Why On Earth Would You Start A Cricket Club?

WORDS: Jake Savage PHOTOGRAPHY Lifestyle Image Alessandro Boliari and Supplied

It’s a good question…here’s why…

Well, it sort of happened by accident. My wife and I had just moved to the leafy suburb of Bonogin Valley and stumbled across our local park (Davenport Park) which has a picturesque cricket ground surrounded by trees.

It was a lush green field with a synthetic wicket in the middle but there didn’t seem to be any matches being played on a Saturday. 

I had been out of the game for the previous seven seasons, having played at a decent level back in Melbourne as a junior and as a young adult, before relocating to the Gold Coast.

The Bonogin Valley Bulls against the Bonogin Valley Rural Fire Brigade

I had played the odd game here and there at two of the more established clubs on the Coast but none of them really felt like home or could replicate what I experienced at my Junior Club -Sunshine United Cricket Club in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs.

I had a 4-year-old son at this stage and seeing this field around the corner from my home brought back memories of my own cricketing journey living around the corner from Selwyn Park in the suburb of Albion. 

Memories from when I would walk around the corner with my cricket bag across one shoulder at least 2 nights a week, sometimes 4 when I trained both seniors and juniors and I would soak up all that the club had to offer.

Watching the older fast bowlers go through their runups and terrorize batsmen in the nets, seeing the club’s opening batsmen dispatch balls through cover with ease and most of all, listening to the stories and banter between the players brought these memories to life.

The rooms were old and dated and the carpet was like a nightclub floor! There was a pool table in one section and a timber box on wheels that was full of pads, gloves and all sorts of communal cricket gear that you wouldn’t dare breathe close nearby for the smell that would come out when the lid was opened.

I vividly remember the amount of photos on the walls of all the premierships won over the years and the flags that adorned the walls and ceilings.

The honour board was large but only a few names were present as the committee was stable, and positions were occupied for over 10 seasons by the same people.

The ground was big and unfenced, and I would regularly help Jim the curator with the covers and rolling the wicket.

I thought to myself how do we replicate what I grew up with, here in Bonogin?

As fate would have it the local community would hold an annual cricket match between the Rural Fire Brigade and a residents’ team taking place in July 2017.

This match was scheduled to happen fairly soon, and a training session was announced on the local community page. Around a dozen local men turned up and we had a brief fielding session and a bit of an impromptu practice match.

There were some decent cricketers amongst the group with 2 playing locally for Mudgeeraba and Surfers Paradise cricket clubs respectively. But there were also 3 or 4 that were just like me, they had played a lot of cricket during their youth but once family and work took over, they were lost to the game for a period of time (some for a decade or more).

This was a chance for all of us to rediscover our passion for the sport and bring out our competitive spirit through the game we all love.

Me being me, I was like a dog with a bone and began sketching logos, working on designs for kits, colours and a mascot.

I finally settled on the Bulls due to the fact there was a paddock right near Davenport Park that regularly had 2 large bulls in it as you drove past.

The colours Green and Gold were chosen for a couple of reasons – the Green was due to the lush green region of the Bonogin Valley and the Gold was to reflect the Gold Coast.

The mascot and colours also connected with the sport of cricket, as Green and Gold are the colours of the Australian Cricket team and the Bulls are the QLD state cricket side so both were easy to identify with the sport.

After a few more training sessions the day of the match was upon us and the Bonogin Valley Bulls would take the field against the Bonogin Valley Rural Fire Brigade.

There was much anticipation and a large crowd was on hand thanks to the support of local real estate agent Kevin Crasto who had arranged a BBQ and also a jumping castle for the kids.

The newly formed Bulls would go on to win the match fairly comfortably and this is what planted the seed for what was to become.

Stay tuned for part 2 and how we entered the Cricket Gold Coast Competition.

If you are looking for a club to play at, look no further than the Bonogin Valley Bulls Cricket Club: www.bvbcc.com.au