WALLAN CALLS
Wallan District Cricket Club took its recruiting drive to Wallan market recently. Around 150 flyers were handed out as the club seeks to attract more male and female players for the big summer coming up. Wallan will compete in the top tier of the strong Gisborne Association after winning the Johnstone Shield last season. The well run family friendly club already fields 14 teams at senior and junior level-male and female-but is keen to attract more players as it looks to increase numbers and field more XI’s. The promotional tent set up was “manned” by keen members (from left) Bailey and Chase Fowler Lara and Chris Vecchie, and Robbie Fowler.
The club has fine venues (3) and splendid practice facilities. A hard-working committee ensures the playing and social aspects function every week.
The Gisborne Association, at all levels fields some 150 teams and is one of the strongest leagues in Australia outside the major cities. Kilmore, Broadford, Eastern Hill (Seymour) and Lancefield clubs are also key components of the competition and like Wallan are well run family orientated clubs. New members senior and junior are most welcome at each.
***
The same applies at Tallarook and Pyalong cricket club’s as they compete in the Seymour and District Association which fields senior and junior XI’s from the above duo, also Avenel, Seymour, Yea, Alexandra and Puckapunyal.
***
The Fowler family of Wallan is a super keen cricketing family with Robbie and sons Bailey, Campbell, Beau and Chase all playing members. Robbie is President, and Campbell is on the committee. I met up with Campbell the other day. He graduated from ACK recently and is working in the electrical trade.
He, like his three brothers and two sisters is a credit to himself and his parents. The four boys also play football for Wallan so are genuine all-rounders. Older sister, Chelsea was Assumption girl’s leader in 2022 and is currently studying at Amsterdam University. Campbell was really interesting to talk with and is a really impressive young person.
***
OF CYCLING RENOWN
Local area resident Bob Hall is a good guy, and it is fair to say he is of cycling fame. I caught up with him briefly at Kemp’s Bakery in Wandong and it was nice to hear some of his recollections. Also, he recalled visiting Hexham, my old hometown in SW Victoria, once a thriving village, now a virtual ghost town. Guys like Bobby are a reminder of better times in Australia (and Victoria). He, like his companions at the table, is a product of the real Australia, which is slowly disappearing, and Victoria was once a great and prosperous state.
***
VARIA
Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron is good to watch. If the Cats play two finals, he may reach the “hundred” which was once a great feature of AFL but very near impossible the way the game is now played. Cameron is a great reader of the play and his conversion rate (goals, behinds) at time of writing was about 80-40. It is astounding how set shot kicking for goal is so poor today even from only about 30 meters out. Highly paid kicking coaches are prevalent at all clubs today. The super star forwards of the past coached themselves- Coventry, Coleman, Wade, Lockett, etc-and they didn’t have much trouble “nailing” it from 40,50, even 60 meters out.
***
Good to see international cricket in the north these past two weeks. Full houses in Darwin and Cairns watched the T20 games between Australia and South Africa. Tim David is a highly talented player, a ferocious hitter. Other nations would have him in their test sides as a middle order game changer, but the unimaginative Aussie selectors wouldn’t even consider that.
***
An old times postcard which arrived the other day was a throw back to different times and a reminder of summer trips to the beach at Port Campbell which my Terang High School pals and I really looked forward to in the long ago “fifties”.
***
After two seasons without senior football, Broadford enters the Bendigo League in 2026.
President Bonnie Cavanagh-Welch and new coach, former AFL star Nathan Thompson are looking forward to the challenge. The club has over the years competed in the Waranga North- East league, Heathcote, Riddell and Outer East leagues. The Waranga NE was a great league with play of high standard. Euroa, Seymour, Mansfield, Avenel, Broadford, Yea, Alexandra and Thornton were strong clubs with very good players. Games were fiercely contested in front of large, patriotic crowds. Highly regarded Geelong recruiter Stephen Wells said, not long ago that the standard of play across Victoria and Riverina is today, -except for a few pockets, markedly lower than in generations past.
