Connie's Corner
This forum comprises the thoughts Con Papageorgiou has about Richmond City whilst sitting on the couch and reminiscing of the old days. The highs, the lows and everything else in between. The champions, the spanners and the rest of the imbeciles in between.
Happy 80th Birthday Max McColl
The story of Michael Whitling
The story of Graham Twitchett
The story of Neale Meadows
The story of Chris Laws
The story of Brian Shepherd
The story of Jeff Smith
The story of Barry Watson
Please click on the article titles to read Connie's stories
Happy 80th Max McColl
The story of Michael Whitling
I am sitting here on my couch reflecting on the old days and it would come as no surprise to many past players that the name, “Michael Whitling” continually comes to mind.
He has just made a comeback to the club having been away from the playing arena for some six years. He currently lives out in the Wild West and it is exciting to have his presence felt once more at the club.
Some of the interesting stories that I can reminisce to the current players are:
1. His nickname is JACKO and once you have had a chance to play cricket with him you will be left in no doubt to how appropriate that name is to him.
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2. He is a left arm bowler who always opened the bowling and bowled into the wind. He played predominantly in the third’s and second elevens and also played a memorable game in the first eleven. This was a highlight and a just reward for his efforts throughout his career.
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3. We best describe his bowling as slow medium and he bowled an immaculate line and length. Each Saturday when bowling, he would bowl long spells of around 30 overs per game. He was also renowned for being the only person in the club who always knew his bowling figures and would recite them to everyone each week telling us number of overs, wickets and extras he had bowled that day.
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4. He was also ahead of the times for it was he who coined the phrase, which was later pinched by Glen McGrath, that he was the best number eleven batsman in the ESCA. His claim was supported by the vital statistic of the number of not outs he had. The last count was around 70 in his 190 games played. He rarely let the side down and always played the sheet anchor role and allowed us to win many games and enabled batsmen to get to important milestones. His favourite shot of course was the leg glance for a vital one run every time.
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5. One interesting story about Michael JACKO Whitling was in a crunch game against an arch rival. We had been having a tough day bowling and Michael was bowling late in the day and was getting towards his customary 30th over and you could imagine he was somewhat hot under the collar. Knowing that he had to do something to lift the side’s spirits and stop the opposition piling on the runs he went to a dismissal that many bowlers had long forgotten about. Yes, he did what all angry fast bowlers do and as he came in to bowl he stopped at the crease before releasing the ball and waited for the non striker to walk out of his crease and then mankaded him. Showing no sympathy he did not warn the batsman and simply pointed to the pavilion and sent him on his way. Michael later perfected this dismissal and a number of batsmen experienced this harsh lesson.
6. Another famous story was the time Michael was bowling a tight spell of bowling in front of a famous ESCA umpire affectionately known as Denzel. He had bowled 10 overs unchanged at the time and had not conceded any runs. Michael was bowling his 11th over and as the fourth delivery was bowled and the batsman was about to play a defensive shot, Denzel decided that Michael had overstepped the bowling crease and called a no ball. Jacko was naturally distraught as this had ruined his figures. He let out a scream of, “No Denzel, I have never bowled a no ball in my entire life,” and he stood there with his head bowed and thought to himself what do I do. Michael of course did what later became customary for him when things did not go his own way; he walked back to his mark whilst the umpire was not looking and kicked the stumps over. It is a wonder how he constantly got away with this tactic and was never reported.
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7. The last story to tell is the one which illustrates how Jacko got his name. It involves the beginning of the legendary saying of the Richmond City “C” and how it arose. Michael, being a fast bowler, would always think any appeal he made was always out and was constantly puzzled how umpires could not see it. On this particular occasion he had been having a verbal stoush with a batsman and he was having trouble getting him out. After another appeal for a plumb LBW was turned down by the umpire, the batsman had a go back at Jacko. Whilst abusing the batsman Michael showed him the true meaning of the word “C” when he head butted the batsman who was wearing a helmet at the time. Who you may ask had the sore head after this.
After having read of Michael Whitling’s colourful past you will begin to understand why we hold him in such high esteem. He was a cricketer who played with all of the spirit that epitomised Richmond City and what it stood for at the time. A true working man’s club whose players valued their mates and played with the desire of not wanting to let each other down. And rarely did they. I sit a lot more comfortably on this couch now knowing that he is back in the fold and wish him good luck in his quest to add his name to the list of players who have represented our club for 200 games. We the members of this privileged group look forward to his membership and offer encouragement to him so that he may join us soon.
Well Done Michael (Jacko) Whitling.
The story of Graham Twitchett
Well here I am once more sitting on my couch and reminiscing of the old days and a player that constantly comes to mind is Graham Twitchett. He was that rare breed of cricketer they call a fast bowler. He was your stereo typical fast bowler who suffered from that nasty disease caused white line fever. Every time he went out to play cricket he just wanted to hurt batsmen.
Some of the more interesting stories I can remember include the following:
1. His nickname was “Joe The Goose” and when you read further on how he got that name you will understand how appropriate this was.
2. He was a genuine fast bowler who opened the bowling having played his entire career for the first eleven. He did in the later part of his career become an into the wind opening bowler who would swing and cut the ball and get many wickets in so doing. He would show tremendous stamina in bowling long spells and could bowl many over’s and concede very few runs.
3. He was typical of fast bowlers and thought of himself as an all rounder. You can of course guess how correct he was in making this conclusion. This does however lead us into one of my favourite stories of Graham and in particular how he got the name Joe the Goose. On this particular occasion he was batting in his customary all rounder position, namely, number 11 and the wicket
was a little wet. We were hoping for our tail to wag and make some runs in order to give our bowlers a reasonable total to bowl to. Graham loved these situations and always wanted to get up the opposition noses. His favourite ploy was to try and get the opposition to overthrow the ball when aiming at the stumps and get some easy runs for the team. He would do this by as soon as he had finished playing a shot he would immediately start running up the wicket yelling “yes run” to the other batsman, who, I might add, already knew that this was only a ploy. This would naturally make the opposition think he was going to run, yet he would quickly turn around and get back into his crease and hope the fieldsman would throw the ball at his stumps and it would either hit the stumps and ricochet away or the back up fieldsman was asleep and hence he could then take a run. On this particular occasion he did his regular trick of playing a shot and immediately running up the wicket, however in his excitement he probably went a bit further than he really would’ve liked to, sensing some danger he turned very quickly forgetting the wicket was a little wet and of course he fell over. The opposition naturally started laughing and had no trouble just walking up to the stumps and running him out as he lay sprawled on the wicket, this was the origination of the name “Joe The Goose”.
4. Another favourite story relates to his bowling exploits. As I have mentioned previously the older Graham got, the better he began to swing the ball and get it to cut off the wicket. We as players were amazed at the amount of swing and cut he would get and we finally found out how he made this happen. It was during a particularly close game when things were pretty tight and there was a bit of needle in the game, this I might add happened in nearly all games we played in. Anyway, this is when we heard an opposition player yell to Graham as he was walking back to the top of his mark, “Hey mate it is not an apple you know”, he was referring to the giant bite marks Graham was making on the ball with his teeth to rough the ball up get it to swing and cut off the wicket. We of course started laughing hysterically as this finally explained to us how he had always got the ball to move so much. It was pretty safe in those days as the umpires tended to not question the player’s behaviour and he was never found out.
5. My final story of Graham was his outstanding batting performance in the legendary grand final against arch rival Ashburton played at Bayswater. On the last day of that game Richmond City First Eleven thought it had won the game as a washout appeared certain. Unfortunately the umpires after being co-orced by the opposition decided we would play the last three hours of the day. We were precariously placed at 7 for 120 chasing 180 runs and the wicket was extremely wet and dangerous. We unfortunately lost Michael Goldsmith early and found ourselves 8 wickets down with only Graham Twitchett and Max McColl left to bat out the remaining time with me. Graham produced one of the best defensive knocks seen at the club in such dangerous circumstances and batted for some 2 ½ hours. He was unfortunately out with around 15 minutes left to play in the game. As we all know the game was finally called a draw and hence we won a premiership, this was of course thru his great effort.
My memories of Graham are always entertaining as he played the game in the spirit it was intended to be played. He was a tough and uncompromising yet he was fiercely loyal to his team mates and always shared a drink with the opposition once the game had finished. I hope I have enlightened a few of the current players about one of our clubs great fast bowlers and his contribution to the history of the Richmond City Cricket Club.
To Graham Joe The Goose Twitchett I say well done and welcome to my couch.
The story of Neale Meadows
Well here I am once more sitting on my comfortable couch and reminiscing of the good old days and I find the urge to talk about a good friend of mine Neale Meadows. Whilst he was also a stereo typical fast bowler who suffered from that nasty disease of white line fever he was definitely a good batsman who opened for our first eleven for many years. He had a fierce desire and mean competitive streak whereby he would intimidate any opposition with whatever means he could.
Some of the more interesting stories I can remember include the following:
1. His nickname was “Bugsy” and whilst this sounds harmless you should understand we as his team mates were also intimidated, hence we came up with a simple and non threatening nickname.
2. He was a medium fast bowler who bowled first change and a left handed opening batsman playing all of his games for the first eleven. He did leave our club in the later part of his career to become captain coach of Old Meltonians, however he has always returned for any significant events the club has hosted. As an opening batsman he made many runs in partnership with his trusted sidekick Ian Sievers and this leads me to one of my memorable moments. It was the first game of the season and Neale and Ian went out to open the batting, I should point out this was very early on in Neales career when he probably did not quite have the real strong understanding that opening batsman have. As was the case normally, Ian Sievers faced the first ball and this meant that in Neales mind he could switch off and just ease his way into the game. Neale was not aware of the rules Ian Sievers played by and they were, it did not matter at what stage the game was at, if there was a run there it should be taken. You can imagine the shock when Ian blocked the first ball at his feet and immediately called a loud yes as Neale was sitting back on his bat just watching and not really reacting. Somehow they made the run safely and needless to say Neale never again put himself in that position and was always ready from the first ball.
3. He was not your typical free flowing batsman but was a gritty hard nosed batsman who placed enormous value on his wicket and batted for long periods. He would do his job of protecting the batsman and take the shine off the new ball. On numerous occasions he batted the entire day and would show tremendous concentration in so doing. He did posses some classical shots and in particular his cover drives where a pleasure to watch. His greatest inning was reserved for a grand final against our arch rivals Mulgrave when he batted for over a day and a half on a wicket that was very wet and almost unplayable. This had the effect of not allowing Mulgrave an opportunity to bat and win the game as was the case in the early years of the ECA, when the team finishing first only had to draw the game.
4. Another favourite story relates to his bowling exploits. As I have mentioned Neale had a real mean streak in him and this was more evident when he bowled. Neale would adopt whatever tricks he could in order to beat the opposition and inflict harm on them at the same time. Like all fast bowlers he believed the rules only applied to others and not to him. On this particular day we were playing in a game with a fair bit of sledging going on and we were locked in a tight struggle, Neale decided that he had enough of this as the ball was not exactly doing what he wanted it to do. So he started scratching the ball with his spikes at the top of his bowling mark whilst nobody was watching. This of course had the effect of roughing up the ball and making it swing and cut more off the wicket. This would naturally make a rather loud scrapping noise yet nevertheless this did not stop Neale. His other favourite trick was to run down the wicket and stop somewhere on a good length and immediately swivel back on his heal, hence leaving a sizeable indentation and rough spot for the bowlers to aim at. It amazed us how Neale would get away with these tricks and one only wonders what the umpires were watching in those early days.
My memories of Neale are always fantastic and great as he represented the club in its true spirit of competition. He never gave an inch and would always put the team first. He was a fierce competitor and a great friend to his team mates and myself. He constantly refers to his time spent at Richmond City and all of the wonderful memories it has provided for him. I hope I have enlightened a few of the current players about another one of our clubs greats and his contribution to the history of the Richmond City Cricket Club.
To Neal Meadows I say well done, thank you for the memories and welcome to my couch.
The story of Chris Laws
Well here sitting on my comfortable couch and reminiscing of the good old days and I believe it is time to wind the clock back to where it all began for me. My first game for Richmond City was playing in the Third Eleven and my first skipper was Chris Laws. For the current players this is the father of Nick and Ronan, both of whom currently are playing for the club. Chris was an interesting choice as skipper and when you read on you will discover what I mean by this. He was an opening bowler who had a strange almost snake like winding run up to the bowling crease and playing on the mating he did get many wickets. Whilst he was not your mean and angry type fast bowler he did have a fierce competitive streak and we won many games under his leadership.
Some of the more interesting stories I can remember include the following:
1. His nickname was “CLAWS” which should of course be obvious to all, is simply a combination of his two names stuck together. As his wicketkeeper I was able to take many catches from his bowling, hence the familiar chant of “well bowled clawsy” became a favourite of mine.
2. He was a medium fast bowler who opened the bowling; remember he was captain, playing most of his games for the Third and Second elevens. He did take many wickets for the club and even though he had a number of interesting characters playing for him in those early days, he was able to handle them well and led us to many enjoyable wins. He did fancy his batting a little and whilst he did make some useful runs on a number of occasions he was a bowler first and foremost.
3. My first interesting story of Chris relates in particular to his decision making process and involves his role as captain of the team. On this particular occasion we were playing against Burwood at their matting ground at Coopers Reserve. This ground is similar to a barren wasteland as there is no shade and when it is hot it is unforgiving. This game was in late January and we were on the march having won a number of games in a row and we fancied we could beat this weakened team. We arrived at the ground and the temperature was high 30’s whilst we awaited the crucial coin toss. We got a little excited when we saw Chris rubbing his hands together after the toss as it suggested he had won it and naturally would choose to protect his team and bat first to make an imposing total for the opposition to chase. Well, how wrong were we, Chris had decided that we would bowl first and in his words skittle them and go for an outright win. The theory of course is all good and well until reality sets in and the heat during the course of the day took its toll on us and the opposition batted all day. Needless to say the following week conditions were ideal for bowling and we were comprehensively beaten.
4. Another favourite story also relates to his decision making process and is often talked about by the older players around the club. It was a rather cold and bleak Saturday and we were fixtured to play at our home ground at Fawkner Park. For those who have not played there, it is a huge parkland where there are over 20 grounds and hence there are numerous games of cricket being played there all at the same time. This game was going to be an important game as we needed to win the game to be able play in the finals that year. We turned up to the ground and whilst it was drizzling a little we laid the matting out as per normal. Again for those who have not played on the matting this was not exactly wise as you would normally wait until the rain has stopped. All other grounds had adopted the safety first approach and were waiting. When the opposition arrived they were a little surprised to see the matts on the wicket however Chris assured them this was only a passing shower and would stop soon. He somehow convinced the captain to a coin toss and we lost it and had to bowl. We went out there whilst it was still raining and began the game, I should add no other game had started as yet nor were there any matts on any of the other wickets as yet. The showers did in actual fact get stronger and at one stage the umpire, who was an opposition player was actually holding an umbrella out in the middle. The game continued even though we could see all other games at the ground had been called off and the teams had packed everything away and had left to go home. We were the only game being played and mercifully at tea time the captains finally agreed to call a halt to the game. On Monday morning when the results were printed in the paper we read that we were the only game in the ECA that played that day. This day lives in my memory for the sheer laughter it brings on when I recite it to current players and friends.
My memories of Chris are always one of fun and warmth. He was always encouraging of us his team and he was able to handle a bunch of blokes who had a varied background and quite different personalities. He was and still remains a genuine Richmond City friend who always makes himself available for club functions and now proudly watches his boys in action. I hope I have enlightened a few of the current players about another one of our clubs greats and his contribution to the history of the Richmond City Cricket Club.
To Chris Laws I once more say well bowled clawsy, thank you for the memories and welcome to my couch.
The story of Brian Shepherd
Well here sitting on my comfortable couch and reminiscing of the good old days and I would like to talk about Brian Shepherd who was a sincerely loved former player who is deceased. For the benefit of the current players he was a left hand opening batsman who played his entire career with the First Eleven and he played in a number of premierships along the way helping the First Eleven climb in each successive year from “F” Grade Turf thru to “A” Grade turf. This record of six grades in six years remains a record of the ECA competition. He typified the traditional Richmond City spirit and on occasions did tend to stray past the gentleman status of the game as you will read below.
Some of the more interesting stories I can remember include the following:
1. His nickname was “SHEP” which whilst it sounds harmless on a cricket ground he was fearsome and hence we would be afraid to call him by any other name.
2. As I mentioned previously he was a stocky built left handed batsman who opened the batting and was always a difficult player to remove. He made many runs for the club and enjoyed the battle of bat versus ball and when he became settled at the crease he would bat for long periods. He made a number of centuries and he was also a useful fieldsman with sure catching hands. Like most batsman he did fancy himself as a part time bowler however his left arm orthodox spinners were sparingly used.
3. My first interesting story of Brian relates to his state of mind and in particular to his fiercely competitive nature. On this particular day we were playing at home against an arch rival and as per usual there was a little spice in the game. In those days we would normally have only one central umpire and the batting team would provide the square leg umpire. This of course made for some interesting games as the square leg normally had a different view of the decision as to whether a run out or a stumping chance was out or not. On this day Brian was positioned at square leg for most of the day and we had a number of close square leg decisions being turned down. In a close game such as this you can imagine the frustration that was beginning to take hold and combined with a very hot summer’s day we were getting a bit agitated. Anyway, further on during the game another run out decision was required and as everyone looked to the square leg umpire for his decision all we could see was the umpire lying flat on his back out cold. Brian Shepherd was just standing there next to him with his hands in the air saying he thought the umpire had sun stroke and just walked away. We of course knew what Brian was like and he had finally cracked and clipped the umpire on the chin and had knocked him out cold. I can assure you we had a much better run with the decisions from square leg after this.
4. Another favourite story also relates to the fear that most of our team had of Brian when the worst thing that could happen to him would happen and this was for him to be dismissed early. Due to his fiercely competitive nature he really hated being dismissed cheaply or early as he felt he had let the team down. On this occasion we were playing against West Hawthorn in a typically hostile environment and Brian went out to open the innings. Well it happened he was dismissed in the first over; a former player named Mark Hardy made the now famous call to all people at the ground, “girls gather your children and hide, and men leave the change rooms immediately and do not make eye contact.” Brian started the long walk back, the first stage was walking past the wooded logs which constituted the fence and at this point Brian smashed his bat with a thunderous bang that took chunks out of both bat and fence. He then walked into the change rooms where we heard the bat hit three walls and then the floor, the verbal barrage followed and this continued for a good five minutes or so. They were wise words made by Mark Hardy in those days as Brain eventually made his way out of the rooms after having a shower and he had forgotten everything and was now happily chatting to everyone.
My memories of Brian are fond ones touched with some fear as we as team mates would have to be very careful not to be in the clubrooms whenever Brian was dismissed as his cricket bat was always a dangerous weapon when thrown about in the rooms. We would always know how angry he was by the number of walls he would hit and more than often we would all be silent and wait to hear the noise from outside the rooms. I hope I have enlightened a few of the current players about another one of our clubs greats and his contribution to the history of the Richmond City Cricket Club and in particular the passion and desire that these past players instilled to the core values of the club.
To Brian Shepherd I say thank you for the memories as we your team mates and friends will never forget you or your contribution.
The story of Jeff Smith
Here I am once more sitting on my couch reflecting on the good old days and it has dawned on me that it is time to finally talk about a player who was larger than life. Many people would even say he was larger than everything else around him. The player’s name is Jeff Smith. I had the pleasure of playing with him in my first years at the club and I can truly say he was one of the special characters with whom I was especially friendly. I would always want to use his heavy Slazenger cricket bat.
Some of the interesting stories that I can reminisce to the current players are:
1. His nickname was THE BIG S and once you have had a chance to meet him you will understand how appropriate that name was to him. He was a particularly heavy framed man who was an unmoveable object.
2. He was a right arm bowler who would either open the bowling or bowl first change. He played predominantly in the thirds and second elevens and also played a handful of games in the first eleven.
3. We best describe his bowling as fast medium and he would get many wickets as a result of the unorthodox bowling action and the resultant line and length he would bowl. He was also renowned for his batting exploits as he would use his enormous frame to pinch hit many valuable runs for the team. He also was a useful slips fieldsman and took a number of well talked about catches, one of which I will talk about later.
4. One interesting story about Jeff “The Big S” Smith was relating to his batting exploits and in particular the stories that Jeff would tell about his enormous hitting power. At the conclusion of matches we would constantly hear of the times Jeff hit many sixes and fours and had smashed the opposition bowlers to all parts of the ground. On this particular occasion we were playing at Fawkner Park in the Third Eleven and we were struggling. We had lost a few wickets and we really needed Jeff to take control and show us one of his well talked about famous hard hitting innings. Unfortunately this didn’t happen as early in his innings he was caught out close to the boundary line. We the younger blokes at the time asked him what had happened. His famous reply was that he had actually hit the ball for six; however, the wind was so strong that it blew the ball back into play and that is why he was caught. Needless to say from that moment on, Jeff Smith stories became folklore to us younger players. I must say I never did get to experience one of those famous innings, I guess they were reserved only for his younger days?
5. Another famous story was the time Jeff did not open the bowling and was about to bowl first change. At the time we were playing on matting and as you would be aware you could not hit the middle of the mats as this would be called a no ball. Jeff stepped out his run up to the wicket which consisted of only four giant steps and immediately called upon me to keep up at the wickets for him as he was looking for a stumping. Jeff proceeded to bowl the first 4 deliveries at the middle of the pitch and the ball would naturally rear up and I was in fear of being hurt. Finally when the over had finished and Jeff had bowled a few more leg side deliveries that went for 4 byes, I asked him what was going on. He replied, “Con you would not believe it, I have lost my run up.” You could understand the amazement that explanation was greeted with as a 4 step run up seems pretty straight forward to most bowlers.
6. The last story to tell is the one which illustrates how The Big S finally got caught out making his now legendary statements regarding never having dropped a slips catch. On this particular day the ground was a little damp and hence the cricket ball was picking up some dirt stains from the ground. Jeff was standing at first slip and all of a sudden the batsman got an edge and the ball went flying towards him. We followed the ball in the air and then heard a giant thud. To our amazement Jeff had held on to a very sharp chance at first slip and we were all excited about it. We asked Jeff if he juggled the catch or if it hit him first and then he caught it. He replied, “No, I caught it cleanly in my hands.” Well, unfortunately for Jeff when he unfolded his arms during our huddle we could see this giant dirt mark in the middle of his chest. The evidence suggested the ball had first thudded into his chest and then he had clasped his hands around the ball afterwards. We had a great laugh at it all and Jeff replied, “Well, I still caught it and my record is intact!” I will say, over the years I am sure I saw Jeff drop some catches, but they didn’t count as they were difficult ones I presume.
After having read about Jeff Smith’s colourful past you will begin to understand why he was such a special character in the club. He was a cricketer who always had time for the younger players and would assist us in getting to the games and learning the vital skills of the game.
I sit more comfortably on this couch having shared these thoughts and I say to Jeff, “The Big S” Smith, grab your favourite drink: a cold can of coke, drink a little bit of it, pour in your scotch and then sit back in your favourite corner of the bar and enjoy your drink.
Welcome to my couch Jeff, “The Big S” Smith.
The story of Barry Watson
Here I am after a long holiday break finally being afforded the luxury of sitting on my couch to reflect on the good old days and I feel it is time to talk about a player who was best described as the thinking mans cricketer. Many would comment this person would always think outside the box and go as far to say that he was ahead of his time. The player’s name is Barry Watson. I had the pleasure of playing with him in my early years at the club and I can truly say he was one of the characters who was well liked around the club
Some of the interesting stories that I can reminisce to the current players are:
1. His nickname was WATO and he was a genuine nice guy. This was rare to our club as during those years Richmond City players were generally known for their fierce competitive nature on the ground.
2. He was a left arm orthodox spin bowler who could bat competently lower down the order. He played in teams throughout the club representing the thirds, seconds and first elevens.
3. We best describe his spin bowling as tight and he would often restrict the run rate which would lead to wickets as the batsman’s frustration grew. He was also known for his batting as he was quite competent in that area and on many occasions he would make some valuable runs batting lower down the order. Whilst not an extremely powerful hitter he would work the ball around and run many singles to keep the scoreboard ticking. He also was a very useful fieldsman and he would be mainly used in the field for his speed and agility which resulted in many catches and some important run outs on occasions.
4. One interesting story about Barry Watson relates to my initial comment of his desire to think outside the square. As I mentioned previously he was not a punishing batsman, and in order to help him in this area and in a way to increase his hitting power, Barry devised a new bat. Not liking what the bat manufacturers were producing at the time he came up with an idea to carve out a big hole in the middle of his bat and place a huge bit of rubber cut out from a car tyre in its place. He believed this would have a spring like effect and propel the ball further when he hit the cricket ball with it. He produced this bat one night at training, having taken the time to skilfully cover the rubber with pigskin so that it would not be detected; he found that it seemed to work alright in the nets. He then decided to test it in a real game and in this first game with the new bat he was able to hit his first six with it. The problem however was that the noise made every time he hit the ball was not consistent with the normal wood noise and the opposition were naturally getting curious. Sensing this Barry immediately took the bat away and we unfortunately never saw it again. It was typical of him to come up with such ideas and clearly he influenced guys like Dennis Lillee to produce his aluminium bat.
5. Another famous story relates to Barry and his carpentry skills. At the time the clubrooms were very small in the early days and we were always looking for ways to upgrade the facilities. Barry took it upon himself with a couple of other legends to fix the rooms up a little bit. They installed doors in the urinals which were a part of the clubrooms at the time, built a bar and a storage area. The rooms looked great and then Barry produced his greatest legacy that he left behind to the club. BLACK JAPAN. This is a paint stain for the few of you that don’t know as this stain became the mission brown colour of its generation. Again Barry thinking ahead of his time painted the timberwork of the clubrooms a colour that has stood the test of time. We would always look at these stains and say to others only he could have done this and nobody else. We thank the City of Yarra for finally renovating the rooms and ridding us of this hideous colour.
After having read about Barry Watson’s past you will begin to understand why he was another special character of the club. He was a cricketer who always loved the club and would give his all whilst on the ground. He played in a number of premiership teams and is well remembered by his former team mates and myself.
I sit more comfortably on this couch having shared these thoughts and I say to Barry, “WATO” Watson, throw away those old paint tins of Black Japan, go grab that old bat made of tyre and bring it along with you to the couch.
Welcome to my couch Barry Watson.