90 years of Nerrena Cricket Club
PRIDE and delight were feelings expressed by those celebrating 90 years of Nerrena Cricket Club on Saturday evening.
“I remember when it was 50 years old,” Life Member David Shambrook said, remarking on the Red Caps’ achievement in staying vibrant and continuing to pull together enough players despite being a small place.
“There’s a lot of history there,” he said.
His wife Ronda was also there to celebrate the milestone, having kept up the energy level of the players with her tasty treats over a long period.
“I’ve made a lot of muffins in my time,” she said.
Tom Lay ventured from Canberra for the occasion, his fondest memory of his time as a Red Cap being playing in the 1995/96 Under 16 Premiership.
“It’s a great club, good culture and very welcoming,” he said, Nerrena having clearly left a strong positive impression.
That’s no doubt why it continues to attract players, with another Life Member and former President, Peter Trease saying the Red Caps spend very little money on recruitment and labelling Nerrena “a great family club”.
The multiple generations of families playing their part for the Red Caps backs that up, Trease’s grandkids now coming through the ranks.
“It’s amazing to see the club turn 90,” he said, noting its ability to remain a stand-alone entity that has never merged.
Current player Jack Curtis, who has been a Red Cap for a couple of years after moving from Mornington Peninsula said that as someone new to the area, the club’s welcoming culture helped him settle in easily.
The Red Caps remain strong onfield, currently topping the A Grade ladder after a stunning away win over Phillip Island last round, the club having a group of core players aged between 18 and 25.
Where numbers are short at junior level, Nerrena has combined with other clubs to ensure those up-and-coming cricketers get opportunities.
President Zack Trease remarked that Nerrena is the oldest club in the competition, already thinking ahead to the centenary celebrations in a decade and hopeful the Red Caps will still be going strong.
Currently the club is looking forward to new nets, having secured funding through South Gippsland Shire Council, Cricket Victoria and a state government Tiny Towns grant.
Nerrena’s Life Members and Premierships were celebrated as were individual and partnership records.
Ronnie Adkins’ unbeaten 309 against Wonthaggi Club in a 1999 C Grade clash is the highest individual score in LDCA history for any grade.
Saturday’s MC Dave Trotman holds the Association record for B Grade, making 252* against Inverloch in 2003, while Damien Symmons’ unbeaten knock of 207 is Nerrena’s highest A Grade score.
Noel Clark’s 1967 figures of 8/16 against Koonwarra is the best individual bowling performance for the Red Caps in A Grade, Ray Garton’s 8/19 against Korumburra the following year the club’s best in B Grade.
Tim Clark’s 1986 performance, capturing 7/10 against Koonwarra is the club’s best
C Grade effort with the ball.
Trotman prepared for Saturday’s celebration by reading volumes of Great Southern Star newspapers all the way back to 1934.
He posted printed information in the Dakers Centre venue so that attendees could learn more about Nerrena Cricket Club’s rich history.
Interestingly, Nerrena’s sporting pursuits once extended beyond cricket.
“There’s the Nerrena Leongatha South United Football Club playing against Mardan in the Woorayl Football League,” Trotman said of one of the historical snippets.
“On this day the summation of the game was that United would have done a lot better had all the players turned up.”
It’s perhaps not surprising that combined footy entity sat at the bottom of the ladder.
Nerrena Cricket Club was formed at a 1934 meeting, playing its first game in the LDCA the following year when Joseph Lyons was Prime Minister and Victor Richardson captained the Australian cricket team.
