Select a decade: 1960’s | 1970’s | 1980’s | 1990’s
1960’s
At the start of the 60s, Richmond was one of eight teams that had two sides in the ATCA competition. As the association secretary, G.L. Hayman, said in the twenty-ninth annual report, “The turf association must surely rank as one of the strongest associations in the state, if not in Australia.” This showed the growing strength of cricket at this level. Having teams in the A1 and A2 grades, the first unit finished in sixth position while the second team collected the wooden spoon and was demoted to the A3 grade. Only R. Anderson in the B grade side broke the 300 run mark with 308 at an average of 25.8. The only player taking 30 club wickets during this summer was E. Baker with 30 wickets at an average of 11.73.
For season 1961/62, Richmond added a third team to the Adelaide Turf competition in the A6 grade. The first eleven finished in second last position, but did gain enough points to avoid the dreaded relegation. In the A3 competition, the B grade side finished in sixth position and the A6 hard wicket side competed in the first round of the finals. The semi-final was against Edwardstown at Sir Lewis Cowen Oval, with the opponents making a formidable 335. R. Haese took six expensive wickets and in reply, Richmond got to 185. Palmer was the only batsman to show fight with a determined 62 not out. Better performances for the season came from E. Ballard with 354 runs in the top grade, with a 17 year old Jeff Emmel in his first season at the club taking 36 wickets at the good average of 9.5 runs per scalp. Also R. Haese in the hard wicket team collected 34 wickets at 11.3.
Jack Edge, Richmond’s second eleven medium pacer, collected the A3 Association Bowling Trophy with a great haul of 70 wickets at the respectable average of 10.1. He was one of seven bowlers through the grades of Adelaide Turf to collect 70 wickets or more. Elders’ R. Hodge in the A2 competition took an amazing 106 wickets for the summer. It was another season in the middle of the pack for the first eleven of the Richmond Cricket Club in season 1962/63. They finished in eighth position, but both the second side and the hard wicket team reached the first round of the finals finishing in 3rd and 4th positions respectively. In the A1 competition, Jeff Emmel won the most improved junior trophy donated by Ken Webb, taking 45 wickets at 12.4 each. For the A3 side, J. Edge again had another great season with 60 wickets, supported by R. Tessen with 37 victims and F. House with 30 scalps.
On the batting side, B. Roberts had a good season with 432, at an average of 25.4, but he was the only person to get past the 300 run mark. In the hard wicket grade (A7), R. Haese collected the Len Jose Memorial Trophy donated by the A.T. Cricket Umpires Association for the best fieldsman at that level. Finishing at the foot of the premiership table in season 1963/64, the A grade were only 6 points away from relegation, finishing in second last position. The second team finished in fourth place and the A7 hard wicket team collected the wooden spoon. A special coaching trophy, named after Dr W.A. Pryor was given to three people this season, including Richmond’s J. Penny. In the first team, B. Roberts and Brian “Darby” Munro both got to the 300 run milestone for the season, finishing with 326 and 301 runs each. In the A7 team B. Heffernan, was the clubs highest run getter for the summer with 401 runs. Brian Munro, also finished third in the J.U. Jantke Fielding Trophy for the association’s most outstanding fieldsman in grades A1 – A6. In his first season at the club, coming from New Zealand where he played for his country at under 20s level, Robin Cole took 50 wickets at an average of 9.6 per victim. J. Edge for the third year in a row broke the 50-wicket level, this year collecting 52 scalps at just over 11 each. R. Deugan in the hard wicket team also got to the 30-wicket level. On the back of an opening bowling performance by Rob Cole and Jeff Niemann, who led the Association A1 competition with 71 and 67 wickets, Richmond played in the ultimate game of the summer in season 1964/65. Robin won the bowling trophy with Jeff as the runner up in the A1 grade. They were also supported by R. Hall and Ron Lee who both captured 31 scalps. B. Roberts was the teams best batsman with 386 runs with a match high of 142 not out during the season and an acceptable average of 25.7.
The B grade side in the A3 grade finished at the bottom of the table at the end of the minor round, and were demoted to the A4 competition for the next summer. Vic Button was the best of the bats with 371 that included a 99 not out. Bowling honours went to R. Harding with 39 wickets, with J. Edge (who played in the A1 grand final) collecting 36 victims. The A8 hard wicket unit finished in third position, running into Clarence Park in the semifinal. In what proved to be an insurmountable total of 9/274 by Clarence Park, Flanningan took a respectable 4 for 78. In the team’s inadequate total of 133 D. Sutherland made a competent 44.
In a competitive semi-final in the top grade, Richmond with 175 defeated Clarence Park, 152 and 7 for 13. J. Rodda made a match high 89 with the bat and Jeff Niemann took 9 match wickets, 4 for 64 in the first innings and 5 for 8 in the second innings. Brighton defeated Richmond by 20 runs in their first attempt to gain an A1 flag in a competitive encounter. Brighton batted first, making a reasonable total of 174 runs. Robin Cole took 1 for 55, off 12 overs. Jeff Niemann took 4 for 66 off 19 overs, with Ron Lee being best performed with 5 wickets for 48 runs off 16 overs. In Richmond’s run chase, opener J. Rodda top scored with 45 runs and Ron Lee added to his bowling haul with 24 not out, but in the end they were a batsman or two short. In Brighton’s second innings, they were 2 for 122 when the match came to a halt.
Both Rob Cole and Jeff Niemann played in the second game against the Victorian Sub District Cricket Association at Hawthorn Oval on the 28th and 29th December 1964. Jeff made 37 and took 2 for 51; Rob didn’t get to the batting crease and took 1 for 65. All three teams in season 1966/67 were involved in post-season play at the end of the minor round. Brian Wells and B. Roberts dominated the batting with 515 and 457 runs respectively in the A1 grade, with Roberts being the club’s only centenarian for this season (Wells highest score being 98). Brian Wells collected that grade’s batting trophy with Roberts finishing in third position. Brian Roberts also produced the club’s only century in this summer.
On the bowling side leg spinner, R. “Bob” Roxby collected 41 wickets at an average of under 10, and Rob Cole was the clubs leading wicket taker in A1 with 44. In the second eleven in the A4 grade, four players broke the 30-wicket mark. Starting with J. Edge (50), R. Harding (43) and the Niemann brothers Brian (37) and Neil (32). E. Ballard top scored with the bat in this grade with 332 runs. Brian “Buster” Niemann also took one of his seven club hat tricks during this season. Semi-final weekend for the Richmond Cricket Club was an eclectic mixture. In the A1 competition, the first side made 95 and 4 for 150 declared, with P. Middleton (37) and R. Miller (58 not out in the second innings) being the best with the bat. P.A.O.C. replied with 144 and the game finished with them on 4 for 71 in their second innings. Bowling figures for Richmond included Robin Cole with 4 for 49 and bob Roxby collecting 5 for 45. In the second side’s semi-final, Richmond defeated Glenelg by 14 runs. Brian “Darby” Munro made over half the score, 89 runs in the teams total of 169, and Brian “Buster” Niemann took 5 for 34 in Glenelg’s total of 155.
In the hard wicket competition, Glenelg Stragglers, with a team total of 127, defeated Richmond by 26 runs. In the teams second innings, Richmond were 6 for 58 when the game finished. P. Polkinghorne performed well with the ball, taking 4 for 28. On Brighton Oval, the second eleven was Richmond’s first premiership side of the 60s. They bowled Railways out for 61 in the first innings with Brian Niemann taking 7 for 23, including a hat trick. In reply, Richmond made a solid total of 190. Better performers were J. Edge (33), A. Jeffrey (20), R. Haese (37) and top scorer E. Bernhardt with 67. In Railways’ more respectable second innings of 165, Brian Niemann didn’t roll his arm over but R. Haese took 4 for 37, and J. Edge took 3 for 60. With Brian Munro making 26 not out in the second innings, the team collected the 40 runs, securing an outright victory, for the loss of four wickets. J. Rodda captained the A4 side to the club’s second premiership in 30 years of A.T.C.A. competition.
In an exciting inter association game that the South Australian team lost by less than a boundary, Brian Wells, B. Robert and Rob Cole were Richmond’s representatives. Season 1967/68 would prove to be the first of two premium summers for the Richmond Cricket Club. Richmond’s A1 side dominated the minor round, being convincing minor premiers, some 20 points ahead of the second side. Club captain, Bob Roxby, collected the A1 Association Bowling Trophy with 63 wickets at a great average of 7.4. He was well supported by the opening bowling pair of Robin Cole and Jeff Niemann, who collected 49 and 39 wickets respectively. On the batting side, Brian Roberts (430 runs), P. Middleton (390) and Brian Wells (333) made the bulk of the team’s runs. Two special individual bowling performances also happened in A1 this season. Bob Roxby took 9 for 16 in one minor round game and Rob Cole took 7 for 25 in another, including a hat trick. Brian Wells, Robin Cole and Bob Roxby (who was given the honour of team vice captaincy) performed admirably in the inter-association match against the V.S.D.C.A. Roxby took 8 match wickets, including a 5 wicket haul in the first innings, Cole had 7 match wickets and Brian Wells made 38 in the first ATCA victory. After winning their semi-final, Richmond faced off with Glenelg at Hawthorn Oval. In a low scoring game, Richmond made only 77, with Wells (29), R. Miller (12) and Roxby (14)
being the only players to get to double figures. In reply Glenelg could only register a total of 61, with Jeff Niemann starring. He took 6 for 29 of 13.1 overs, with his last wicket securing Richmond’s first Pryor Shield for being A1 premiers. He was well supported by the other bowlers, brother Brian Niemann with 1 for 7 off 3 overs, Rob Cole 1 for 9 off 8 overs and Bob Roxby 2 for 12 off 9 overs.
The premiership team in batting order was:
1. Brian Wells
2. B. Roberts
3. G. Kohlenberg
4. P. Middleton
5. R. Miller
6. Robert Roxby
7. Brian Munro
8. R. Haese
9. Jeff Niemann
10. Robin Cole
11. Brian Niemann
The B grade only had a fair season, but the third side in the hard wicket grade, under the captaincy of A. Drysdale, won the A8 A.T.C.U.A. Shield for the competition premiership. They had three centurions during the summer, B. Sanders, Tony Perkins and A. Jeffrey. Tony Perkins also won this grade’s batting award with 429, with Vic Button on 326 as runner up. Brian Niemann again took a hat trick during this season.
In the summer of 1968/69 Richmond finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round and would have to beat Glenelg in their semi-final for back to back glory. Rob Cole had a stellar season with the ball this season with 77 wickets at 7.6 per victim, that included three 7 wicket innings hauls. This gave him the A1 bowling trophy by 17 wickets. Partnered by Jeff Neimann (47 wickets), this venomous opening bowling attack frightened many opposing batsmen. Captain Brian Wells was the mainstay of the batting crease with 323 runs over the summer. He also was runner-up to the J.U. Jantke Fielding Trophy this season.
The second team and third teams would be involved in post-regular season matches after finishing third and second in their respective grades.
Ron Lee with 50 wickets, Brian Niemann (35 wickets) and J. Edge 40 dominated the bowling crease in the A3 competition. A. Pilkington (34 wickets) and J. Penny (33 wickets) were the best performed in the A9 grade. Special performances in the A3 grade came from J. Edge with 13 match wickets for 82 and the innings figures 8 for 35 from Ron Lee. In the hard wicket grade, A. Smith became the second Richmond player to win the ATCA’s Fielding Trophy, finishing 7 points above the second place getter. For the third season in a row, Brian “Buster” Niemann collected a coveted hat trick, three wickets in three balls. Richmond had a convincing win in their semi-final against Glenelg, beating them by an innings and 61 runs. Richmond made a good total of 229, with John Linder (47), P Middleton (45) and R. Haese (67 not out) scoring the bulk of them. In Glenelg’s totals of 64 and 104, Rob Cole (5 for 39) and Jeff Neimann (3 for 25) were the first innings destroyers. In the second innings, R. Miller (4 for 37) and Jeff Emmel (3 for 18) collected good figures.
For the second side, they unluckily lost a close encounter with Tea Tree Gully by less than a boundary. Their opponents only made 95, with Richmond getting to 92. Ron Lee was the destroyer in the first innings with 6 for 35. In the second, Brian Niemann took 4 scalps and J. Edge 3. The grand final was a close encounter, and had some added spice with Bob Roxby and G. Kolenberg, members of Richmond’s last year’s premiership side, playing for the opposition, Clarence Park.
On the back of Rob Cole’s 7 for 41 and R. Millers 2 for 6 Clarence Park made 87. In reply, Richmond made 91 with John Lindner being the backbone of the batting with 43 runs. In Clarence Park’s second dig, they declared at 8 for 129, to give Richmond 113 for outright victory. This they did 5 wickets down, with captain Brian Wells (35) and Jeff Emmel (24) and P. Middleton (26 not out) amongst the runs. In their opponents second innings, Rob Cole took 4 for 52 to give him grand final match figures of 11 for 93. Richmond was the fourth team in A1 Adelaide turf competition to collect consecutive wins.
After winning the hard wicket premiership the previous season, Richmond was runner up in this grade, this summer.
The 1968-69 A1 Premiership Team:
1. B. Roberts
2. Brian Wells (Capt)
3. John Lindner
4. Jeff Emmel
5. P. Middleton
6. R. Miller
7. R. Haese
8. G. Pike
9. B. Luke
10. J. Niemann
11. R. Cole
1970’s
B grade unit (in A3 grade) finished near the foot of the table, and the club’s third side in the hard wicket competition saw finals action. Captain/Coach Wells’ fielding skills were given the ultimate Adelaide Turf accolade with him winning the J.U. Jankte Trophy for this summer. He was also the A grade’s leading batsman with 378 runs. Robin Cole had an exceptional season with the ball, delivering 285.4 overs and taking 61 wickets at just over 11 runs per dismissal. His opening partner Jeff Niemann was a little less productive but still effective, taking 36 wickets.
There was little in outstanding performances by players in the second side, but J. Edge had a seven wicket Saturday and Jeff “Red” Emmel secured a hat trick. Lead by club life member K. Rodda, the hard wicket team had a successful summer. Both Rodda and A. Pilkington were the top two wicket takers in that competition with 44 and 62 wickets respectively. Pilkington comfortably collected the A9 Association Bowling Trophy. On the batting side K. Rodda (304 runs), W. Cox (352 runs) and Vic Button (452 runs) excelled. Cox also finished third in the ATCA Fielding Trophy for this grade.
This team’s semi-final was a one-sided affair against Woodville North at the Ascot Park School Oval. Richmond made a good total of 267 with A. Drysdale (43), R. Duggan (54) and R. Button (72) being the best performed with the bat. Bowling their opponents out for 148, the victory was by a margin of over 110 runs. A. Pilkington took 4 for 34 in Woodville North’s innings. The grand final was at the same venue against Clarence Park with the team holding their opponents to the score of 126. Captain K. Rodda collected 6 scalps for 37 runs off 73.1 overs and A. Pilkington was next best with 2 for 21 off 9 overs.
Although there were some jitters at times, Richmond collected the required runs with a fifty by Vic Button being the best score in this team’s total of 137. The game finished with Clarence Park’s second innings at 5 for 105 with Pilkington taking another 3 wickets. Robin Cole was again selected to play against the VSDCA and performed well, taking 3 for 42 off 18 inexpensive overs. In the summer of 1970/71, all three teams failed to see major round action. The A grade finished ninth, the second eleven in seventh position in the A3 competition and the hard wicket side was just out of the four in fifth position. Brian Wells passed over the first eleven captaincy to Rob Cole, but had an excellent season with the bat. He made 511 runs at an average of 36.5, including an impressive 121 not out, during the season. Rob Cole and Jeff Niemann continued to dominate the A grade teams bowling attack with 53 and 41 wickets each. Playing for the second eleven, Brian “Darby” Munro collected the J.U. Jantke Fielding Trophy by three votes. He became Richmond’s second consecutive winner of this award. He was also the team’s best-performed batsman for the summer with 424 runs. Jeff Emmel had a solid all-round season with 300 runs and 39 wickets. J. Edge, 38 victims, and Munro, 35 victims, were also among the wickets. Club stalwarts K. Rodda was the chief wicket taker in the hard wicket grade with 32, and Vic Button was the best of the bats with 360 runs at a good average of 45 per innings. Continuing to be selected at State amateur level, Rob Cole collected 3 wickets for the second year running. He also played for this side in the Gillette Cup one-day competition semi-final. Collecting the wooden spoon with only 6 points in A1 and finishing second last in the A3 competition, both the A grade and B grade Richmond teams would be relegated at the end of the 1971/72 cricket season. In the A9, hard wicket season, Richmond also finished well out of the finals race in eighth position.
Although there were few wins throughout the club during this summer, many exceptional performances were achieved, especially with the ball. Jeff Niemann collected three 7-wicket hauls, during the season, and was the best of the first eleven bowlers, in somewhat of a lone hand, taking 42 wickets at 10.9. J. Edge collected the A3 Bowling Trophy with 66 wickets at the great average of 9. In one match, he had the superb figures of 17 for 64 that included all 10 wickets in the first innings for 36 and 7 for 28 in the second dig. Also on another Saturday, he took 7 for 36. Brian Munro won the same grade’s batting award with 427 and also collected his second J.U. Jantke Fielding Trophy by a good margin of 9 points. Brian “Buster” Niemann collected yet another hat trick for this team during this summer. Ron Lee with 559 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 111.8 won the A9 hard wicket batting trophy, being one of only five players throughout the entire competition to break the 500 run milestone. He was also the only clubman to make a hundred during this summer. J. Martland was one of five players to finish equal second by two votes in the A9 Grade Fielding Trophy. Association representation was again awarded to Rob Cole this summer. He played in 3 matches at this level, against a New Zealand Invitational Eleven, the VSDCA and in a Gillette Cup match against East Torrens. With an Adelaide Turf restructure in season 1972/73, Richmond had their first team in the grade 2 competition and the second team in the grade 4, with the third unit in the grade 11 hard wicket competition. All teams weren’t involved in post regular season competition, but they were marginally more successful than the previous season. The first side finished sixth under the captaincy of Brian Munro, the second team were also in the middle of that grade’s pack, and the third eleven were about the same. Robin Cole had a stellar season, pinching the Association Grade 2 Bowling Trophy by one wicket, and finishing the summer with 66 victims at the average of 8.9. His summer
included a 13-wicket match haul, plus a 9 wicket and a 7-wicket innings haul. Jeff Niemann also collected 32 wickets for the first eleven.
One of the other Niemann brothers, Brian, was the second eleven’s best performed trundler with 48 wickets at 7.5 and G. Howston also collected 33 scalps. On the batting side, J. Pike led the A grade team with exactly 300 runs, with Ron Lee continuing on from the previous summer with another 500 plus run haul in the grade 11 hard wicket team. He also, for the second summer, was the only clubman to get to three
figures in an innings. In the Grade 2 competition, Richmond finished one place away from relegation in 1973/74 and the B grade side in the A4 grade were at the bottom of the table. The second eleven would move down a grade by the end of the summer. The hard wicket team (now grade 12) finished the minor round in fourth position
J. Pike backed up after a competent previous season with another 300 run performance, being one of only four players in that grade to get to this mark. Jeff Niemann and Rob Cole were again the backbone of the bowling unit. Between them, they would secure 77 victims in the summer, Rob with 44 and Jeff with 33. The second eleven had no player to get to the 30 wicket or 300 run milestone, but D. Polkinghorne collected 35 wickets in the hard wicket competition. Of their batsmen, Vic Button had a 425 run summer, that included a century, and J. Martland got 319. J. Pike took over the senior captaincy for the 1974/75 season. The leadership improved his batsmanship, with him finishing the summer with 485 runs at the solid average of 30.3. He also made an impressive 128 in a minor round fixture. Robin Cole continued to collect wickets on a consistent basis, finishing this season with 49 scalps, but they didn’t have a lot of support and the team settled in the middle of the pack in seventh position. In Grade 5, the B grade side finished at the bottom of the table for the second successive season, and were again relegated. The grade 12 Gold hard wicket side also finished in fourth position in their competition for the second year running. Brian Niemann was the best of the bowling in the second eleven with 35 wickets and likewise, D. Polkinghorne the best for the third unit with 30 victims.
Season 1975/76 marked the beginning of former Glenelg district wicketkeeper Ian Wallace’s reign of five years as captain/coach of the Richmond Cricket Club. In his first season at the club, no team was relegated but neither did any team look like featuring in finals matches. Even more amazingly, not one clubman made 300 runs or collected 30 wickets in this summer. Only two special performances were mentioned in the ATCA Annual Report: Club stalwart Brian Niemann had the excellent figures of 8 for 35 in a minor round A grade fixture and a young skilful right hand batsman Ian Jaggard made 127 in a grade 12 Blue fixture. For the first time in nearly half a decade, the Richmond Cricket Club had teams in finals matches in season 1976/77. The first eleven again finished in the bottom three, but the other senior teams saw finals action. The B grade team finished the minor round in fourth position, as did the hard wicket unit, and the third side in the grade 12 competition finished in third position. Young, a solidly built opening batsman, was the A grade’s chief run getter with 304. T.Trangos collected 384 runs in the grade 12 competition and Vic Button led the hard wicket teams run scoring with 579 runs. The only players in the club to break the 30-wicket mark were Brian Niemann with 36 wickets at 6.6 per scalp in grade 12 and D. Heyzer with 45 wickets at 7.7.
Captain/Coach Ian Wallace collected an unbeaten ton in the minor round in the topside, with Vic Button also getting one in the grade 13 gold hard wicket competition. Played at Grange Oval, the second eleven took on the Grange Cricket Club and lost to the eventual premiers by 3 wickets. In Richmond’s total of 167, Jeff Emmel led the batting effort with 30. Rob Cole was the best bowler with 3 for 32 in Grange’s reply of 7 for 170. The third side’s semi-final was a low scoring affair with the team eventually becoming outright victors by 44 runs. Richmond amassed 117 in the first innings and 92 in the second. In reply, Glenunga could only get totals of 56 and 103. Brian Niemann was the side’s best bowler with 3 for 17 and 6 for 40.
In the hard wicket side’s semi-final game, Richmond made 129 with Vic Button collecting a fifty. They bowled Fulham out for 99 to reach the final match of the summer. R. Channon (5 for 39) and R. Lee (3 for 31) were the stars with the ball. A match high of 81 not out by David Jaggard was the backbone of Richmond’s C grade (Grade 12) total of 180 in the final, with P. Lyster and D. Heyser both getting 26. Prince Alfred O.C. made 96 in reply, with captain Brian Niemann dominating the bowling crease with 6 for 29 off 12 overs. D. Heyser added to his runs with 2 for 17 off 8 overs. The match finished with Richmond in their second innings at 1 for 71 with D. Platten and T. Frangos being not out on 20 and 41 respectively. On the Ascot Park Primary Oval, the hard wicket (13 gold grade) side were never in the game against Grange. Chasing 280, the team was dismissed for an inadequate 51. R. Baker with 4 for 21 was one of a few that could hold their head high after this performance. Season 1977/78 saw Richmond’s first eleven move up the ladder, but only by two positions in the re-invented A2 competition. The second eleven in the C grade competition would see finals action, as would the third side in Grade 1, as they finished in
fourth and third place at the start of the finals. In the hard wicket section, the fourth team, after playing off in a grand final the summer before, would finish second last. For the A grade unit, Peter Perkins was the best performed bat, achieving 310 runs for the summer and G. Houston was the leading club first team bowler with 33 wickets. Other bowlers that had creditable seasons were Rob Cole with 44 wickets at 9.36 in the seconds, as well as Brian Niemann (45) and G. Atwell (35), in the C grade team. Ron Lee also reached the 500 run level for the season in grade 13 gold. Both G. Crockford and G. Wills achieved unbeaten centuries in the hard wicket competition during the season. J. Lee in the I grade side (clubs C grade) collected a prized hat trick. A seven-wicket haul was achieved in the B grade side by P. Hubbard during the season in the semi-final loss. They had to travel out to Pertaringa Oval to play the minor premiers and eventual winners of the flag, Tea Tree Gully. In the end, they lost outright by ten wickets. Tea Tree Gully made 204 and 0 for 47, to Richmond’s 114 and 136. Jeff Niemann was the only player to get to 30. The batsmen in the third team also didn’t perform in the Grade 1 semi-final, only getting 89. In reply, Glenunga made 181 and 103. G. Attwell (4 for 33) and a good two innings bowling performance from J. Lee (3 for 36 and 4 for 13) were the best in this side’s effort. Under the leadership of Ian Wallace for the fourth summer, season 1978/79, the club continued to stay in the bottom third of the A2 competition. The second side (now in the B1 grade) finished in seventh position, with the third team (now in H grade) in tenth position. The hard wicket unit in grade 13 green collected a finals spot at the end of the minor round. This year also signified the start of the Richmond under 16 team. Although they finished last, there were some promising performances. Rob Colwell was the first side leading run getter with 308 runs, including an unbeaten century. Kim McGuiness also collected a hundred not out with the A grade team. Throughout the club, no other player reached 300 runs for the summer and no player got to 30 wickets. For the under 16, team G. Lee took 6 for 0 in one game that included a hat trick.
In the grade 13 green hard wicket grade, Walkerville defeated Richmond by 45 runs in a high scoring match. Vic Button (61) and H. Stewart (38) performed well in Richmond’s total of 202. Their opponents Walkerville made 247, with P. Rutter (3 for 78) and C.Whicker (3 for 17) having the best bowling figures.
1980’s
The 1979/80 season started with Richmond finishing the season in second position in the A2 competition at the end of the minor round. Old Scotch proved too strong in the penultimate game winning by 24 runs. Brian “Darby” Munro (30) and the Jaggard brothers David (31 not out) and Ian (41), were the best performed with the bat. Left hand opening bowler Steve “Stinger” Nettle was honoured with the sportsman’s award, along with Colin Croft of Woodville Rechabites, by the ATCA Umpires Association for collecting 36 wickets. Ian Jaggard was the best with the willow for the first eleven collecting 308 runs at an average of 23.7. The B grade was at the opposite end of the premiership table to the first side, finishing second last to Clarence Park, and the C grade (playing in the competition F grade) was in the middle of the pack. This was also the case with the U/16 gold team and the hard wicket team.
A. Barrett broke the 300 run barrier for the club C grade. Robin Cole with 44 and G. Atwell with 37 wickets were the best performed through the grade with a piece of leather in their hands. A special performance by Steve Nettle is worth recounting. In an A2 minor round fixture, he collected 8 wickets for 22 in the first innings and 3 for 3 in the second dig, finishing with the match total of 11 for 25. After finals competition the season before, Richmond drifted back to the middle of the pack in the A2 competition for season 1980/81. The second eleven also finished at the foot of the table. In both sides, no batsman reached the 300 run or 30 wicket mark, but Rob Cole did collect an A grade hat trick.
The C grade and hard wicket team were again in the middle of the premiership table and the U16s were wooden spooners. Vic Button, in the hard wicket competition, and talented left handed junior, Nick Daniel, both had a consistent season getting 304 and 346 respectively. Barry Freer made a fine century in a minor round fixture, dismissed on 138. In season 1981/82, Richmond’s first eleven finished less than a game out of the finals in fifth position, in what was a tight competition in the A2 division, with less than 19 points separating first and seventh position on the table. Steve Nettle won the A2 competition bowling trophy with 41 scalps, and N. Holton and Barry Freer had good seasons with the bat, passing the 300 run mark. For the other three senior grades, the season didn’t hold much success but the U/16 (Gold) team (like the A grade side) finished in fifth position and were unlucky not to see finals action. Arthur Tsimboukis collected the association U16 gold bowling trophy with 39 wickets and Rob Pepe was second in the competition batting scoring, with 393 runs. Arthur, Mark Hogan and Tim Munro also gained selection for the ATCA in the U/16s “Coca-Cola Bottlers” Shield. Season 1982/83 saw Richmond secure the minor premiership, ensuring their promotion to the A1 competition with nine wins and only two losses. Barry Freer, Ian Jaggard, N. Holton and Rob Colwell were the mainstays with the bat, each breaking the 300 run barrier. Steven Nettle dominated the bowling for the first eleven with 38 wickets. Although Ian Jaggard made 85 and Barry Freer got a start with 32, Richmond had a disappointing semi-final against Elizabeth Turf at Argarna Park. They were 5 wickets down when they passed Richmond’s total of 169. The second eleven finished comfortably out of the four, but Jeff Emmel had a successful season with the ball taking 32 wickets.
In H grade, the club’s C grade were also minor premiers by a comfortable margin. The hard wicket side ended the minor round at the foot of the table and the U/16 (Blue) team collected a position in the finals. Three runs proved the difference between adulation and remorse in the C grade side semi-final fixture against Woodville. Rechabites were restricted to a total of 96, mainly due to the efforts of M. Hyland with 7 for 38, but the batsmen could not get the required runs. In the second innings, Brian Munro took 5 for 36 in their opponent’s total of 149. Veteran Rob Cole collected the bowling trophy in this grade with 63 wicket that included an 11 wicket match haul and a 8 and 7 wicket innings haul during the season. Brian Munro collected two unbeaten hundreds and was runner up in the competition batting award. M. Cirson passed the 300 run mark. For the U/16 unit, that was soundly beaten by Grange, a young left hander who was to become an exceptional A grade player for the club, Andrew Watson, took 3 for 27 and batsman P. Forrest made 75 in the second innings.
In their first season in the A1 competition in 1983/84, the Richmond A grade eleven performed well, finishing in fifth position, about a game out of the finals. Ian Jaggard (314) and Barry Freer (420) were the mainstays with the bat. No one broke the 30 wicket mark with the ball.
The club’s second eleven finished in the bottom third of the table, but the mixture of youth and club stalwarts collected the Richmond Cricket club the C grade premiership. Semi-final weekend, Richmond made 8/252, with W. Niemann unlucky not to make a century, finishing on 97 not out. Brian Munro and R. Hennell lent a hand with 45 each. Bowling Pultney Old Scholars out for 157, with Rob Cole getting the best figures (4 for 46), Richmond’s C grade were into their second grand final in successive years.
After a glut of runs on the previous weekend the final was a low scoring affair. Richmond only made 121, with Brian Munro being the backbone of the innings with 52. West Lakes were bowled out for a paltry 49. Rob Cole starred with the excellent figures of 6 for 65 of 16.3 overs with 8 maidens, bowling unchanged from one end. Arthur Tsimboukis supported him well with 2 for 14 off 9 overs. Brian “Darby” Munro had what could only be called a stellar season: making 586 runs (the most throughout the whole association for the summer) that included a 188 not out; captained his team to a premiership; being awarded the G grade association batting trophy; and playing alongside his son Tim in the premiership team. In the U/16 Blue competition, Richmond performed strongly with the bat in their semi-final. A. O’Dea (57), D. Arthur (31) and Stephen Kelly (30 not out) were the best performed. Unfortunately, Fulham were too strong, making 4 for 185. A grade quick bowler Steve J. Nettle collected a hat trick in the premier competition during the minor round.
The season was completed with Ron Lee and A. ‘Tony’ Perkins receiving 25-year player life membership with the ATCA. 1.97 bonus points separated Richmond’s first eleven from Grange and finals participation in seasons 1984/85. This was a great team effort considering no batsman reached the 300 mark and only Steve Nettle just got to the 30-wicket mark. He, with Barry Freer and Neil Majewski, were also awarded with ATCA representative selection that resulted in an exciting run chase and win against the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association at Brighton Oval. In the B grade, the club finished in seventh position, but the club’s C grade (now in the E grade competition) made the final four. The hard wicket team collected the wooden spoon and the U/16s finished second to last, but D. Arthur did have a day out during the season dismissing 8 batsmen for only 15 runs. Played at S.A.I.T. Oval, the C grade’s semi-final saw the team go down by 61 runs, S. Kelly (3 for 30) and P. Oats (4 for 40) were the best performed for this game.
Now near the end of a distinguished career, Robin Cole won the E grade Association Bowling Trophy with 43 wickets, that included a haul of 8 for 26 in one match. The 1985/86 season marked the first year of the Brock Younger Cup. Richmond Cricket Club had a bye in the first round but lost to grand finalists Kilburn in the second round of matches. In the two-day minor round, Richmond finished in the last four, and to the amazement of club delegates, were demoted to the A2 competition. Not withstanding the fact that the club should have never been relegated to the second competition, there weren’t any outstanding performances in the first eleven during this summer. None of the other senior sides made it into post-season competition, but the club’s C grade missed out by a small margin. Brian Munro collected the E grade competition batting trophy with exactly 600 runs at an average of 60, including 3 centuries. Barry Freer also collected one in this grade and Rob Cole secured 37 scalps, including an innings where he got 7 for 38. Four other bowling feats that deserve a mention include Danny Shane (7 for 8) and Jeff Emmel (7 for 47) in B1, Nick Wray with 7 for 86 in the U/16s and Graham Houston in the first side with 7 for 56. C. Harrington also collected a hat trick in the under 16s competition. The club’s U/16s performed strongly through the season and were at the top of the table at the end of the minor round.
In the semi-final, the team made 160 with D. Arthur making a solid 54 and they bowled out the Adelaide District side for 96. Andrew Stockley with 3 for 34 and B. Owens with 4 for 53 were the best with the ball.Grand final weekend proved equally successful for them, with Stef Marsland top scoring with 49 in a total of 176. He also took 5 for 10 with the ball. Their opponents Edwardstown were bowled out for 81, giving this side a comfortable premiership victory. Best bowler was Nick Wray with 5 for 25. D. Arthur proved to be a fine all rounder with 34 wickets that should have won him the Association Bowling Trophy and 479 runs to be runner up for the Association Batting Award. He also made 2 centuries and played in the U/16s representative side. A. King also passed the hundred-mark in a junior minor round game. Many of this team would become regular senior members for the club over the next ten years.
At senior level, Steve Nettle represented the ATCA in their annual match against the V.S.D.C.A., performing soundly. After deciding, for the betterment of cricket, that the club would not press on with court action, the club had a steely determination to return to the first division in the shortest possible time in season 1986/87. By the end of the regular season, they had achieved this task by collecting the minor premiership. In the semi-final at Sturt C.A.E. Oval, the side made an impressive 7 for 262 against E.T.S.A., with Neil Majewski (88), Steve Nettle (45), Nick David (42) and David Lee (32) getting amongst the runs. C. Whicker was the chief wicket taker with 3 for 35. In a rain soaked grand final weekend, the team was awarded the premiership on minor round position, but not without some scares. The find of the season was former junior Nick Daniel with 2 hundreds and 501 runs. Coach Neil Majewski also had a good season with the bat collecting 387. Of the bowlers, Steve Nettle collected the Association Trophy with 51 wickets at the great average of 7.9 runs per wicket. G. Houston also secured 33 victims at 12.6. Jeff Emmel’s versatility was shown with 387 runs, including a 96 not out during the season in the second eleven. They finished in tenth position in their grade, with the C grade (in D grade competition) finishing in second last position. The club didn’t have an entry in the under age competitions for this season.
In the Brock Partners one-day event, Richmond departed in the first round, losing by a fair margin to Brighton. This would also prove to be one of the few seasons where the club didn’t get a representative player. Returning to the premier competition, the club achieved their first goal by staying in the A1 grade during the 1987/88 season, but they were in the last four. Nick Daniel started the season well with a 115, and coach Neil Majewski had a 103 not out during the season. Nick made 312 runs to secure the batting trophy. No player broke the 30-wicket mark for Richmond in the A1 competition.
The B grade finished at the high end of the second half of the premiership ladder for the summer, and the C grade were demoted to the E grade competition after finishing in sixth position. A fourth team returned to the field of battle in the hard wicket competition, finishing in fourth place, but the fifth placed Ferryden park were given the opportunity in the final. In the one-day competition, Richmond got into the third round with good wins over Flinders Park and E.T.S.A., but couldn’t get over eventual grand finalists Woodville North. In the second round, left arm quick Andrew Watson took the excellent 7 for 35 off his allocated overs. In the other grades, Tony Evrenladis had a great half a season in the C grade side, making 392 runs at an average of 65.3 in 7 games. Although there wasn’t any player in senior level representation for the A.T.C.A., Stef Marsland and Matt Stanton gained selection at under 21 level. This season, Jeff Emmel was inducted into the special elite group of players that have given 25 years service playing in the ATCA. Unfortunately by the end of season 1988/89, Richmond were to be relegated to the A2 competition, finishing in second last position. No player in the A grade unit made 300 runs or took 30 wickets for the season. In the one-day competition, Richmond lost in a high scoring second round match in which 466 runs were made. Stef Marsland (92 not out) and Tony Everenidas (77 not out) were involved in a large partnership in that loss. The second eleven finished in ninth position, but the third and fourth elevens saw finals action, finishing second and fourth respectively.
In a second eleven game, wrong-footed young quick bowler Jason Pike secured an impressive 8 wickets for 77 runs, and Bernie Hyland and Jamie Scott collected 7 wicket hauls for the C grade side.
In the semi-finals, the C grade (in the E grade competition) had an exciting 11 run victory with Warwick Potts (4 for 24) and Brian Tolhurst (54) being the best performed. The fourth side was soundly thrashed by over 200 runs, but K. St. Clair took 6 for 78. In the grand final played at Kingston Oval, the C grade were never in the hunt, unable to chase West Lakes good total of 231. B. Reilly was the only batsman to perform, with exactly 50, and Jamie Scott was the best of the trundlers with 3 for 40. For a victorious A.T.C.A. side, Neil Majewski was given the honour of captaincy and made an important 51 batting with the tail.
1990’s
The last decade of the twentieth century started with Richmond winning a B1 grade Premiership with a team that included a couple of the most experienced men at the club, Rob Colwell and Jeff Emmel, plus a group of young players with audacious talent who would continue with the club for the next ten years. Players like David Lee, Matt Stanton, Tony Emmel, Rob Pepe, Bernie Hyland, Nick Wray and Andrew Stockley would become excellent clubmen over the coming years.
This first eleven finished in the middle of the pack with 5 wins. Solidly built left-hander Nick Daniel was the only batsman to pass the 300 run mark and no bowler collected thirty wickets or more. In the J.U. Janske A1 Association fielding trophy, Andrew Smith finished a creditable third.
Trent English, Kym Mickan and Neil Majeswski achieved A.T.C.A. representation at senior level in 1989/90, with the latter as captain. At under 23 level, Andrew Smith, Stef Marsland and Andrew Watson competed against the Riverland in a one-day fixture. Richmond won their way through to the Brock Younger one-day finals this year with solid second round and semi-final wins, but came up against competition yardstick Gaza in the ultimate game and didn’t get enough runs on the board. Best performed in this game were Andrew Smith with 49 and 1 for 21 off eight overs, Warwick Potts with 21 not out in the late order and 1 for 27 off seven overs and Jeff Emmel, batting with Warwick at the end of Richmond’s innings, coupled with 2 for 26 with the ball.
Finishing the minor round in 1990/91 season in second position, the A grade ran into Gaza at Goodwood Oval in the semi-final. In a low scoring close encounter, the team fell short by 18 runs. This was also Andrew Watson’s summer; he collected the A1 bowling trophy with 47 wickets, won the Sidney W. Sheperdson Memorial Trophy for the best performed all rounder and the Colin Forrest Trophy for the most promising under 23 player. He also gained senior representative honours, as did Kym Michan again, and performed well in the under 23 ATCA match at Renmark Oval collecting 2 for 24. Including a 5 wicket haul in the semi-final, Andrew Watson collected a total of 52 wickets for the season. Later in the 90s, he would move to district club Kensington. During his years at this level, he would captain that club to a district A grade premiership and compete at state second eleven level. All rounder Kym Mickan collected the club’s batting trophy with 387 runs. Through the grades, the teams only performed adequately with the D grade side, struggling for numbers and not collecting one win for the summer and being relegated to Grade I.
In the Brock Younger cup, the club went down to their old nemesis Gaza in a high scoring round two encounter in which a combined total of 445 runs were scored. Season 1991/1992 saw only a middle of the road summer for the first eleven, with this side finishing sixth, some 20 points adrift of the fourth placed S.P.O.C. unit. For the third year running, they were also knocked out of the one-day competition by Gaza, this time going down in an exciting semi-final loss by only one wicket. Gaza would clean up Brighton in the final.
Andrew Watson took another 31 wickets with the ball to collect the club A grade bowling trophy. Stef Marsland collected the batting trophy with exactly 400 runs in the A1 competition and Greg Aldam had a solid year collecting 342 runs. The second eleven dominated the B1 competition, finishing the minor round 20 points clear on top of the table. Captain Bernie Hyland had an exceptional season, winning the Association Batting Trophy with 467 runs. After getting through the semi-final, the team were unable to get over Grange on Grand Final weekend. Jason Soar had an excellent finals campaign in the club’s C grade premiership win (in E Grade). He collected 11 wickets for 59 runs in both matches. In the final, Jason, with opening partner Jason Pike, took 5 wickets each, dismissing Flinders Uni for a paltry 31 runs. Jeff Emmel captained this team, with the other ten player’s average age being less than 20. Both Soar and Pike finished with 34 and 30 wickets respectively. Andrew Watson and Stef Marsland both played ATCA representative cricket again at under 23 level, with the former given the duties of vice captaincy.
In what turned out to be the last season for Richmond as a single identity in 1992/93, the first eleven finished in the last third of the competition. ‘Harold’ Carter, an English county second eleven player, was recruited and this was expected to give the side one of the most potent attacks in the competition. Unfortunately, he only performed sporadically and even spent a couple of games in the second eleven. No batsman made 300 runs and no bowler collected 30 wickets in the A grade unit and what looked like a team who would contest finals on paper, was in essence as a team of individuals.
Despite the A grade’s poor performance, the second side were runaway winners in the B1 competition, finishing the minor round 25 points clear of Grange and collecting a grand final win with just 4 wickets down. Warwick Potts won the B1 Association Bowling Trophy collecting 33 dismissals for the season. Continuing to show strength through the grades, the C grade (now in the D grade competition of the ATCA) also played in the grand final after demoralising Flinders Uni in their semi-final by 196 runs. Outstanding performances in this game were Tim Wilden with 77 and the evergreen Jeff Emmel who took 5 for 12. In the final played at Blair Athol Reserve, Modbury were to prove too strong an opponent, overtaking Richmond’s score of 152 with 5 wickets left in hand. Andrew Watson continued to be selected for senior association honour and again provided a solid performance. Warwick Potts was awarded selection in the under 23 representative team and Jeff Emmel was called up in the inaugural Adelaide Turf MasterXI (over 40s team). Also Damien Hocking, Rob Fanning and Andrew Stockley received representative honours in the under 23s match against the SACA under 19s in December of this season.
– Credit: Peter Argent –
