Last six clubs bail out of 125-year-old Southern Cricket Association

A SOUTH Australian cricket association is folding after more than 100 years — at its heyday it had 15 clubs and 45 senior teams.

THE century-old Southern Cricket Association is folding.

After months hanging in the balance, the competition’s fate has been sealed by the last six clubs — Port Noarlunga, Morphett Vale, Seaford Rise, Flagstaff Hill, Noarlunga and Kangarilla — moving to neighbouring associations.

The SCA’s demise came after several clubs grew tired of playing in a six club competition, which has steadily shrunk from 15 clubs and 45 senior teams 25 years ago.

SCA president Gary Bilney, who started playing for Kangarilla in 1964 and has held various committee roles over the past three decades, said the SCA’s downfall was very disappointing but the clubs would move on.

“We’re done and dusted,” Bilney said.

“When you’re down to six teams we knew it’d only take one (to leave) to make it all fall over.

“We’ve put a lot of work into keeping it going ... but hey, life goes on.”

Port Noarlunga and Morphett Vale were admitted to the Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association at the organisation’s annual general meeting last week.

Seaford Rise and Noarlunga have joined the Great Southern Cricket Association, and Flagstaff Hill and Kangarilla have switched to the Hills Cricket Association.

Bilney said the SCA’s two junior competitions — under-13s and under-11s — would also likely disband.

“We still have to go through paperwork to wind things up but we’ll have that meeting of the six main clubs this week.”

The SCA lost Aldinga, McLaren and Willunga to the Great Southern Cricket Association in the 1980s and ‘90s.

In the past decade, O’Sullivan Beach folded, Reynella joined Adelaide Turf Cricket Association and Cove went to the Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association.

Seaford Rise president John Fruss said his club — part of the SCA for 20 years — had mixed feelings.

“It’s disappointing because there’s a lot of history gone,” Fruss said.

“But you’ve got to go with the times.”

Noarlunga president Peter Lamz said his club — a founding member of the SCA in 1889 — was sad the association was dissolving but excited about what lay ahead.

Flagstaff Hill claimed the SCA’s last A-grade premiership in March.

Bernard Smart, who joined the Kangarilla Cricket Club in 1946, said he would continue to support the club when it moved to the Hills Cricket Association next season.

Smart, now 81, played for Kangarilla until the early 1980s as an opening batsman who bowled part-time “bloody slow off-spin”.

He won five premierships with Kangarilla and also became the club’s president and secretary during the 1950s and ’60s.

Smart still sits in the grandstand at some Kangarilla matches “because that’s the best view of the lot”.

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