1970
Sixteen-year-old Simon Hutchings, while playing for Churches in the Kyabram Disrict Cricket Association junior competition, was a dominant force in the semi-final against Stanhope.
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He claimed nine of the 10 wickets to fall in his 19.5 over spell (nine of which were maidens) and finished with figures of 9-41.
It was now enough, however, for his side to win as Stanhope managed to score 89. In a quirk of the rules Stanhope occupied the crease for all by 15 minutes of the second and final day.
That left Churches only 15 minutes to score the 90 runs needed to win the game, which – unsurprising – they were unable to do.
• Wyuna won its first KDCA premiership for 20 years when its B grade side defeated Tongala.
The innings and 25 run win came despite a fightback by Tongala in the second innings, with Wyuna’s Adrian Cahill the winning captain.
It was his first grand final win after 15 years of cricket.
Murray Cox took 3-24 to top the bowling figures, while Cahill and Noel Featherby also claimed three wickets for Wyuna.
Keith Sperling and Geoff Reidell were the pick of the Tongala batsmen.
• Kyabram Lawn Tennis Club president Bruce Harper criticised club members for not supporting the club’s Easter Tournament.
The committee decided to push ahead with the tournament despite the lack of support, with just over 400 entries received - mainly from a strong contingent of Melbourne players.
He said for the tournament to continue in the future much more interest and co-operation would be needed by club members.
• Former Kyabram rover Maurie Fowler was Gold Coast bound to take up a captain-coach role with Palm Beach in the Gold Coast Australian Rules competition.
The Kyabram High School Under 17 star played a number of years with Kyabram before signing with Carlton in 1966 and eventually ending up at Williamstown before returning to the Goulburn Valley to play with Mooroopna.
1980
Javelin thrower Pam Matthews became Kyabram’s first Olympian.
The 22-year-old was one of five Victorian women named in the Australian team, the former Kyabram High School student and athletics club member to complete in the javelin event.
She was the current Australian champion and was ranked fourth in the world. At the time she was studying to complete a Science degree at Melbourne University, which had not hindered her preparation.
In the latest competition she had moved from 24th in the world to fourth with a personal best 65.74 metre throw.
Her parents George and Marie had booked to attend the Olympic Games, to be held in Munich, Germany.
1990
A century from Kyabram batsman David Collins had put Kyabram in the driver’s seat in the KDCA A grade grand final against Cooma.
Cooma captain Lackie Ranson sent Kyabram into bat and Collins combined with Rob Asplin for a 90 run opening stand. The team was 4-182 before losing six wickets for only six runs.
Ranson brought Cooma back into the game, despite the brilliance of Collins, taking 4-40 from his 25 over stint. Mick Fry and Tony Kilmartin also took wickets.
• Two attempts by Kyabram football star Peter Warburton to join Tongala had failed and the Blues were fuming.
Warburton had his appeal against Kyabram’s refusal to clear him turned down, despite the efforts of Tongala officials Bruce McNeill and Neil Claridge.
They described Kyabram as insincere and Warburton had informed the Bombers he would not play for them under any circumstances.
John Davy, vice president of Kyabram, said Warburton had not been an applicant for several coaching positions at the club and had more to contribute as a player.
• Fire Brigade bagged its second KDCA junior flag, despite a brilliant 130 from Merrigum-Cooma batsman Leigh Hall.
Hall hit 16 boundaries in an innings in the run chase, but his team fell well short of the 323 runs required for victory.
Hall’s innings included a 101 last wicket stand with a determined Andrew Hubble. Merrigum-Cooma scored 219, Hubble contributing just seven runs to the partnership as Shane Jackson, Cam Proctor and Michael Mott each took two wickets for Fire Brigade.
• Tongala won the Echuca Cricket Association premiership on the back of an extraordinary performance by 14-year-old Brad Campbell and star batsman Phil Rosin.
While Campbell hit the winning runs, Rosin scored an extraordinary 199 - an innings which included 20 boundaries and six sixes.
Campbell (who finished 24 not out) was one of three youngsters, with Travis Johnstone and Scott Hanson also in the team.
Tongala successfully chased down the huge Moama total of 322.
• Former Kyabram star Dallas Normington was drafted by Collingwood after his time with Melbourne’s Under 19 and reserves teams had come to an end.
Normington, a police officer based at Coburg, had missed much of the previous season with a knee injury. He had returned to Kyabram and played eight games with the Bombers during the 1988 season after finding it difficult to balance his work commitments and football.
• A KDCA B Reserve grand final between Girgarre and Cooma involved four players whose total ages topped the double century — 221 in fact.
Cooma veteran Gerry Campbell was nudging 65 and had been playing since 1943, while Miller Hall was 10 years his junior at 54. Girgarre’s friendly butcher, Lionel Scown was also 54 and Maurie Varcoe was the odd man out, but only just (not yet 50).
Trevor McQueen, Barry Ibbott and Ken Gray were also well on the way to their half centuries.
At the other end of the scale was seven-year-old Ian Timms, believed to be the youngest player in the KDCA when he was involved in a B Reserve match for Girgarre during the season.
2000
Dylan Martin won two gold medals at the State Track and Field Championships at Olympic Park, among 17 Kyabram Little Athletics Centre athletes involved in the meet.
He won the 800 metres and 1500 metres, while Louise Boyle won silver medals in the 800 and 1500 metre events.
Erin Feeney won a bronze medal in the javelin, while Thomas Pryde finished fifth in the state for the Under 11 high jump event.
• Tongala wrote the final chapter in its fairytale return season in the Kyabram District Cricket Association when it won the premiership, this time led to victory by another Campbell — Blake.
The club had returned to the KDCA after 16 years in the Echuca association and beat Fire Brigade to claim the title.
Tongala made 196 after batting first and Fire Brigade resumed the second day’s play at 6-109. Campbell finished with figures of 3-45 from 20.1 overs, while Jay Taylor took 4-33 from his 21 overs.
Fire Brigade was all out for 126.
2010
Stanhope skipper Gary Farrow and Tongala captain Jamie Murphy shared the KDCA’s 2009-10 Jack Stone Medal.
Both batters polled 17 votes at the count, winning by a single vote from four time winner Peter Watt and 18-year-old Fire Brigade all-rounder David Newman.
Tongala batter-keeper Jeff Turpin polled 15 votes and Newman’s 16-year-old brother Paul finished sixth.
Kyabram fast bowler Mick Rosser, who shared the medal with Watt last year, was next.
Farrow made more than 500 runs for the season, while it was another feather in the cap of Australian Country Cricket representative Murphy - who was again a premiership winning captain.
• Number one draft pick from the 2009 season, Jack Watt, was King of Kyabram for a day when he conducted a football clinic for 200 primary school aged children from St Augustine’s and Kyabram P-12.
He joined Brent Maloney, Clint Bartram, Jack Grimes, Jordie McKenzie, Nathan Jones and Sam Blease at the event.
• Second year Fire Brigade captain Jarrod Chapman guided his team to its third flag in eight years and eighth in its 26 year Kyabram District Cricket Association history.
They beat an undefeated Tongala team in the final, having set its opponent at tally of 228 for victory. Tongala had wiped 51 runs off the total at stumps on day one, but David Newman and Darrin Ohlsen swung the game in Fire Brigade’s favour.
Adam Nunn and Daniel Humphreys fought hard for Tongala, Nunn top scoring with 43, but Newman took 3-46 from 22 overs and 39-year-old Steve Thomson was the star with figures of 5-21 from 16.2 overs.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor