Sports snaps

My memory flashed back to the 1960s when I read of the passing last week of Stanhope-raised Barry Linford.

Barry and I had the honour of representing the former Kyabram District Cricket Association on the famous MCG at Melbourne Country Cricket Week in one season in this period.

In those times the Victorian Country Cricket League, which ran the Melbourne series, always allocated one game to be played on the MCG, one of the world’s most famous sporting venues.

You had to be lucky to get the nod to get on that MCG turf, as in those days Melbourne Country Week consisted of up to eight tiers of competition and nearly 70 associations.

So when it was revealed Kyabram would play against Maryborough that year on the MCG there was great excitement in the build-up for the Kyabram team.

But when game day arrived it quickly turned to devastation when it was Kyabram’s turn to bat.

We lost a couple of wickets early and Tongala legend the late Allan Corry was promoted up the batting list to try to steady things down. He had a well-earned reputation for being able to do that.

But unfortunately on this occasion Allan quickly found himself heading back to the pavilion and I found myself at the batting crease after soaking in the atmosphere and thinking of the much more famous batsmen who had made this same walk to the wicket.

But my stay at the batting crease was also agonisingly short as the first ball I faced was the last!

To add to the indignation of my cleaned bowled dismissal my middle stump lay prone behind the wicket in two pieces, which showed it wasn’t a slow spin bowler who had spoilt my day.

I can assure you it was a long and lonely walk back to my teammates, and as I left the ground I wished Barry Linford, who was next in and making his way to the wicket, all the best.

I recall Barry asking me what the bowler was doing but I said I didn’t know because I didn’t see the ball that dismissed me, let alone hit it.

My answer probably wasn’t any good for Barry’s confidence and, yes, the very first ball he faced was also his last.

Yes Allan Corry, myself and Barry were given an extra, unwanted memory of being in a hat-trick in our first and only appearance at the famous MCG.

Barry, 83, who had been in ill health for some time, played cricket for Girgarre and football for Stanhope in his youth, and was proficient at both.

He was a member of the Charlie Stewart-coached Stanhope side that reached the finals in the Goulburn Valley League in 1967, its highest finish when in that league

• Stanhope Football Club lost another stalwart at the weekend with the passing of Norm Donnell.

Francis’ skills run in the family

This season’s Kyabram Football League McNamara medallist Liam Francis has obviously inherited good footy genes.

The hardnut Rushworth onballer’s mother, Amy, is the sister of former Rushworth and AFL star Daniel Harris.

His father, Peter, is also a hardened sports fan and competitor, and these days a reliable part-time chauffeur for his footballing sons.

Daniel played for the North Melbourne Football Club and Gold Coast Football Club in the AFL. He played 149 games with North and 11 with the Gold Coast and made some appearances, after his retirement from the AFL ranks, with his home club.

Liam captained the Kyabram thirds and played a couple of senior games with the Bombers before heading home to Rushworth when it emerged from recess last year.

Although he is too modest to admit to it, Liam was one of the main reasons why Rushworth enjoyed a spectacular rise to this season’s KDL preliminary final this season.

Liam’s younger brother Josh played for the Kyabram thirds this year, so there looks to be plenty of good times ahead for the Rushworth brothers and their sporting family.

Byrne back at Echuca

Echuca Football Club will have a familiar face leading it in 150th year next season.

Angus Byrne is returning to his home club to co-coach with Simon Maddox, with Cam Valentine their assistant.

Byrne will be the onfield leader, with Maddox again directing from the sidelines.

Byrne has spent time in the leadership group with VFL side Geelong in recent years and captained the Cats in 2023 after being a member Echuca’s GVL flag-winning 2022 side.

He has spent time this season with Noosa in Queensland.

Byrne is looking forward to getting back to his home town to play with his brother Hugh and trying to help the club regain its standing as the GVL’s power club.

Varcoe takes the reins

Former Kyabramite Jon Varcoe has an unquenchable thirst to coach cricket and football teams, and it’s not ending any time soon.

Echuca-based Varcoe has committed to again coach Picola League Football League club Picola United, the club at which he holds hero status after guiding it to flags in 2016 and 2017.

Varco playing a leading role in resurrecting Loddon Valley Football League side Mitiamo two seasons ago. He didn’t coach this year.

But it’s back to work now, coaching the Kyabram Fire Brigade Cricket Club in the Goulburn Murray Cricket competition and, of course, hopefully building up the Picola United Football Club ranks for next season.

Money pours through gate

It was satisfying to see gate takings from the recent GVL grand final amounted to $88,374 from an estimated crowd of 5500.

That represented a sizeable increase from last year’s $60,289 takings paid by an estimated 6000 spectators.

The difference though between last season and this season was the increased admission prices, which gave the figures a hefty boost.

With the new GVL board inheriting an accumulated loss of over $80,000, it seems reasonable something had to be done to get the league back on an acceptable financial footing — even if its the fans are having to bear the brunt of it.

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Sunday, 12th September 2027

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