Ken ‘KG’ Cunningham to honour promise to late wife Sandra and make run to join SACA board
GRIEF-stricken Ken “KG” Cunningham will honour a promise to late wife Sandra and make a courageous run to join the SACA board to save the game he loves.
GRIEF-stricken Ken “KG” Cunningham will honour a promise to late wife Sandra and make a courageous run to join the SACA board to save the game he loves.
Former state cricketer, SANFL umpire and radio king Cunningham lost his wife of 50 years last month to cancer.
KG, 76, revealed that only the trenchant support of daughter Sally had kept him afloat before he returned to his weekend Dead Set Legends radio slot on Triple M.
Nothing can fill the void left by his soulmate but helping fix South Australian cricket — his second love — is a call of duty.
Deep in mourning, Cunningham didn’t provide a board election statement. But he said addressing the issues of Test player deaths and SA’s failure to win a Sheffield Shield since 1995-96 topped his agenda. SACA board voting continues until September 4.
“My main concern — and the reason my late wife wanted me to go on the board — was the fact I have been pretty outspoken in the past about things that haven’t happened that I feel should have,” Cunningham told The Advertiser.
“I have been critical of SACA but I want to put up my hand and look at what I can add in the better interests of cricket.”
Cunningham figured in SA’s 1963-64 Sheffield Shield-winning unit. “It is just not working, 20 years without a Shield, we aren’t producing Test cricketers,” he said.
SA has seen Darren Lehmann (27 Tests), Shaun Tait (3), Dan Cullen (1), Graham Manou (1), Peter George (1) graduate to the baggy green since its most recent Shield triumph.
“I want to look at what’s happening at grassroots level and further up the pecking order. There are other issues like (transferable) tickets but I want to see what can be done to improve the structure.
“Surely we can do things better in terms of grade cricket. There has been talk of mergers but nothing seems to happen.
“I watch grade cricket quite a bit and the standard needs to be strengthened, we need more fast bowlers.”
KG said he was concerned by the manner of former high-performance manager Jamie Cox’s demise last year then Redbacks coach Darren Berry and skipper Johan Botha’s exit last March. Axed Strikers’ paceman Shaun Tait’s disenchantment also worried KG.
The Redbacks’ 20-year title drought has consumed a merry-go-round of coaches, including current board member Andrew Sincock, Greg Chappell, Wayne Phillips, Mark Sorell and Darren Berry.
KG — who believes SACA’s 13-strong board should be halved in number — suspects he will struggle in his bid for change, with Sam Parkinson, Andrew Hilditch and Andrea Slattery seeking re-election.
Transferable ticket campaigner Glenn Bain and Kristen Greber are also seeking election to one of three vacancies. “It will be difficult to get in but we need to be more proactive and make things happen,” Cunningham said.
In the meantime, KG is focusing on his family.
“My daughter has been terrific, strong, I am lucky to have her. I wouldn’t have got through if she wasn’t as strong as she was.”