ABOUT five years ago, Winton Corr discovered some boxes in his father’s house. They were full of mementoes of Highett West Cricket Club’s history – among them dog-eared scorebooks, photographs, match reports and newspaper clippings.
Corr set about ‘‘putting it all in order’’ and early next year will unveil a book he has compiled from the material, coinciding with the club’s 50th anniversary. ‘‘Highett West is just a small club, so there’s not that much information out there about how the club was formed 50 years ago,’’ says Corr. ‘‘But I dug up some great little pieces and I think the book will look fantastic.’’
Corr has been affiliated with the club for almost a decade, both as a player and a board member, and is about to embark on his first season as president. His father Tony, 65, is a club legend, having been involved since its inception and still representing Australia in over-60 cricket tournaments.
This season Highett West will field three senior teams in the Woolnough Shield (reserve grade), as well as continuing a junior program established two years ago through the Milo In2Cricket development initiative. ‘‘It sounds easy to get a junior program up and running but it’s a lot of hard work,’’ says Corr.
‘‘The aim is to have enough players to field an under-12 team next season but it will take a bit more work. Some of the other clubs around this area took up to five years to have their own stand-alone junior sides.’’
Last year, the club ran several cricket clinics at district primary school St Agnes, to great acclaim. Corr admits that with 10 other cricket clubs within a five-kilometre radius of Highett West, it can be hard to retain numbers. ‘‘Being a small club like we are, it can be a challenge. We have around 40 members and some other clubs around this area have triple that. But there’s a really strong sense of community here and the players are passionate about the club.’’
The 50th anniversary celebrations will include a gala dinner on February 4 featuring the announcement of the Highett West Cricket Club team of the decade (2002–2012) and a reunion of past players and coaches. ‘‘We have past players coming from all over Victoria and interstate, and a lot of people are looking forward to catching up with people they haven’t seen for years,’’ he says.
There are a few changes on the field this season, with Highett West’s seven-time club champion, Dev Byrne-Murray, having moved overseas. But Byrne-Murray’s departure may have a silver lining. ‘‘It gives a real opportunity to some of the guys from our second XI, who can put pressure on the first XI players and hopefully get some games,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s great for the young guys to know that the rest of the club has faith in them.’’
Highett West’s next home game is on October 29 at A. F. Peterson Reserve, corner Peterson Street and Highett Road, Highett. If you have any information or memorabilia from the club’s first 50 years, please contact Winton Corr at highettwest@yahoo.com.au
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