2025 Annual Report

President's Report – 2024/25

The sense of optimism leading into season 2024/25, our 99th was ultimately justified if retention of players and results on the field is any guide. We fielded five senior teams again as well as an U16, U14 and rookie team.

To improve our competitiveness and bring some structure to Thursday night training, we were able to convince Luke Barker to take on an informal playing coach role. Unfortunately, Luke was restricted early on with a back injury limiting his playing time. Nonetheless, we were grateful that Luke was prepared to take on the role and four out of our five senior teams made finals with the 4th XI going on to win the J-Grade premiership. In addition to retaining all our senior playing group, it was fantastic to have Mark Bell back at the club adding depth to the senior teams along with recruit, Ben Loughnane.

The junior season was an incredible success. Besides providing a pool of talented youngsters for the senior one-day teams, the juniors had successful seasons with the U16C Central going on to win four of their games and just missing out on a top four finish by 3 points while the U14B North team went on to win the premiership.

A 7th position finish was a respectable and realistic outcome of the third season in the Woolnough shield for the 1st XI. The gap in talent and commitment between eventual premiers Washington Park and the rest of the competition was obvious. Clubs making up the rest of the top four; Mackie, Omega and Elwood are of similar ilk to Washington Park and these clubs have set the benchmark to match if we are to succeed at Woolnough level.

We were in the top four running deep into the season, an admirable effort considering the strength of the top four clubs and remarkable considering our slow start to the season with just two wins from the first five games. We will be striving for better preparedness and availability of our best players for the opening rounds next season. Three extremely narrow losses in one day fixtures might have seen the 1st XI sneak into the top four had results gone our way.

The club owes a debt of gratitude to first time captain Matt Freeman. The 1st XI captain has a highly visible role in the club and in the wider SECA community and Matt lead the team well, managing to win four games and retain our position in the grade. Matt’s all-round contributions were invaluable as were outstanding seasons from Max and Fergus Murray. Fergus joined Max as a Hampton United Club Champion and both Max and Fergus were named in the Woolnough Team of the Season; the first time two brothers were named in a Team of the Season!

The standout teams in Pullen Sheild were clearly East Sandringham and Highett West with Highett West going on to defeat East Sandringham in a high scoring grand final. The 2nd XI was the best of the rest ultimately going down in the preliminary final to Highett West however a win against nemesis Melbourne Wanderers in the first Semi-Final was a step forward from the straight sets exit of last year’s finals campaign. Player unavailability at senior levels and general unpreparedness in the early rounds was as costly for the 2nd XI as for the 1st XI. Fortunately, the strong leadership of Stewart Levy and Sean Seaser was fundamental in getting the best out of the talent available and standout batting from Jayden Crosby and big wicket hauls from Trent Thompson and Mark Bell got us a finals berth.

It was business as usual for the 3rd XI in the standard 1-Day grade (G-grade). A six-game winning streak in the middle rounds ensured a top four finish and a match saving innings from Andrew Woolston saw us get over Cluden in the Semi-Final (echo of Danny Dawsons miracle innings in the 4th XI 2019/20 grand final win). Unfortunately, back-to-back premierships weren’t to be with Diamond being too good on the day in the Grand Final. The 3rd XI was regularly called on to help top up the higher grades and were themselves topped up with players from the lower grades on more than a few occasions. In typical unselfish fashion, captain Jacob Travers and the team made do with whoever was available, and 2nd place was a terrific effort. The “engine room” provided some truly stellar performances with the bat (run machine Dave “Dumpy” McCaig and Campbell Tweedie) and with the ball (Aussie Parker and Andrew Woolston) and a great all-round contribution from our U14 coach Jason Anderson.

The 4th XI were deserved winners of the J-Grade premiership. After a typical slow start Danny Dawson captained perfectly and barring one slip up against Hampton Centrals, the 4ths cleaned up all-comers on their way to winning the flag. The first for the 4ths since the 2019/20 triumph. Lucas Blatchford, Karthik Subbaiah, Kane Silom, Rowan Doyle and Sam Crigan added some much needed “youth” to the veterans, who it must be said were not too shabby! Marcus Barber proved to be a weapon with bat and ball all season and deservedly won the J-Grade competition batting award while Steve O’Shea (SOS) capped off a great all-round season with the bat and ball to win his first ever flag with Hampton United! Lucas Blatchford and Karthik Subbaiah saved their best individual performances for the big show and along with the even contributions from the rest of the team, we managed to “upset” West Bentleigh on their own patch!

As thrilling as the win was, the deeds of Marcus Barber and Malcolm Twining (with a runner) in the final over of the semi-final against Carnegie South the week before will go down in Hampton United folk lore!

The 5th XI, our “Lads and Dads” lead by Tony Dowling had a year that might have surprised a few but not Tony and the other Dad’s. Clayton 5ths finished top by daylight in M-Grade with a…how to put it?!, “well qualified” team. Our 5th XI finished a comfortable 2nd with great contributions from all the Dad’s and seniors who played but also the juniors. Elwood 5ths proved to be a bit too strong on the day in the Semi-Final however the season was an outstanding success. Tony and the dads have done the club a terrific service running the 5th XI.

The aim of bringing new families into the club and developing a bridge between the senior and junior clubs is greatly enhanced with this team and we will work to keep this grade going well into the future. Tom Gill was a standout with the bat however contributions from names we hope will represent HUCC senior teams for many years to come were plentiful. Lachie Matthews and Kai Anderson contributed plenty of wickets and not too far behind Tom in the runs were James Dowling and Mason Vella.

We are fortunate to have had help both on and off the field from Dan Strachan, Rob Matthews, Jason Anderson and Damien Gill.

Turning to off-field matters, clubs don’t run themselves without the tremendous effort of volunteers. My Vice-President and Treasurer Sam Crigan, club Secretary Karthik Subbaiah and general committee Lucas Blatchford, MalcolmTwining, Russell Moore and Brett Johnston contribute many hours across several workstreams ensuring compliance with all the SECA regulations, registration of players, planning of social events, procuring of apparel and equipment, paying umpires and running of the bar to name just a few.

We celebrated the doubling of our 500-game club! On Saturday 14th December, club legend, the indominable Craig Hamilton played his 500th game for Hampton United. Craig joins David Tomlinson as only the 2nd player to reach this incredible milestone. In a fitting tribute to Craig, we themed our trivia night “Hammo Trivia”. And who else but Russ Moore was able to dig into the archives to unearth questions about our newest member of the 500 club! The Trivia Night proved a highlight of the social season. Thanks also to Sam Crigan and Jayne Rachel for the outstanding organization and putting together such a fun night.

Senior presentation day was again held at the Sillitoe Rooms and a turnout of over 70 people made it an outstanding celebration of the season. Catering and organization was largely done by the club and special thanks to Russ and Liz Moore and Lisa Pearce for pulling rabbits out of the hat with some lastminute catering ideas and to Russ for organizing all the trophies and awards.

Russ and Neil Byrne kept the 3, 2 and 1 votes for all games during the season and in a first for some time, the committee decided to award MVP in each grade in recognition of the disparity in the number of playing days of the different grades. Congratulations to all the individual award winners.

Selecting five senior teams each week is no small task. I don’t know where we would be without the effort from Chairman of Selectors Stu Murray. It’s not often we have the 55 players required each Saturday and a good deal of persuasion, cajoling and many calls and texts are often needed to get the numbers! Shares in Telstra must dip every week we do have the numbers we need and Stu doesn’t need to do the usual!

We’d be stuck without the drive and energy of our junior program coordinator Emily Spicer-Stuart. Thanks to Emily, Tony Dowling and our junior coaches and volunteers, we were able to continue our junior program in the face of stiff competition from other Bayside clubs. In a welcome development, one which we hope to see more of, Senior Player Jack Reed took on the responsibility of coaching the U16s. Jack deservedly took out our most determined player of the season award in addition to stepping up to coach the U16s. Well done, Jack. The boys had a great year and improved as cricketers! Malcolm Twining volunteered his time on Sundays to assist Emily Spicer-Stuart and Tony Dowling get the rookies up and running again and we have eight more keen rookies on a path to joining the rest of our juniors in the seasons to come. We are looking to build on the rookies in our 100th season!

Neil Byrne informed and entertained everyone with his Facebook updates throughout the season. Thanks to Neil’s efforts, standout performances are recognized, and some truly quirky statistics and observations make a fun read! As our official photographer, Neil has provided many of the images that capture the narrative of our history and all the key moments, big and small that build the Hampton United story. Thanks Neil.

Thanks also to our major sponsors, Bendigo Bank, Highett Branch, South City Meats, Hampton Fruit and Vegetables, Trent Thompson’s Car Connect, Stewart Levy Carpentry, Andy Hore and Billycart Architecture and Hampton Bakers Delight.

Our 99th year is done and dusted. Now, onto the big one. 100 years. Enjoy the winter and let’s get set for a memorable 2025/26.

David Pearce
President, Hampton United Cricket Club

Treasurer’s Report – 2024/25
As of 27/4/2025

HUCC’s 2024/2025 financial result shows an approximate operating loss of $600.

Revenue from subs was like last season at around $20,400 for both seniors and junior teams. Thanks to those that paid their full subs or match payments throughout the season. Huge thanks to Mal Twining, Jack Reed and Emily for all your efforts with our juniors. The club appreciates the support of all players in paying their subs.

This season we had valuable contributions from our main sponsors Car Connection, CB Physiotherapy Billy Cart Architecture. Thanks also to personal contributions from current and former players Mal Twining, Glenn Thompson. A huge appreciation again to Trent, Chris, Andy and all our sponsors! Overall sponsorship amounted to over $5000.

Money spent on cricket equipment such as match balls and junior supplies and expenses for playing shirts, new training shirts and other clothing totalled at over $16,400 which was a little less than last season due to a carryover of stock.

The bar and kitchen’s total revenue was approximately $24,700, slightly down on last season. Big appreciation to everyone for the support this season over the bar. A big thank you to Tony Dowling for his work managing the stock of the bar this season. Thanks also to Karthik, Russ, Lucas and Emily their work behind the canteen at both senior and junior matches.

Our special events including our trivia night and presentation day helped generate over $6,400 in revenue. Next season it’ll be a focus to increase this significantly in our 100th year!

Primary income sources included (approximate values):
- Subs: $ 20,400
- Bar: $24,700
- Special Events: $6400
- Sponsorship: $5000

Major costs included (approximate values):
• Bar and Canteen costs: $14,800
• SECA and Umpires: $7250
• Cleaning fees: $3000
• Special event costs (catering, prizes etc.) - $5800
• Equipment and Clothing: $16,400
• Other expenses (Defib, Speaker, blinds etc.) - $6000

Financially it’s been a somewhat steady year and there’s certainly some room for improvement next season in fundraising, particularly in sponsorship and special events for our 100th year!

A more detailed profit and loss statement will be finalised before 30th June in line with statutory requirements.

Sam Crigan
Treasurer, Hampton United Cricket Club

1st XI Report – 2024/25

Season 2024-2025 proved to be a roller coaster ride for the 1st XI with 27 match points, winning 4 games and a draw across the 12 rounds, finishing in 7TH position. Teams were evenly matched in this grade, as we were still in the hunt for a finals birth with three rounds to go. The twelve-round fixture, with a combination of one and two-day games, meant that we did not get to play all teams twice. Our destiny, like other Clubs, was in our own hands. We recorded wins against Cheltenham Park, Cluden twice, Elwood and a draw, due to weather, against Hampton Central. We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory twice against premiers Washington Park bowling them out both times for getable scores. However, it was the one-day games that cost us match points dropping three games either in the last or second last over of the day including a last ball defeat against runner up Mackie.

This season we had 24 players rotate through the 1STXI and our inability to have a settled side also added to our inconsistent season. On a positive note, we defended the Larkworthy Cup against Cluden on both occasions. Now in its third season HUCC 1STXI has been undefeated in all six games. Batting highlights included centuries to Max Murray 115n/o, Max James 110n/o and Fergus Murray 115n/o. Congratulations to Fergus Murray winning the Club Championship and Spencer Wood winning the 1STXI Most Valuable Player award. Fergus and brother Max also made the Woolnough Shield team of the season.

The core group of players in this team are great to manage always respectful of the game and although we are playing a good standard, they are always up for a laugh or two. Having said that they know when to switch on once play starts. Mathew Freeman, first year as captain, kept up his usual high standard as an all-rounder with bat and ball. George Fry is great support for Matt with tactics and some handy performances with the bat. Max Murray had a very consistent season either opening or batting at number 3. Rewarded with a century against Elwood, batting through the innings and winning the 1STXI batting award. Fergus Murray had a big impact on games, especially after being promoted to open the batting and coming on to bowl at crucial times. Watching Spencer Wood bat, he looks so relaxed and likely to make runs. This season his bowling also proved to be effective with some long spells.

This was Ben Loughnane first year at our Club and was the leading wicket taker up to Christmas. Unfortunately, injury stopped him from completing the season, however, he was able to win the 1STXI bowling award. Max James, like Spencer, once goes out to bat, the expectation is for a long innings. He dug deep for us in the second innings against Omega scoring a century. Felix Flockhart is a natural with the ball in his hand. As an opening bowler, his pace unsettles many batters, forcing them to make errors. Nick Freeman ‘Hack’ has been such a consistent run scorer for us. This season he was slightly down with his run tally. Finally looked like he was back in form against Cluden on 52n/o when the game was abandoned due to rain. Sam Flockhart bowls at a good pace. His strength is his accuracy always hard for the batsman to get away. We are a better bowling attack when he is bowling in tandem with Felix. Devan Nicholls, it is fair to say he surprised us with his skill level wicketkeeping coming up from the 3RDXI from last season. A standout season with gloves. Harry Hill like George, he is someone who Matt relied on for advice. As a two-time Club Champion, his all-round ability and skillful fielding has set up many winning games for us. It would be great to get more games into Hugh Hamilton, as his bowling caused a lot of trouble for the opposition batters. He can also bat high in order or pinch hit when needed.

Also thank you to the other players listed below that played in the 1st XI this season. Your contribution was greatly appreciated – 
Luke Barker, Mark Bell, Jayden Crosby, David McCaig, Archie Manton, Jack Reed, Trent Thompson, Jacob Travers, Campbell Tweedie, Bayley Warner, Andrew Woolston.

Russell Moore
Team Manager, Hampton United Cricket Club

2nd XI Report – 2024/25

This season has been one of growth, success, and excitement for Hampton United. Under the leadership of Sean Seaser and Stewart Levy as co-captains, we had a highly successful campaign, finishing fourth in the competition. One of the season's crowning moments was our victory in the final against Melbourne Wanderers, a testament to the team’s resilience and spirit.

A key addition to the squad this year was Michael Margetis, who brought fresh energy to the team, while we also welcomed back Mark Bell, a familiar face at the club. Mark's return added valuable experience, and he played an instrumental role throughout the season, both with the bat and ball.

On the field, our bowling attack was formidable. The opening partnership of Mark Bell and Trent Thompson was one of the season's standout features. Together, they combined for a remarkable 53 wickets, setting the tone with consistent early breakthroughs. Their relentless pressure helped us throughout the year, and their performances were key to our success.

With the bat, Jayden Crosby had a breakthrough season, amassing 469 runs and showing his true potential. It was a coming-of-age year for him, and his consistency at the crease was invaluable for the team.

Despite our strong season, we ultimately fell short in the prelim final to Highett West, the eventual premiers. However, we are proud of our efforts and the progress we made as a team.

Looking ahead, the future of Hampton United is bright. The team is sticking together, and we’re bringing in new players to strengthen our squad. With the core group in place, we have every reason to believe that we can continue to build on this successful season and aim for even greater achievements next season.

Stewart Levy and Sean Seaser
Captains – 2nd XI

3rd XI Report – 2024/25

The 3rds set out this season with the aim of reclaiming back-to-back flags, and after some early season difficulties with selection headaches in other teams, that quest started strongly. David McCaig stared with the bat early peeling over score after score helping us capture some early season form. However, he scored too many runs that he was elevated to the 1sts meaning others had to stand up, and they did. Jason Anderson and Campbell Tweedie provided strong contributions in the middle of the year with bat and ball and our British import Dylan Teague offering very important spells in those difficult middle overs. However, towards the end of the year inconsistency from our top order led to some uncharacteristic results for the 3rds however the bowling of Andrew Woolston and Austin Parker always gave us a fighting chance.

After finishing the home and away season in 4th, we played our first final against Cluden and had a very strong performance in the field headlined by Austin Parker taking 5 wickets ripping through Cluden’s middle order. However, a top order collapse left us in a dire situation until the Hampton community witnessed one of the greatest innings with Andrew Woolston’s 60* off 34 balls steering us home.

The grand final was not our day with Campbell Tweedie’s 71 and Austin Parker’s 3/10 the only highlights.

Despite not walking away with any silverware the 3rds had another season of success with a record number of players participating across the season and all contributing with bat or ball.

Jacob Travers
Captain – 3rd XI

4th XI Report – 2024/25

After being runners up last year in K Grade we were promoted to J Grade. We managed to maintain most of the players from last year so we knew we would be competitive again. Unfortunately, early in the season, due to lack of availability of players in the higher grades we had to surrender some of our key players for the early rounds. This led to the start of the season being less than glorious for us in the first 2 rounds ending in 2 thumpings which left us at the bottom of the ladder with a tattered percentage. Come the third round we started to benefit from more stability in the grades above us getting some of our regulars back. We came up against the eventual minor premiers Carnegie South, and although we didn’t get the points, some of our mojo began to return and we pushed them all the way to the end thanks to Marcus Barber’s first half century of the year. As it turned out this was the first of many for him. Come round 4, 5 and 6 we got on the scoreboard with 2 resounding forfeits and a wash out and we were now back in town.

With 8 games to go in the home and away season we finally stabilised the side and had a real consistency in our team make up and everyone having a clear idea of what their role in the team was and what was expected of them. We managed to go on to win 7 of the last 8 games of the season, sneaking into the four with 2 rounds to go and achieving the second highest percentage in the grade, which was a fantastic effort considering where it was after the first 2 games.

Finishing fourth meant we had to play Carnegie South who finished one game clear on top of the ladder and were the team who we lost to in round 3 but also helped us find our mojo. As far as cricket games go, they don’t come much closer than this. Chasing a score of 152 on an extremely large and slow ground, it came down to the last over with 12 runs to get and 9 wickets down and Malcolm Twining coming to the crease with a runner having done a muscle in his bowling efforts to join Marcus Barber (59no) who had returned after retiring at 50.

This over had everything including tremendous excitement and controversy with the opposition (and the umpires) believing they had run Malcom out, only to look up and see his runner, Karthik Subbaiah safely in his crease and the decision was reversed to not out. The opposition bowler did help our cause bowling 4 no balls in the over and with the scores tied, on the penultimate ball Malcom swatted the ball over midwicket for 4 runs and get us to victory. This saw us into the grand final for the second year in a row and it was time for us to win it this year, at the same venue as last year – Victory Park.

In the grand final we came up against West Bentleigh who was the team that thumped us in round 1, so it became time to show them who we really were. The opposition decided to bat first and put a score on the board, but we had other ideas with a fabulous opening bowling partnership between Malcolm Twining and Lucas Blatchford we had them attempting to play catch up all innings. Lucas ended up with 4/29 with all his wickets taken with no assistance, 3 bowled and one caught and bowled. The opposition managed 8/163 after their 40 overs which was always going to be hard to defend, particularly with Karthik Subbiah being in the mood he was. He started our innings with a quick 50 off 40 balls consisting of 10 fours. It wasn’t quite over yet though; we then went about losing 5 wickets for 8 runs and the score 5/85 but we still had guys in the shed who knew what their job was. Sam Crigan came in with a cool and calm approach and was joined by Rowan Doyle who was, let’s say, the opposite but Rowan did as Rowan does and smashed 28 off 13 balls setting it up for Sam (34no) and Lucas Blatchford (20no) to steer us home with over 3 overs to spare for a well-deserved victory by the most well balanced team in the grade.

To sum up the season, one of the opposing captains was chatting to me after the game and he said “I so admire your team as you are never beaten. We get a wicket and think we are through you and the next guy comes in and he just takes up where the previous guy left off.” If there is one way, I would like to be remembered as a team it is NEVER BEATEN.

Danny Dawson
Captain – 4th XI

5th XI Report – 2024/25

For a second year running, HUCC entered 5th XI into SECA M Grade. This year we again held true to the idea of giving Fathers the opportunity to play cricket with their sons. In all, we had 7 Dads and Lads combinations rotate through the team which once again was far more than any of our competitors. In fact, for most games this year we played with at least 3 Father Son pairings.

In all we had a very successful season with all the players showing improvement over the previous year. Our juniors lead the way throughout the season. Kai Anderson (U14's) and Lachie Matthews (U16's) opened the bowling in partnership each week and bowled us into very strong positions in several of our games. Lachie continued to develop his skills as a frontline bowler and was able to take home the club 5ths bowling award. Kai also toiled hard and is destined for higher grade senior cricket next year.

Our batting was also spearheaded by two juniors. Mason Vella (U14's) and Tom Gill (U14's) are terrifically talented juniors who opened the batting together on several occasions. Mason finished the season with an average of 20.4 with a magnificent 50 scored against Highett West. He also kept solidly throughout the year.

Tom Gill's season was off the charts. Not only was he top run scorer and lead the averages for HUCC, but he also scored the most runs in M Grade across the season. He scored a mammoth 336 runs at an average of 112 which is an incredible effort. Tom shows amazing temperament and skill to build innings after innings and has a great junior and senior career in front of him.

And I'd also like to recognize the efforts of Jimmy Dowling, Alex Lambert, Arlo Strachan, Jack Atchison, Ted Bartell and Tom Beasley. These talented juniors all improved their cricket and contributed solidly to a great season.

Whilst we ultimately fell short of Elwood (who didn't field a single junior) in the semi- final, we had a great year finishing second on the table at seasons end. I'm particularly proud of our juniors and of the broader team. We play cricket the right way, and in the right spirit and it's obvious that our club has a significant pool of talented juniors to set us up for the future.

I'd also like to thank the Dad's without whom we wouldn't be able to field this team. I'd particularly like to shout out to Dan Strachan, Rob Matthews, Alex Kelsey, Damian Gill, Andrew Atchison, Haydn Vella, Andy Hore, Barry Opt Hoog, Frank Hajncl and Stu Murray. Our boys really do appreciate your guidance and clearly love playing with you all. And lastly, I'd really like to thank Neil Byrne for all his help through umpiring, scoring and mentoring the boys.

It was a great season, and we had a lot of fun. And once again we were reminded that we have a bright future ahead at HUCC. Bring on next season!

Tony Dowling
Captain – 5th XI

HUCC Juniors Program Season Summary – 2023/24

Another season done and dusted! It has been a tremendous joy to witness our junior program grow from strength to strength this year. Though we may not be the largest cricket club in Hampton, we are cultivating something truly special for our junior players to enjoy and cherish. Small but MIGHTY!

This season, we fielded three strong teams, with players approaching us to join from five neighboring clubs. This is a testament to the positive reputation HUCC is building within the community. No matter your skill level, if you have a desire to play and are willing to commit, you will always find a welcoming space at HUCC.

Team Spirit and Development

Our teams achieved remarkable results throughout the season. While we celebrated individual accolades, what stood out more was the consistent demonstration of team spirit and pride that the boys exhibited for their club. We prioritize the development of our players, managing a comprehensive junior cricket program run by our dedicated volunteer coaches with support from qualified senior coaches. We strive to instill values and team spirit in our young athletes.

This past season also unlocked a pathway for our junior players to transition to social senior cricket, highlighted by many juniors participating in the newly established ‘Dads and Lads’ cricket team. There is a fleeting window when boys are enthusiastic about playing cricket with their dads, and it was heartwarming to witness their joy in seizing this opportunity.

Gratitude and New Beginnings

A huge thank you to Stu Murray, affectionately known as Mr. Cricket at HUCC. His unwavering commitment to the junior program radiates through his constant efforts in recruiting players, providing guidance, and coaching our boys. We are truly fortunate to have such a legend leading the way!

Special thanks also to Mal Twining for his hard work in providing merchandise and uniforms. This season, the boys looked better than ever on the field!

We were also excited to unveil our new club rooms, transitioning from our old shack to a brand-new chalet. The kids recognized their good fortune, and it was evident how proud they were of their new club space, complete with a canteen, air conditioning, and sparkling new change rooms.

I cannot express enough gratitude to the parents for their dedicated support this season. Cricket can be a funny game — sometimes brutal when children go out early, leaving parents to watch for hours without their child on the field. Our group of parents has been sensational, always willing to help with scoring, snacks, and encouragement. Your commitment with taxi services for the 4 PM arrival time does not go unnoticed, and I am incredibly thankful to have you as part of our club.

On a personal note, as a mother of boys, nothing excites me more than seeing my children embraced by a community sport like ours. HUCC has become their second home. The connections that our junior players are building with senior players, and their bond with the club, have been nothing short of heartwarming.

This season, the boys spent countless hours in the nets and clubrooms, actively participated in running the canteen, sold raffle tickets, and eagerly absorbed the politics of senior selection. Their love for the game of cricket has grown tremendously this year, and as the season comes to a close, it’s clear they miss the community spirit that accompanies our summer cricket months.

It has been uplifting to see a significant turnout of senior players at the junior final games, reinforcing the supportive community we strive to cultivate. We are fortunate to have such an amazing group of dedicated and cricket-loving juniors coming up the ranks. The future of HUCC junior cricket is bright and promising!

I encourage everyone to get involved in the upcoming season. Come down for a drink, lend a helping hand, and witness firsthand the vibrant community we are building at HUCC. Your children will thank you for the opportunities that lie ahead.

Bring on season 2024… #GoHammers!

Emily Spicer-Stuart
Junior Program Co-ordinator