History of Walkerville Cricket Club
THE EARLY YEARS
Early history has been documented in Council minutes and summarized in the publication, John Walker’s Village.
The Town Council of Walkerville purchased “Cocker’s Paddock” in 1909, an area of 6.5 acres bounded by Smith Street and Warwick Street, now known as Walkerville Oval. The earliest records of cricket being played on the ground were documented in 1910/11, when the Warwick Cricket Club were granted use of the ground and used a “scraped” pitch. Over the next 10-15 years numerous local cricket clubs used Walkerville Oval as a venue. These included: Court Foresters Retreat Cricket Club, Gilberton Cricket Club, Walkerville Methodist Cricket Club, Sussex Cricket Club and the YMCA Cricket Association.
The Walkerville Cricket Club was first mentioned in 1915 as part on the combined Walkerville Football, Cricket and Tennis Club. During the early years it is apparent that the cricket club struggled financially, as fund-raising activities were more restricted compared to its’ more popular winter counterpart and spectators could not be charged to watch matches. Until at least the mid-1930s, Walkerville Oval was used to agist cattle and the Walkerville Cricket Club shared the use of the oval with the Walkerville Methodist Cricket Club, amongst others. The pitch (note singular) was a tar-dressed surface, which suggests that it was flat and hard and probably a batman’s paradise. The original red-brick clubrooms (still exist behind the current facility) were built in 1920s and a horse-drawn lawnmower was used to mow the oval from 1924. By the mid-1920s the oval and its’ surrounding had improved dramatically, due to tireless work by several individuals, plus working bees to develop the playground, Soldier’s Memorial Gardens and build the octagonal marble pagoda, which house a drinking fountain.
In the 1933/34 season the Walkerville District Cricket Club won the premiership of the Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association. Despite on-going financial difficulties (mainly owed to Council for the use of the Oval) it appears the 1930s were a successful period on the field. This may have coincided with the removal of the asphalt pitch and the laying of a concrete pitch.
During the Second World War, the Walkerville District Cricket Club fell on hard times and was disbanded due to lack of numbers, which resulted in Council giving permission to numerous other social clubs to use the facilities during these years. However, in 1946, the Thompson Memorial Cricket Club successfully applied to use Walkerville Oval, and subsequently advised Council that it had decided to adopt the name of Walkerville District Cricket Club. By 1949 the cricket club was enjoying much success, including the A-grade premiership in 1947/48 (PDCA), improvement of the clubrooms and irrigation being installed to water the oval. The B-Grade was formed in 1947, the C-Grade was formed in 1949, and sight-screens were first used in 1948/49. Practice wickets were first requested in late-1949, although Council did not approve the installation until 1964.
THE GOLDEN ERA
The 1950s and 60s were a thoroughly successful period for both the football and cricket clubs and many well-known sportsmen represented the Walkerville District Cricket Club. Some of these included, Ron Phillips, Mal Whitford, Colin McGuiness, Don Bremner, Claude Jarrett, Ron Hewett and Graham Winter. The A-grade won the premiership in 1953/54.
The 1960s, in particular, was a period when Walkerville District Cricket Club dominated the Prospect District Cricket Association, winning 8 A-grade premierships in 11 seasons. In season 1964/65 both the A-grade and B-grade won the premiership in the same season for the first time (repeated in 1966/67). It was during this “golden-era” that several club legends exerted their influence in both on and off-field capacities to lay the foundation for what the modern Walkerville Cricket Club is today. This band of mates lifted the on-field performances to new levels, and Walkerville was simply too good for the other clubs in the competition. The loyalty and club spirit of this period is exemplified in the records of such past players as Bob Mylrea (452 games in over 40 years), and Brian Perkins (380 games) and typifies the fact that the Walkerville Cricket Club had found the right recipe for on and off field success. It is typical of this spirit and the enduring friendships that were formed during this period that these past players still attend the club to this day.
After ten or more years of petitioning the local Council members, the Walkerville Sports Club finally received consent to build the new clubrooms in the late-1960s. The Walkerville Sports Club Rooms were opened at the oval in March 1969, offering first-class facilities for members. It was about this time that an inauspicious character named Kevin Edis joined the club in an off-field role and subsequently, went on to fill positions on the WSC committee and for both the Football and Cricket Clubs, serving as the secretary of the cricket club for about 20 years. “Smoker” as he is known, has become a fixture of the Walkerville Cricket (and Sports) Club. His continued involvement, despite many recent illness’ is testimony to his passion for the Walkerville Sports Club.
In 1970/71, The Walkerville Cricket Club was finally granted approval to remove the concrete cricket pitch and install turf wickets. Walkerville had first applied to install turf wickets way back in 1949! Therefore, for season 1971/72, Walkerville joined the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association and played upon brand new turf wickets. Naturally, the Walkerville A-grade won the premiership in its first season, albeit starting in A7. Over the next 9 years Walkerville worked its way through the grades, finally reaching A1 (Premier) Grade in season 1981-82, and joined Grange Cricket Club, another first-time A1 promoted club. Walkerville did not have to wait long for premiership success, winning the A1 premiership in the following season, 1982/83. During this period the club was well served by former Test cricketers Jeff Hammond (as captain / coach) and Terry Jenner, both of whom brought a level of professionalism and commitment not previously seen at Walkerville. Even Barrie Robran donned the whites for Walkerville during his time as a Walkerville footballer.
Walkerville enjoyed further premiership success in 1985/86, well-led by Neville Ford, when both the A-grade and B-grade won the premiership, with the C-grade also reaching the grand final. It appeared that Walkerville would dominate the competition, a la Port Adelaide Football Club. Over the next 10 years Walkerville frequently featured in the A-grade finals, and were often favourites to claim the flag, but the premiership eluded them. Rivalries with Gaza, Grange, SPOC and Payneham were strong though out this period. On-field, there were four or five senior teams representing Walkerville Cricket Club every season, but the only senior premiership claimed over the next 15 years was in J-grade in 1989/90. However, junior cricket had begun to grow during the late-1980s and several premierships have been secured since. Walkerville senior cricket has been well served by many of these former junior cricketers.
In the early 1980s, Walkerville had secured the services of Kym Reid, from Edwardstown CC, a well-known A-grade cricketer with rare abilities. The simple uttering of his name would torment opposition bowlers and his individual cricket exploits would shine for Walkerville for the next 25 years.
RECENT YEARS
The run of 20 seasons in A1 (Premier ) Grade came to an end in season 2000-01, when Walkerville was relegated after surviving and avoiding relegation the previous 2 out of 3 seasons due to late season rallies. However, the committee and the playing group were determined to see the club embark upon a period of stability and success, and this was achieved through much tireless work by the committee, supporters and not least the players, whom recruited cleverly, attracting club-orientated people to the Walkerville Cricket Club.
Finally, after 16 years without a senior premiership, the C-grade defeated Brighton (whom were undefeated) to secure the F-grade premiership in 2001/02. This premiership, along with the resurgence of the A-grade, whom qualified for finals, consistent B-grade finals participation, and an ever-increasing junior cricket representation, underpinned the success that the club would experience over the next 5 years.
The Under 17 side won the premiership in 1999/2000 (undefeated) and repeated the effort in 2005/06. An Under 13 team won the premierships in 2004/05 and Walkerville was represented in junior grades from Under 11 through to Under 17, totalling 7 junior teams. Together with firstly 5, then 6, senior teams the Walkerville Cricket Club was a thriving representative of the Walkerville Sports Club.
After missing the finals in season 2003/04, Walkerville’s A-grade atoned by defeating SHOC in the 2004/05 A2 grand final played at Payneham Oval. The game was remarkably one-sided, as the Walkerville attack tore through SHOC’s batting line-up for a mere 50-odd runs, which were gathered quite easily.
Walkerville’s rise back to A1 / Premier grade in 2005/06 culminated with finals participation and a narrow semi-final loss to eventual premiers, Brighton. However, the B-grade enjoyed premiership glory, going through the season undefeated, erasing the wounds of several narrow grand final defeats over the previous 8-9 seasons. The climax was a tense grand final against Pooraka on Walkerville Oval, in which Walkerville defended a sizeable total valiantly, but victory was only secured in the last hour of the second day’s play. The C-grade were eliminated from the finals, but were promoted as minor Premiers, whilst the D-grade, under the astute captaincy of Kym Reid, endured a heart-breaking grand final defeat at the hands of Woodville Rechabites, after storming into the finals in the last minor round.
In season 2005/06, four out of five senior cricket teams played finals (for 2 grand finals, 3 promoted sides and one premiership), and together with the Under 17 premiership, this season must surely rank as the most successful season the Walkerville Cricket Club has yet produced.
With the battle for the Ashes in our home backyard in season 2006/07 Walkerville was able field 6 senior sides (4 two day sides, 2 one day sides) with depth at the Club reaching new highs. The A grade side had a slow start to the season and even though they won 4 out of their last 5 games they would just miss out on a finals berth. The season uncovered a star with the bat for the Walkerville Cats with the talented Brett Weinert scoring 491 Premier Grade runs and demonstrating his true potential.
In what was a year of consolidation for Walkerville only the LOE one day side lead by Sam Frick played finals with all other grades winning enough games to keep them free from relegation. On a cold and wet day the LOE’s made it to the Grand Final against a star studded Adelaide Rockets team at Rostevor Oval and in an overs reduced match, a determined Walkerville went down by 4 wickets. The 3 year reign of Club Captain Brent Felice ended as he sort other ventures but after steering Walkerville back to Premier grade and consolidating their position he left the club with a bright future ahead.
Season 2007/08 brought a new set of challenges for Walkerville with many experienced high grade players leaving the Club giving opportunities for the younger players to compete at a high level as Walkerville fielded 5 senior teams (only 1 one day side). Walkerville employed ex-Northern Districts all-rounder Ben Duncan as Club Captain and whilst at the age of 24 his captaining experience may have been small his commanding 6’5 stature would make him hard to overlook.
After seeming to avoid relegation with a comfortable victory over Sacred Heart in Round 10 a long and frustrating year finally took its toll on the Walkerville A grade in devastating fashion in the final round of the year. Playing a one day match against finals contender Pultney, Walkerville were bundled out for a paltry 103 with Pultney easily claiming the runs and then batting on to make 4/234. Due to their poor performance and other final round results Walkerville were relegated from Premier grade by .01 of a point (effectively 1 run). It was a difficult year for Walkerville with the D grade also being relegated however on a positive note a lot of talented and promising young cricketers got valuable experience for the seasons ahead.
Another slow start to the 2008/09 season saw the A grade now in the A2 competition being 2 and 4 at Christmas with again a relegation battle on their hands. Walkerville would avoid relegation in the round 10 match against Kilburn at Kilburn chasing 248 when Mark Reid (114) and John Hutchinson (93) aided Walkerville to a then club record 9/415 and victory. Walkerville had won their last 3 games of the year however one turning point for the season came in the Round 7 clash with Port Districts where Walkerville were bundled out in the first innings for a meagre 71 and after Port Districts had passed their score they looked to set up an outright victory. Walkerville facing a humiliating loss and certain relegation bandied together with a united performance. An inspiring spell of off spin bowling from Leo Panzarino saw Port Districts dismissed for 156 and 150 with Panzarino claiming 7/48 and 5/51, a club record 12/99 for the match. Mark Reid again starred with the bat making another hundred in Walkerville’s second innings of 7/263 allowing Walkerville to claim an unlikely victory in a season defining match.
Again it was a tough year across the board for Walkerville with all teams struggling for most of the year however under the captaincy and leadership of the club towards the end of the season next year brings bright prospects.
The 2009/10 season saw the Club employ a new captain in the form of Damian Miller from District club West Torrens to lead the A-grade and were also able to attract a number of new players to bolster the clubs A-grade depth.
The A-grade side went on to have a successful year in both the main season competition by winning the Premiership and promotion back into A1 Premier Grade and making the semi-finals in the 20/20 competition. Mark Reid had a stellar year with the bat making over 770 runs to win the ATCA competition batting trophy.
In a tense grand final played at Grange oval the A-grade had lost the toss and Flinders Park had nominated to bat. The Walkerville fast bowlers were able to exploit the conditions and tore through the opposition batting order. This had Walkerville batting just after tea on the first day chasing a small total. At 4/16 the game was in the balance but some solid performances luckily had the Walkerville team get over the Flinders Park total on the first day 6 wickets down and passing the set score with 8 balls to go in the day. This was a blessing as rain set in overnight and continued on throughout the next day to wash out the seconds day play leaving the Walkerville team as the winner on day one results.
The LOD side lead by John Lamp was filled by mainly veteran players. This side also went onto win the One Day Premiership in a thriller on Walkerville oval.
After such a successful year the Walkerville Cricket Club was named ATCA Club of the Year with much credit going to Club President Kym Reid and his hard working committee. With these Premiership wins the club finished the year with two sides being promoted and one side in the C-grade being relegated. The coming season will once again be a challenging one for the club.
2010/2011
The Walkerville Cats returned to Premier Grade in 2010/2011 and announced themselves as a leading contender for the premiership with a brilliant first up win against last year’s grand finalists Prince Alfred College. In a high scoring one day match the Cats chased down 265 of 50 overs at home with one wicket to spare. Still needing 14 runs to win when the ninth wicket fell and balls quickly running out Tony Dichiera and Simon Buckley steered the Cats home. However the season quickly went downhill for the A Grade with the next win not coming until Round 9 when relegation was again very much on the cards. The A grade squad rallied together to show their true potential by winning the last three games of the season and avoid relegation however it was a season of missed chances after such a bright beginning. The LOC side again led by John Lamp looked to make it back to back grand final wins after finishing second during the minor round however after a disappointing batting display in the semi-finals of only 77 they exited the finals series at the hands of Grange. With 8 junior teams and a solid committee the future continues to look bright for Walkerville CC.
2011/2012
During the off season President Tony Dichiera and long term cricket operations committee member Leo Panzarino embarked on one of the most ambitious projects seen in the venue’s history to upgrade the Walkerville square. Over many years the turf square had built up so much that the “Walkerville rise” was common terminology around the ATCA competition. The objective was to totally resurface the square and remove layers of dirt underneath. To avoid football commitments their hard working committee was able to achieve this for the round 7 game on the new square against Pulteney of 2012 without any rise to speak off.
With many senior players leaving the club due to family and work commitments including skipper Damien Miller, former St Kilda AFL player Brett Knowles was appointed A grade captain at the start of the year. Brett had already been a valuable member of the A grade side over the last few seasons including the A Grade premiership in 2009/2010 and the captaincy seemed to improve his performance even further. In Round 1 Brett made a match winning 57 against AHOS after the Cats were in major trouble at 5/25 chasing 121 for victory and then in Round 2 against Goodwood he made one of the best hundreds seen at ATCA level. Batting first at Goodwood oval and with the Cats again in trouble at 6/59 he was joined by best mate Paul Reid who shared in a 199 run partnership (Reid 85) with Knowles going on to decimate the Goodwood bowlers recording 144 not out as he ran out of partners with still 12 overs left in the day and the Cats making a challenging 315. However to Goodwood’s credit they chased down the runs with the Cats depth well and truly tested which was a sign for the remainder of the season. Brett who was one of the quickest bowlers seen in the competition hurt his shoulder in Round 2 and was restricted to bowling spinners when he could for the rest of the year. This took its toll on the Cats with only two more wins for the remainder of the season which wasn’t enough for the Cats to stay up in Premier Grade. Across all senior sides they struggled to fill teams regularly, which was seen in their performances. The Juniors at Walkerville continued to thrive however with now 10 teams representing the Cats and hopefully many young players making their way through to senior level in the coming years.
2012/2013
During the off season respected footballer and cricketer for the Cats, Craig Jervies was appointed President taking over from Tony Dichera who ventured overseas. During the offseason his committee lead by Leo Panzarino had many tasks including the long term preparation of the new turf pitch which needed attention after its first season and attempting to bolster numbers with not just quality cricketers but players in general. The competition was reduced to 10 team divisions so it was going to be even harder to play finals and secure promotion back into Premier Grade. With renewed interest numbers grew for the start of the season with the return of past captains Ben Duncan and Damien Miller who were able to contribute during the year and overseas players continuing the committee’s objective of bringing quality players like Max Barson from the UK and “Minty” Jagdale from India to improve clubs player stocks. Ex Hectorville Captain Daniel Giles also joined the club who had a wealth of experience at only 23 and was able to attract many young players due to his coaching and player connections. With plenty of promise unusually the A grades first few games resulted in disappointing losses however in Round 3, again led by skipper Brett Knowles with a sensational 156 not out the Cats demolished Brahma Lodge by almost 100 runs to announce themselves for the season. After an outright win against Concordia where Damien Miller starred with the ball taking 6/26 and 5/52 in round 6 and then another great win against Woodville South where Miller again dominated taking 7/18 the Cats were looking finals bound; however two disappointing losses would see the Cats finish fifth just outside the top 4, the only shining light from this disappointment was the confidence for the new season.
The depth in the club filtered throughout all grades with the B Grade finishing fourth at the end of the minor round mainly due to the performances of captain Craig Jervies who won the ATCA Association B1 batting award with 457 runs and supported by Morgan Martin-Skerm and all-rounder Leo Panzarino who both made over 300 runs for the season. In the semi-finals the B grade took on top of the table Hope Valley for a place in the Grand Final. After making a competitive 218 batting first all looked lost for the Cats with Hope Valley cruising at 5/166 however a skied ball to substitute fielder Daniel Giles turned the game. Running backwards from cover as the ball was sailing over his head Giles stuck up his left hand to catch the ball from an almost impossible position to claim the wicket and from there the game was over. In the Grand Final the B grade were outclassed by an experienced Woodville South outfit made full use of the batting conditions on day 1 to post 8/330 which proved too much for the Cats, with Walkerville 155 in reply.
The C grade also felt the benefits of more players being available as they charged into the Grand Final at the end of season 2012/2013. Only using 13 players throughout the year the confidence was high on the back of 7 consecutive wins with skipper Nigel Grapentin leading from the front throughout. They took on Mawson Lakes and after being sent in by the opposition on Walkerville Oval they were in early strife at 6/54 before club stalwart Darcy Wright and wicket keeper Armit Gurm dug the Cats out of trouble to post a handy 160. In reply Mawson Lakes fell short making 141 with both Darcy Wright and Nigel Grapentin collecting four and three wickets respectively however the chase wasn’t without controversy with the final catch taken on the boundary and claims of feet in the gutter. This was quickly dismissed as the C grade celebrated a well-deserved victory.
Even more young players were attracted this season with 15 teams now representing Walkerville with much of the credit going to past junior coordinators John and Katrina Hutchinson along with current coordinator Norm Bear who continued to work tirelessly.
2013/2014
The club in this Ashes year ventured down the path of importing three young players from England through Zack Fagg (Batting All-rounder), Gareth Cox (Open Batsman) and Ben Donavan (Fast bowler).
All of these players not only performed well on the field with Ben Donavan and Zack Fagg being selected to represent and the latter to captain the ATCA U/23 team but added to the clubs off field culture.
The A grade again wasted winning opportunities to finish the season in the middle of the table. Brett Knowles was the dominant player for the team winning both the clubs John Rielly Club Champion Award and the ATCA A2 Player of the Year.
The A grade show it’s potential in the match against Reynella where left arm opening bowler Damian Miller in perfect swing bowling conditions tore through the Reynella batting line taking 11 wickets for the match. The story was similar for the B and C grade all finishing just out of the top four. With David Fox leading the way with the ball for the C grade claiming the ATCA C1 Bowling Award with 24 wickets. The LOD team battled to win many games as it turned over a large number of players.
The club also had a number of milestone achievements with John Hutchinson, Paul Reid, Peter Hewish and Craig Jervies all playing their 100th games for the club.
Ian Johnson-Mazzure was also recognized with WCC life membership for having played 75 club games and 7 years of service.
2014/2015
This year the club celebrated its centenary year with a 100 year celebration where it held a function and launched its Hall of Fame, inducting 9 Walkerville C.C legends.
Club Coach Tim Hart and A grade Captain Brett Knowles once again teamed up to lead the club.
The year saw the club again recruit two Englishman in left hand bat/fast bowler Michael Hill and opening bowler Nathan Musselwhite to its player list. English player Gareth Cox stayed in Australia and played a second season with the club. The club found success with the A grade going through the season only dropping one game and finishing minor premiers to gain promotion once again into the A1 competition.
Unfortunately the A grade were rolled in the grand final batting first in a lively wicket, they were not able to post a large score, but the side was able to dig deep and place their Grand Final opponent Reynella under pressure and knock them over cheaply to only be a small margin in arrears. Hitting out the team were able to knock up a lead and force Reynella to bat again. The A grade had them 6/64 but they fell short of time to force a result their way.
The Cats A grade T-20 side had an amazing season winning the competition in a tense Grand Final held at the Adelaide Oval. The A grade team won the Semi-final match against Pooraka with scores tied in a bowl off. Young player Sam Hutchinson led his team into the Grand Final by hitting the stumps twice to secure the win. In the Adelaide Oval Grand Final against PAOC the Cats were once again in the position where scores were tied.
With both teams needing to hit the stumps to claim the Premiership, Sam Hutchinson once again led the way with the winning hit in the bowl off, having the Cats take out the ATCA A grade 20/20 Premiership.
The club upgraded its pitch roller with the old Green machine finally having done its day. This was a large expense for the club but a necessary one.
Across the season the club did well with A grade captain Brett Knowles winning the A2 batting award scoring
572 runs at 72.50 and voted the A2 Player of the Year while also being selected in the ATCA Team of the Year for the second consecutive year. Other players at the club also had success with Gareth Cox and Michael Hill both playing ATCA representative cricket, B grade captain Leo Panzarino winning the B1 association bowling award taking 32 Wickets at 12.84 and big hitting batsman Vinay Rajput winning the C1 batting award with 339 Runs at 28.25.
The club fielded 17 junior teams and for the first time 2 x U/17’s sides with a number of these teams either winning or playing in Grand Finals.
2015/16 was a successful season for the club on and off the field. On field the A grade, who had been promoted to the top division in ATCA, performed well only losing three games for the season and losing in the Semi-final to eventual premier Pooraka. The C grade also performed well and unfortunately went down in the semi-final to Port Districts. Our junior program continues to grow with 16 teams ranging from U9s to U17’s and performing well. Congratulations to the U11 Red side who won the premiership in their division and also congratulations to the U13 Blue and U13 White who both made it to the Grand final. It is great to see the success and enjoyment in the junior ranks.
In 2016/2017 the Walkerville Cricket Club had four senior teams competing in A1, B1, B3 and LOC grades in the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association with membership approaching 75. The committee focussed on upgrading some key assets to benefit the current and future players for Walkerville. New sight screens were purchased and covers for the square to help bring the pitch back to an A1 standard. The club also had 220 junior members competing in age groups from Under 9’s through to Under 17’s in the North Eastern Junior Cricket Association. Our English import this year was Andrew Westphal who had an outstanding year taking 33 wickets, and being named ATCA best under 23 player of the year. Fellow Englishman/ Aussie Gareth Cox also had an outstandng year making 707 runs at 70.7 average for the year and winning the Ky Reid A grade medal. The A grade made it to the semi finals again going down to the eventual premiers Pooraka for the second year running.Gareth Cox and Brett Knowles were both named in the ATCA team of the year with Brett having the honor of being named captain of this team. The junior cats again had a successful year with 17 teams calling Walkerville home. Congratulations to the U11 Pumas, U11s Tigers and U15s Lions for winning their respective premierships. We continue to invest in our junior program and with the assistance of Club Person of the year Mark Webber the future for the cats is looking strong.
The B grade performed strongly in B1 finishing top of the table with strong years from Damien Miller with the ball and strong batting performances from Harry Latham, Lachlan Nance, Stuart Norton and Julian Morena had them finish top of the ladder. Unfortunatley we were knocked out in the Semi final by Reynella.
C Grade had a strong yea led by Will Rayneham and finished 4th and losing the semi to eventual premiers Modbury. The one day team was well led by Mark Webber had a tough year again with numbers being tough each week. David Fox had a strong year scoring 382 runs at 38.2 and Barry Bennet taking 14 wickets for the year.
Season 2017-18
2017/18 was a successful season for the club on and off the field. On field, the A grade performed well only losing three games for the season and losing in the Grand Final to Pooraka. The C grade also performed well and unfortunately went down in the Grand Final to Mawson Lakes. Our junior program continues to grow with 19 teams ranging from U10’s to U17’s performing well. Premierships to teams in the Under 10’s, Under 14’s, Under 15’s and Under 17’s has shown continued success and enjoyment in the junior ranks.
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