Why on earth would you start a cricket club?

WORDS: Jake Savage PHOTOGRAPHY Lifestyle Shot Jessica Hearn @unsplash and supplied

The story of the Bonogin Valley Bulls Cricket Club…continued

Things were starting to get serious as they quickly formed a committee and began setting up the club with all of the necessary components such as a constitution, becoming incorporated and opening a bank account.

They also started to attract sponsors and lined up quite a few social matches against Beechmont Cricket Club and The Jesus Brian Indoor Cricket Team.

The club then entered its first competition, the RJR Winter Competition and quite a few players from other Gold Coast clubs were interested in coming over and playing with the Bulls in the off-season.

The team was very strong and full of experienced cricketers such as Dylan Sherriff and Luke Denham (Helensvale) as well as a few young players such as 16-year-old Kuepper Pitman from Beechmont.

They enjoyed some great success in the early rounds of this competition and set themselves up for a shot at the finals by finishing in second place after the regular season games.

By the time the Grand Final rolled around they were in red hot form and playing like a well-oiled machine.

The Bulls would face the Wills XI from Brisbane in the Grand Final at Tansey Park in Loganholme.

To think that only 6 months ago the club didn’t even exist and now they were looking to win the first competition they’d entered was quite an achievement in itself.

The Bulls would go on to win the match quite convincingly (Bulls 5/260 defeating Wills XI 10/183) to claim their first trophy and set the club on course for what was to come later.

This would then start a snowball effect and the club would look to enter the Cricket Gold Coast Competition while also attracting players from other Gold Coast clubs.

The process of entering the Gold Coast competition wasn’t easy, as the Bulls Committee had to jump through numerous hoops and navigate the political landscape of Gold Coast Cricket before finally having their case heard and being voted in by the other clubs.

Season 2018/19 would be their first season in the Cricket Gold Coast Competition when the club was able to field 4 teams (4th Grade, 5th Grade, Under 12s and Under 10s).

The season was a massive learning curve for everyone at the club, as they went from approximately 20 members to 80 in a short time.

The juniors in particular struggled and were often outclassed by the bigger clubs on the coast.

Hamish and Will Noending, Louis Gunter and Caleb Williams would feature in the under 12s as well as Annika Bjorkman and Taj Savage in the under 10s in that season.

The Senior sides had mixed seasons with the First XI finishing 3rd after the regular season with 14 wins but lost in the Semi Final.

The Second XI would struggle for most of the season but secured 3 wins including their famous first win over Alberton at Trevor Hammell Oval.

This season also saw the club hold many events such as Pink Stumps Day, Halloween Trivia Night, and The Bonogin Valley Medal Night just to name a few.

The spark had ignited and the club was off and running in the Cricket Gold Coast Competition.

If you are looking for a club to play at, visit: wwwbvbcc.com.au