Veteran Justin Ifould helps Southern District to first A-grade premiership

THE death of a close mate inspired Justin Ifould to strive for more than just being Southern District Cricket Club’s B-grade captain and batting coach this past season.

Southern District Cricket Club veteran Justin Ifould played in the Stingrays’ first A-grade premiership last month. Picture: Matt Loxton

THE death of a close mate inspired Justin Ifould to strive for more than just being Southern District Cricket Club’s B-grade captain and batting coach this past season.

Stingrays officials brought Ifould, who had played more than 130 A-grade games for the club, including its first in 1993/94, back to Bice Oval at the start of summer to pass on his experience.

The top-order batsman’s aspirations changed when his former housemate Brad Arthur died in August from a brain tumour, aged 40.

Ifould, 42, took Arthur’s memory into every game and had made 402 runs at 44.7 in nine B-grade innings when he was called up to the A-grade in February.

He held his spot for the remainder of the campaign and played in Southern’s inaugural A-grade premiership – against Tea Tree Gully at Woodville Oval – last month.

Ifould wore a black armband in the grand final and scored 41.

“Brad was my inspiration all season and gave me the strength to believe I was up to the challenge of A-grade, and that I wasn’t past it,” Ifould says.

“(Tea Tree Gully’s) bowling attack were at you the whole time ... and Brad was in the back of my mind the whole time, just to stick it out – not just for myself and Brad, but the team as well.”

The flag was Ifould’s first since a D-grade triumph at Adelaide, his junior club, when he was 15.

“It’s been a pretty emotional rollercoaster this year.

“It’s been a bit of a fairytale to be honest.”

“You think they come pretty easy and then 26 years later there’s no grand final in between.”

Ifould, of Seaford Rise, played at Southern from 1993-2004 before following his then girlfriend Linda to Perth.

He played for Fremantle in WA’s Grade competition for three seasons alongside Australian representatives Shaun and Mitch Marsh and Nathan Coulter-Nile, then returned to Adelaide with Linda.

After a further three seasons at Southern, Ifould joined Adelaide Turf club Brighton as a player/coach for four summers.

He thought his time in Grade ranks was over until outgoing Stingrays coach Mal Condon and captain Shaun Tanner offered him a role as batting coach.

“It is pretty surreal what we achieved (this season) against the odds ... and great reward for the whole club,” says Ifould, who plans to play on next summer.

“Being one of the older within that group, I can appreciate it a lot more.”

Ifould’s success was sweeter because Linda won a division one Glenelg District Tennis Association premiership for Flagstaff Hill the day before Southern won its flag.

“It was a special weekend.”