Poowong Loch Cricket Club - A tale of survival and a flag

GRAND FINAL WINNING SIDE Back: Michael Buzasi, Joel Dickson, Shannon Rosario, Sa’id Magnusson, Ben Giles, Jesse Patullo Front: Anwar Magnusson, Jason Hibbs, Peter Miller, Alex Dixon, Matt Hancock and Greg Miller

POOWONG LOCH CRICKET CLUB

THE BACK STORY

Thirty years ago the Ranceby Cricket Association disbanded. Until then they might have been the smallest cricket association in Australia. Six clubs with one team each and Nyora with two. Loch, Nyora, Woodleigh, Krowera, Bena, Ranceby and Poowong all competed. The hours of play (11 am till 3.30 pm) accommodated mainly dairy farmers. Some of the previously mentioned clubs folded prior to the Association disbanding.

The plan was to amalgamate what was previously Ranceby, form one club and compete in the Leongatha and District Cricket Association.

Nyora had other thoughts. Their players and their residents had progressively migrated to Nyora from outer Eastern Melbourne and were keen to continue their cricketing links in that direction. A growing Nyora township gave them confidence for the future. They went their own way.... and the Poowong Loch Cricket Club applied to join Leongatha.

Leongatha doubted Poowong Loch's capabilities. Reluctantly, but feeling obligated to accept Poowong Loch, Leongatha admitted this new team which was reliant on two small neighbouring country towns "getting married." A shotgun marriage if ever!

The first year was competitive. C Grade did well and would have made the finals, only to be penalized late in the season for an oversight, a transgression that would be tolerated by the By- Laws of today.

The second season saw ten A Grade players depart for greener pastures. The club asked for and got concessions from the Association. The Association allowed Poowong Loch to play with just B and C Grade teams. This disrupted the uniformity of Leongatha cricket.

Two B Grade and one C Grade Premiership over the next ten years evaporated any sympathy for Poowong Loch. When the Association developed six Grades of cricket rather than the previous three, Poowong Loch were elevated to A Grade Division 2. Poowong Loch embraced this appropriate and timely promotion. Poowong Loch C.C. kept cricket in the community for the next 20 seasons. The Association insisted on an A Grade team. Poowong Loch fulfilled that commitment, and fielded a varying number of teams in lower Grades and Juniors. Ultimate success proved elusive. Poowong Loch were occasional runners up across all Grades. An Under 16 flag in 2017 the only highlight. The club was participating, but not thriving.

In 2020, amongst the complications of Covid, Poowong Loch looked doomed. Players and administrators were scarce. Zoom meetings confirmed apathy. Would Poowong Loch follow Fish Creek and Wonthaggi Miners into oblivion? A desperate plea to the Association to field just a B Grade team was accepted and a competitive season followed.

The gloom reappeared in the Winter of 2021 when nobody turned up for the AGM. A second AGM proved equally disappointing. Best players were being targeted and tempted to other clubs. Indecision as to which grade Poowong Loch would be asked to play, Covid, a general apathy and lack of direction, and no one prepared to accept office bearer positions, threatened to suck what life was left out of this small country cricket club. The club came within a week of closure.

THE FUTURE

Poowong Loch Cricket Club could do no wrong in the 21/22 season. From very humble beginnings where five players at pre-season training was hailed a major success, to winning a B2 flag was "a mighty ride." It was more than "the flooding rain that follows the seemingly never ending drought."

Winning matches and the flag was the unexpected icing,..... the table tennis marathon, the annual sheep shearing, the improved culture and enthusiasm, the arrival of new players, increased exposure on Facebook, hosting the Association windup, the emerging support of the community, the privilege of playing on the Poowong oval, and new leadership on and off the field, have all contributed to the reincarnation of a country cricket club.

A TALE OF SURVIVAL AND A FLAG

Words by Garry Knox & Photos by Gini Patullo

The personal development of players and their newfound team spirit is as satisfying as the flag. The beginnings of a new club culture has emerged.

However, the future remains unknown. This team will happily accept promotion next season. At some stage the Association will insist on an A Grade team, regardless of performance. Players will continue to be courted by other clubs. (Poowong Loch has a no-paid player policy) Two of the new leaders are "pensioner qualified" or thereabouts. While Poowong's population growth promises to be equal to other small country towns, Loch's growth is negligible.

By comparison, the dramatic population explosion in Phillip Island, Wonthaggi, Inverloch and Leongatha relegates Poowong and Loch to third world status.

There is a dearth of good young local leaders. That is the challenge for those basking in Premiership glory: to find crickets good young keen local leaders and players. Perhaps that's the challenge for all small country cricket clubs.

This is the “ ball of the century” that helped Poowong Loch win the B2 flag. OMK’s Captain, Russ White was playing the typical Captain’s innings when Jesse Patullo bowled him with this.