Former Gordon player Darryl Quigley passed away up the north coast on Saturday 13th May after a long illness aged 63. Darryl was part of a great Gordon cricketing family. Father Jack played for many years, reaching the First Grade side in the 1942-43 season (he is no.12 on the All Grades batting list).

One of Darryl’s brothers, Warren, also played 1st Grade in the 70s (as well as 1st Grade rugby for Gordon), while another brother, Martin, also played for the club.

Educated at Riverview, Darryl captained the Green Shield team in the 1969/70 season, in a team that included John Dedman, Jim Cameron, Craig Peifer and Michael Falk, before going on to play Grade cricket that year before finishing in the 1977/787 season.

In total Darryl scored 3183 runs at 22.57. A dogged opening batsman, he played lower grades for a number of years before reaching 1st Grade in the 1975-76 season. Not long after that, the family moved to Lismore, where he had a variety of jobs before completing his Law degree and setting up his own practice in Byron Bay.

                                            The 1974/75 Poidevin Gray team
Back row: N.Spence, P.Olsen, C. Pheifer, R. Huey (scorer), P. Baird, D. Meagher, A. McElvoy
Front Row: D. Quigley, S. McDowell, J. Dedman (Capt.), H. Crow (Pres.) M. Falk, J. Cameron, J. Crawford

He was also responsible for the formation of a rugby club – the Mullumbimby Moonshiners. A special claim to fame for Darryl was that he played for 6 years continuously in the Gordon Poidevin Gray team, playing in the same year he played Green Shield.

Some of Darryl's mates who gathered for the funeral. From left, Michael Falk, Graham Mackie, David Gray, Jim Cameron, Warren Quigley and John Dedman

Possibly Darryl’s most memorable innings for Gordon was in the Poidevin-Gray Shield final of the 1974-75 season. After Gordon lost two wickets in the first two overs, Darryl batted for most of the rest of the day (the final in those days went over two Sundays) to score 84. It was an innings of great grit and determination which Darryl had in abundance. Gordon was able to post a total of 250 which proved to be too many for Sutherland (despite them having two batsmen, Andrew Hilditch and John Dyson, who went on to play Test cricket).

The team held a 40 year reunion 18 months ago, which Darryl attended, and were able to relive that great game (NB. That was the last time Gordon won the Poidevin-Gray Shield!)

Darryl possessed a gregarious personality and was a wonderful team man with a very sharp cricket brain. At the same time, he always enjoyed a good time and was always the life of the party.

To his wife, Julie, children Vinnie, Kellie and Hollie, and brothers Warren, Martin and Bruce, the club extends its sincere condolences – a terrific character sorely missed.

Michael Falk

Being a club of now 112 years standing, we have been served by many volunteers who have devoted their energies to playing for our club as well as providing the administrative backbone that has enabled the Gordon District Cricket Club to prosper during good and bad times.

One such person is GDCC Life member Keith McDonald who passed away on May 7 at the age of 94 and was remembered at a funeral attended by many of his Gordon friends on May 11. 

While it is the normal practice to remember our members based on their cricket skill, which Keith also excelled at, it is his record as the longest serving official in one position in our history that makes Keith stand out as a great stalwart of our club. Keith was the Honorary Treasurer continuously for 26 years from 1970 to 1996.

To add to this achievement Keith joined the club as an associate member in 1946 and continued playing grade for the club until 1967. He then played 5 more seasons in Colts until retiring in 1972. Considering Keith continued in his administrative role until 1996, he was therefore directly involved with the club either as a member, player or administrator for 50 years.    

Before joining the club, like many of his fellow Gordon members, both his cricket and career was curtailed when he enlisted in 1942 as a fresh-faced 19 year-old as part of the 32nd Australian Anti-Aircraft Regiment, initially serving in Port Moresby. He went on to serve in Morotai in the Pacific and Balikpatan, Borneo, as part of the 2/1 Australian Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Having excelled in mathematics at school, Keith’s main role was as a predictor, which meant that he had to do all the calculations behind the aiming of the guns. Like many of his generation, Keith didn’t have a lot to say about what he did in the war, but he certainly enjoyed getting together with his fellow soldiers on Anzac Day.

According to Keith’s meticulous notes, kindly provided by his daughter Linda Gaffney, he joined the Gordon District Cricket Club on 26th November 1946 as an Associate Member in order to practice mid-week for the AMP City and Suburban Team. He played his first match on 30th September, 1950 in the Colts Firsts team which was playing in the Gordon District Junior Cricket Association. 

Keith was promoted to 4th Grade in March 1951 and played continuously in 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade and Colts Second XI until March 1972. The GDCC records confirm that Keith scored exactly 5000 runs for the club in grade cricket and 7,095 in all teams. He also took 46 grade wickets @ 16.04 and 104 wickets overall @14.80.  Keith was an elegant right handed opening batsman and a “part time” leg spin bowler. Keith was admitted as a Life Member of the Club on the 14th July 1976.

Keith and his wife Nona were also keen golfers and played together as members at Roseville Golf Club until 10 years ago, having been a member there since 1955, only stopping playing at the age of 84. 

Keith and Nona in the 1970's

Keith’s role as Honorary Treasurer for 26 seasons is unprecedented in our club and no doubt his expertise as an actuary helped him to keep our books in such good order for so long. Keith also served on the General Committee for 8 years before becoming Treasurer. 

Keith had started at AMP just before the war and continued there after the war from 1946 up to his retirement in 1985. As there was no Actuarial degree at the time in Australia, Keith was forced to do his study long distance through mail to and from London and was eventually admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in Australia in 1962. 

It is always sad to talk about the loss of a club legend like Keith, however we can only continue to be thankful for the extraordinary work undertaken by volunteers such as Keith and the obvious enjoyment our club members have being involved with this great club.   

Keith’s legacy will always be remembered within the Gordon District Cricket Club whenever true gentlemen of our club are discussed. He will always be revered for his contribution and unfailing desire to not just help the development of grade cricket but to also maintain the unwavering spirit of inclusion in our great club.

Paul Stephenson 

Elliot Richtor and Mason Crane share the prestigious Bill O’Reilly Medal, Trevor Chappell awarded NSW Premier Cricket Coach of the Year while the Victor Trumper Player of the Year is shared by Elliot Richtor, Mason Crane and Scott O’Brien.

Elliot and Scott pose with Trophy (Mason was back home in England)

The NSW Premier Cricket Awards were on Friday 28th April with two Gordon players sharing the Bill O’Reilly Medal after Charlie Stobo won the same award last year. Elliot Richtor and Mason Crane both were awarded 18 points by the umpires while third place finished with 14 points. In addition Trevor Chappell was named the Coach of the Year after helping the club move from 10th the Club Championship to 4th while not being able to use Chatswood Oval for practice due to the renewal of our practice wickets.

Elliot winning his O'Reilly Medal at the NSW Premier Cricket Dinner also shared with Mason Crane

Then on Saturday 29th April the GDCC Annual Awards night was held at the Kirribilli Club which was attended by 110 people including players, supporters and their partners. The major presentation was made to the Colts team who were premiers in the Metropolitan Cup and received their caps from our Platinum Sponsor Aden Nawaz from Beastwear. Congratulations to Aaron Crofts and his team for their excellent season. Jennifer Williams was also presented with a photo collage for her fantastic contribution as manager, scorer and photographer.

In a thrilling count down of points each round for our own Victor Trumper Player of the Year Award sponsored by Smartline Mortgage Broking with Scott O’Brien equalling Mason Crane’s 20 points with one round to play. Elliot Richtor was three points behind and in a dramatic finish scored the maximum three points in the final round to equal Mason and Scott. This was the first ever tied Player of the Year Award. Congratulations to Mason and Elliot who also had shared the O’Reilly Medal and particularly Scott O’Brien who dominated in 2nd grade and kept the other honest throughout the season.

Geoff Hickman giving his acceptance speech with screen behind him

In a moving decision for Clubman of the Year, Geoff Hickman received a standing ovation from the crowd with the players standing as one to congratulate their President. This was a great indication of how the club is bridging the communications gap between the Executive and the players and show they were appreciative of the work carried out by Geoff and his team.

In a special presentation, the club acknowledged the 10,000 run milestone for Damon Livermore and the 5,000 runs milestones for Steve Colley and Elliot Richtor. Commemorative Plaques were awarded to the players by Marshal Rosen and each player was interviewed by Ed Howitt.

The other major awards were:

• Charles Mc Cartney Award – First Grade Player of the Year - Elliot Richtor
• Dick Guy Award – Under 21 Player of the Year - Mason Crane
• Brian Taber Award – Best All Rounder - Ash Doolan
• Phil Emery Award – Green Shield Player of the Year - Glenn Winsor
• W. A. “Bert” Oldfield Award – Colts Player of the Year - Aaron Crofts
• W. A. “Bert” Oldfield Award – 5th Grade Player of the Year - David Burk & Lachie Stewart
• W.A. “Bert” Oldfield Award – 4th Grade Player of the Year - Matt Wright
• W. A. “Bert” Oldfield Award – 3rd Grade Player of the Year - Pat Effeney
• W. A. “Bert” Oldfield Award – 2nd Grade Player of the Year- Scott O’Brien

 

Geoff Hickman presented the awards to Elliot and Scott

Special awards were also presented for the following:

Ash Doolan won the All-rounder of the Year Award

Batting Awards – 500 runs in season

• Elliot Richtor – 787 runs
• Steve Colley – 663 runs
• Scott O’Brien – 646 runs
• Axel Cahlin – 571 runs
• Ash Doolan – 560 runs
• Shayne Lin – 537 runs
• Dominic Thomson – 535 runs
• Tom Hamblin – 500 runs

 

Keeping Award – 35 or more dismissals in a season

• Ash Doolan 40 dismissals

 

Bowling Awards – 35 wickets in season

• Mason Crane – 51 wickets
• Dan Stickland – 35 wickets

 

Trevor Chappell who won Coach of the Year at the NSW Premier Cricket Awards

10 wicket haul in a match –

• Sam Watts

 

Record batting partnership

• 2nd Wicket partnership record 5th Grade, Hamblin and Tullia 266
• 10th wicket record for any grade, Crane and Junk 128

 

The evening was a great success which was excellently managed by Peter and Virginia Klemt. The night finished with the Gordon song with the three names included in the song…Elliot, Mason and little Scotty.

Paul Stephenson

What a great day last Saturday was for the club, six victories, five teams qualifying for the finals, two as minor premiers and fourth in the Club Championship. To top this off we had a great night of celebration at our end of season Players function with good attendance from our players.

Elliot Richtor has run into some late season form. Great for the finals! 

Whilst this was a great day, we have unfinished business and I would like to wish all our teams the best over the coming three weeks. If we keep working hard and play with confidence we can take out some premierships. Finals cricket is a fantastic opportunity for all players involved, so embrace it and don’t leave anything in the sheds. 

Go the Stags.

I am not going to focus on individual performances in this message, their time will come at our Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday 29th April. Can I encourage everyone to attend this evening, based on last year it promises to be a great night and hopefully a perfect way to celebrate some great performances during the season.

Whilst on congratulations, I would like to congratulate our Women’s club for winning their 1st club championship for over 20 seasons and also minor premiers in 1st grade. To top this off they won the T20 comp a few weeks back. A great season all round for Gordon.

Colts secure the minor premiership and looking to perform strongly in the finals 

I would especially like to congratulate Steve Colley and our 1st grade team for their effort to finish equal first in the 1st grade comp. It’s been a long time since this has happened and a testament to this tight knit side who have played quality cricket all season. Also a big congratulations to David Burk and 5th grade, and also Aaron Crofts and Colts for their minor premierships.

With 2nds and 4ths also making the finals we have plenty to be proud of this year. To our 3rd graders, you just missed out but the performances post-Christmas have been exceptional with 3 bonus point wins along the way, which definitely helped our final Club Championship position.

Last week we also had the pleasure of seeing our English import Mason Crane being selected for his first game for New South Wales. This is an exceptional effort and he has definitely deserved his opportunity. His contribution to the club this season both on and off the field has been exceptional and at 20 years old, the sky is the limit for this talented player. 

We're not quite sure whether this counts as a contribution on the field by Mason! 

As I said to Mason on Saturday night, keep your feet on the ground and enjoy the ride.

Since my last President’s Message we have of course held our Annual Golf Day at Killara Golf Club in February. What an amazing day it was and exceeded all expectations. It was also great that we could increase our donation to the Daff family, and we hope in a small way that this will assist their family.

A huge thank you to Adam Gilchrist and Tony Squires who not only showed how professional they are but their generosity in giving their time to grass roots cricket. To all our sponsors, donors and supporters for their support not only this year’s event but in a lot of cases over many years, thank you so much for your contribution. Also to all the players and ex-players who came along, thank you for your support.

Gilly and Tony Squires entertain the crowd at the Golf Day 

Lastly I would like to thank our organising committee Paul Stephenson, Tim Cubbage, Geoff Keevers, Peter Calov and Kim Kilkeary for their great help to make this night possible.

Over the next three weeks we need to band together, all be prepared to help out, as the responsibilities of hosting finals matches come upon us. If we work together you never know what may happen. GO THE STAGS.

Geoff Hickman
President

Applications to be part of the Gordon Green Shield squad for 2017/18 are now OPEN. To apply for the trials, please fill in the electronic application form below and you will receive a response shortly. 

Please be advised Gordon District Cricket Club will be conducting Green Shield trials on the following two Mondays, 20 March & 27 March 2016 from 7 - 9pm at SCG Indoor Centre.

There will be an INVITE ONLY session conducted at Barker College on a date to be confirmed in April from 2-5pm after the sessions at the SCG . Players invited to this session will be informed by email Friday 7 April 2017.

Please complete the attached form by Wednesday 15 March 2017.

The club is expecting a strong performance on the field this season, with contributions to team victories coming from all players.

The Green Shield competition is an under 16 competition and we will be considering squad members from the under 15s and 16s only. All under 13s and 14s are selected through our Junior Development Squad.  

Please note that to be eligible, you must be able to attend training in Sydney and be under the age of 16 at 01 September 2017 (i.e. born on or after 01 September 2001).

We ARE NOT considering applications from overseas, unless you are moving to Sydney for the beginning of the program. If you are not, then please do not apply. 

* Required

Personal Details
First Name *
Last Name *
Date of Birth *
School *

 

Contact Details
Address *
Suburb *
Postcode *
State *
Email Address *
Alternate Email Address (Parents') *
Home Phone Number *
Mobile Phone Number
Alternative Phone Number (Parents')*
MyCricket ID number(s) *

 

Playing Style
What type of player are you? *	-- Please select -- 1. Batsman 2. Bowler 3. All Rounder 4. Wicket Keeper
Batting Position *	-- Please select -- 1. Opening Batsman (1-2) 2. Upper Middle Order (3-5) 3. Lower Middle Order (6-7) 4. Lower Order (8-11)
Batting Hand *	-- Please select -- 1. Right Handed 2. Left Handed
Bowling Style	-- Please select -- 1. Fast (Opening) 2. Swing 3. Medium Pace 4. Leg Spin 5. Off Spin
Bowling Arm	-- Please select -- 1. Right Arm 2. Left Arm

 

Cricketing Career
Have you ever played representative cricket? *	No       Yes
If "Yes", Please indicate in which teams you played by entering the club names in the fields below:
Green Shield (Under 16)
Weblin Shield (Under 15)
Moore Shield (Under 14)
Most Recent School Team
Other...
Last season's performances *

 

Other Information
Any other information

 

Submit Form
Enter Word Verification    in the box to the right *