South Launceston Cricket Club

South Launceston Cricket Club

The South Launceston Cricket Club (SLCC), is a cricket team which represents Launceston in the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association grade cricket competition, in the Australian state of Tasmania.

The South Launceston Cricket Club has a proud history. South has been the home of many fine players, many of whom have gone on to represent Tasmania and even Australia.

While not as decorated as some others in the form of NTCA Premierships, South has a great reputation of being a family club where all players, members, supporters and friends enjoy the atmosphere of a great club throughout the summer, whether onfield or off.

The South Launceston Cricket Club was formed in 1907 when the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association made changes to the district cricket competition. The city was divided into zones and players had to represent the club whose zone they lived in. This was an Australia-wide movement aimed at creating a more even grade cricket competition and generate suburban loyalty and rivalry. South Launceston joined North, East, West and Central Launceston in the new NTCA district competition for the 1907-08 season.

The inaugural club president was Charles Lennox Stewart. He was born in England and came to Tasmania at a young age. He was educated at Horton College, Ross and Launceston Church Grammar School. Stewart’s deputy was H Weeding. The Secretary’s duties were shared between V.M. Collins and the young Charles Gordon Russen, a wicketkeeper who went on to represent Tasmania. The treasurer was George Shirley Pennefather, a civil servant who had enjoyed a long career as an allrounder and also played for Tasmania.

No matter how strong the administration, the club’s success would ultimately be judged by its performances on the playing field, a strong team was of utmost importance. South’s first captain was Ernest Weedon Harrison, a capable allrounder who had previously represented Tasmania and had led Northern Tasmania on many occasions in their long-standing rivalry with the South. He was experienced, respected and would remain the on-field leader until he enlisted in the army at the outbreak of the first World War in 1914. In the first season 1907-08 he made 719 runs including 4 centuries at an average of 79.88 to win the associations batting average. He was to go on and win the club batting average four times. These efforts helped to give South the instant respect of the competition.

Often teams hgave to wait many years for a premiership, but under Harrison’s leadership the goal was achieved in just the second season. The 1908-09 premiership season saw Harrison add another 2 centuries to his tally and bowler AT Marshall spearhead the clubs bowling attack and win the NTCA bowling average with 33 wickets at an average of 17.11.

South have won a further 11 premierships since then, but the is always something particularly memorable about a clubs first. In those early days there was no finals series and the title was claimed by the team who had finished on top of the ladder. There were no lucky finals wins, you had to be the best all season and they were.

The early years were filled with tragedies mainly attributed to the World Wars. South’s and indeed the NTCA’s record individual score of 367 was made by Lawrence Frank Gatenby. He enlisted in the army and was killed in battle on 14 January 1917 near Armientieres in France. A teammate of Gatenby’s was allrounder Stan Mckenzie. He represented Tasmania before moving to Melbourne to pursue an Aussie Rules career. During the war he joined the medical corps and was part of the Gallipoli landing. He fell ill while away and died of a burst appendix on 8 December 1915. Another South player who died during the First World War was Harry Oxley Smith. He was a sound opening batsman who played a number of games for Tasmania averaging over 48. A bank official, he moved to England in 1916, but contracted tuberculosis. He was admitted to the Pinewood Sanitorium in Berkshire where he died on 24 August 1916. Aged just 28. 25 and 28 respectively the three were just part of South’s link to the tragic events of War.

Every club enjoys a Golden Age whatever the sport, for South the period between 1936-1937 to 1940-41 was theirs. The club won 4 NTCA premierships in 5 years as well as 2 state premierships in 1938-39 and 1940-41. Players like Tom Room and Alf Rushforth provided experience while Doug Thollar was an outstanding leg spinner. These sides also contained two of the club’s finest players of all time in Ron and Max Thomas.

The Thomas brothers were polar opposites on the cricket field, Ron was an aggressive left-handed batsman who believed bowlers only existed to be slaughtered. He was also a handy left-arm medium pacer before being struck by a knee injury. He took 6/18 on his first class debut against Victoria at the MCG in 1933-34. Brother Max was a dour left- hander who put a high price on his wicket and his medium pacers took more wickets for the club than anyone else.

Over the years South has had many talented and engaging characters pass through its doors. One such person was Father Bill Fitzpatrick. A fast bowling catholic priest who drove in from his beloved St Mary’s parish each Saturday and was back in time to conduct the Sunday service. Fitzpatrick was a member of the 1929-30 premiership team alongside a the well legendary footballer Roy Cazaly who was also a handy cricketer.

South has always attracted individuals from all levels of society. A member of the successful teams of the late 1930′s was lawyer George Crawford. He would go on later to be knighted and served for a period as Tasmania’s Governor. His South roots were never forgotten and he served for many years as club patron.

A club captain in the thirties was Ray Ferrall. He would go on to a career in business and public life that would end in a knighthood and a deserved reputation as one of the most influential Tasmanians of the twentieth century. Ferrall was a very good right-handed batsman who had a first class batting average in the mid-forties.

These great Tasmanians took their place in the team alongside everyday council workers and shopkeepers all with a love for cricket and the South Launceston Cricket Club.

It hasn’t always been success and easy times for the club. Financial issues were crippling, particularly around the time of World War II. However things have significantly improved since the late 1950′s when the club was threatened with expulsion form the NTCA due to non-payment of fees. It survived thanks to committeemen of the club who gave their personal guarantees to cover any outstanding debts.

After the debts were cleared the club set out on a player recruiting drive, it brought players to the club of the highest calibre including, Greg Tilyard, Frank Mumme, Glenn Summers and John Houston. These players formed the nucleus of the team that went on to dual premiership glory in the mid to late sixties. This on field success was supported by a solid administration led by Graham Elliot and Cedric Knight. However the job once again became tough in the mid1970′s with the rebuilding of the NTCA clubrooms meaning South could no longer enjoy revenue from its own bar and other means of fundraising became necessary.

1980 saw the club sign its first overseas player. Bernard Reidy was an allrounder from Lancashire who enjoyed two successful seasons with the club, but it was fellow Lancastrian Andy Hayhurst who became a key member of the 1987-88 premiership team, one of the best to represent the club in its history.

In recent years the club has played in many finals, with our most recent A Grade premiership in 2003-04. In 2010-11 the club set up a bar and club/lunch room under the Bushby Stand to help raise funds and to create a place to gather after training, at game intervals and celebrate wins.

In 1977-78 Tasmania joined the Sheffield Shield competition. This was a great opportunity for local players to push their case for a State cap and higher National Honours. Since the states inclusion in the national competition the club has had many representatives including, Robbie Knight, Shaun Young, Bruce Cruse, Allistair de Winter, Michael Farrell, Robert Hodgson, David Castle, Scott Kremerskothen, Adam Griffith and George Bailey.

Of these players Shaun Young and George Bailey have gone on to represent Australia at Test (Young) and ODI/T20 (Bailey) level. In January 2012 Bailey’s efforts at state level were recognised and he was named captain of the Australian T20 side to play India at ANZ Stadium on his International debut, the first player to Captain Australia on International Debut since David Gregory in the first official test match between Australia and England in March 1877.

Allistair de Winter has been an assistant coach of the Tasmania Tiger from 2007-2012, he also coached the Hobart Hurricanes in the inaugural season the KFC T20 Big Bash League of 2011-12. In August 2012 de Winter was appointed the Australian bowling coach.

Michael Farrell has gone on to coach Tasmania at underage level and more recently as Tasmania’s chairman of selectors.

Adam Griffith retired from domestic cricket in 2011 and moved to Western Australia to take up the role of Bowling coach of the Western Warriors under now Australian coach Mickey Arthur, when Arthur left to coach Australia Griffith was promoted to assistant coach under former South Australian and Queensland batsman Lachlan Stevens.

The club plays its home matches at the NTCA Number 2 Oval on the Western or K-Mart side of the sporting complex. Following the 2011-12 season the fence surrounding our home ground was ripped up to signify the beginning of the venues redevelopment. The surface was re-laid and better drainage and watering systems incorporated to give us a state of the art facility to play on. The oval is now a rectangle and includes 2 junior astro pitch grounds, one either end of the main ground and has the provision for soccer either end of the wicket square during the winter months.

The NTCA Number 1 Ground is home to the Knight Stand and the famous old style Knight Scoreboard, both named after the Knight family that have been such a significant part of the South Launceston Cricket Club over the past 104 seasons. The stand and scoreboard were originally built and opened in 1934 and both Michael and Robert Knight were in attendance at the re-opening in 2002.

The overall club best and fairest which is voted on after every A, 2nd and 3rd grade match under a 3-2-1 voting system is named the Cedric Knight Medal and is a coveted award that all players strive to win in honour of the man who had so much to do with so many players to come through the club. The 2011-12 Cedric Knight Medallist was A Grade allrounder Mark Nutting.

The club has worked tirelessly for over 100 years to develop a family club where everyone feels welcome and are a part of its success. We look forward to seeing you at South in the near future.