THE Gisborne District Cricket Association (GDCA) are mourning the loss of the legendary Rob McIntyre, who passed away peacefully on Saturday night.
McIntyre is part of the illustrious Romsey family of which the GDCA’s top division bears his family name as the McIntyre Cup, and of which 2025 marks the 30th year of its existence.
McIntyre is listed as one of just five legends in the GDCA’s hall of fame thanks to his extraordinary contribution to the league, and was a life member of the league, Romsey Cricket Club, and the Central Highlands.
He was awarded the Victorian Country Cricket League’s highest honour last year, the Bob Merriman Service Award, which highlighted his profound impact on the game of cricket.
McIntyre participated in 27 seasons, with 18 of them played at his beloved Romsey, whom he served as a committee member in six separate seasons, while also serving as secretary and treasurer at the club.
He was a six-time club champion, claiming the bowling average on six occasions and the batting average once, and was an A Grade premiership player in 1982-83.
He then went over to Riddell, where he played a further nine seasons, winning another A Grade premiership in 1997-98.
In the 1990-91 Melbourne Country Week, he was the player of the final, while he also had the opportunity to represent the Central Highlands Zone for matches against Sri Lanka in 1984-85 at Maryborough’s Princes Park, as well as a game against the Victorian One-Day team in Ballarat.
After McIntyre’s illustrious career on the field ended, he started another one off the field.
He spent eight years as the GDCA’s secretary from 2008 to 2016, before moving into the presidency role from 2016 to 2022.
For six years, from 2018 to 2024, he was the Victorian Country Cricket League vice-president, while also serving as the Central Highlands region’s vice president from 2013 to 2022, and president from 2022 to 2024.
A minute’s silence was observed at all GDCA women’s matches on Sunday afternoon to honour a truly legendary GDCA figure.
