and Basketball (now Netball). This was started by Wally who was recovering after breaking his shoulder fielding at Thornleigh Oval (A1 Grade) in the 1966/67 season. The decision to form the Sports Club was made at a meeting held at Koala Park. A number of players (including Wally Howard, Les Lee, Bill Allum and Wally Childs) letter box dropped the neighbourhood to get children and adults to play Cricket and Netball.
• Around this time the WPH Bowling Club approached the Cricket Club (Sports Club) to support them in gaining Council approval to build a Bowling Club. The land at that time was used for orchards and poultry farming.
• The West Pennant Hills Sports Club evolved further in 1969. The Club was expanded to include, Little Athletics and Soccer. Total Club membership peaked at 720 in 1981. The Club eventually folded in 1991 with individual entities going their own way.

Our Founding fathers

Our founding fathers were Wally Childs, Wally Howard, Bob Bellamy, W Franks, William (Bill) Allum and George Smith.

They decided to join the HKCA as the teams were generally closer to where our players lived.

Club Colours – red, white and blue

Our colours were chosen at a meeting at Wally Childs place at 75 Annangrove Rd Annangrove in 1946. The HKCA gave us a combination of colours to choose from that had not been taken by other Clubs and the Red, White and Blue was started. As a result of this decision, all sporting Clubs in the area now use Red, White and Blue as their ‘strip’.

Grounds

The main grounds used at that time were Campbell Park, Thornleigh Oval, Normanhurst Oval, Oakleigh, Headen Park, Rofe Park, Bannockburn Oval, Galston Oval.

In the early days, transport was not always as easy as getting into a car and getting to the game. Wally recalled that they often walked to grounds with one player making the trek by foot to Mobbs Lane at Epping for a game.

In the early years, WPH and other Hills teams were considered far enough away to justify the Association running a bus to grounds – a practice that continued into the 1950s.

Campbell Park

Perhaps our ‘spirtual’ ground – it also has a fascinating history.

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 through the Mason Club. Mr Campbell gave what was a sloping parcel of land to the Cricket Club and our job was to make it 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. The cricketers were heavily involved in this work and also made the boundary fence.

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 Mason relationship between Les Methven and Mr Campbell.

Rivalry

Kenthurst were the main rivals in the early years. Our boys used to call them ‘orange chuckers’. We have no idea but what we were called but it was likely to have something to do with chooks and hopefully didn’t rhyme with chuckers.

Early meetings

Early meetings were held at the houses of our Executive. Don Donaldson was one of our Executive members and he used to entertain guests by playing the piano – he was a professional performer.

The HKCA reformed after the war and Mt Colah, RSL, Waitara Catholic, Thornleigh Waratahs and Northern Districts accompanied our entry. WPH finished 4th in each grade.