Stalwart calls stumps after 30 years

Helping to create the Scorchers rates highly among many fond memories for Pat Drew after he called stumps on his 30-year stint on the management committee

Sunshine Coast Cricket Association re elected President JohnHope thanks Pat Drew for his 30 years of service on the management committee. Picture: Contributed

CRICKET: Helping to create the Scorchers rates highly among many fond memories for Pat Drew after he called stumps on his 30-year stint with the region's cricket management committee.

Drew stepped down from his committee duties with the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association last week, confident those following in his footsteps would continue to grow the game.

"I decided 30 years is enough, no more meetings," Drew said with a laugh.

"Also, it's a good bunch of young blokes that we've got coming through who've actually played first division cricket and they know the game, they know the Scorchers and they know the Coast cricket, so they've got the insight now to be able to do a very good job on the committee."

While he's shifted away from being part of the association's management and planning, Drew wasn't wandering too far from the pitch.

He'll maintain his media officer and statistician role.

Reflecting on his time on the committee, Drew said there were plenty of memories to cherish.

"The main one is the birth of the Scorchers," he said.

"We had two or three years where we found that on the Coast we were getting these senior players in the competition that were going to Brisbane to play there because they had no higher aspirations on the Coast and they went to play for teams like Toombul and Sandgate and so on."

To keep talent at home and create a competitive pathway to the top echelons of the game, the Scorchers were born in 1995/96.

Drew said it proved an ideal pathway towards higher representative honours, naming Ashley Noffke as a prime example of someone that had made the journey.

Noffke was an inaugural Scorcher and played his way into the Queensland Bulls ranks before getting game time in the Australian One Day International side.

Drew said another major development he was proud to be part of was the introduction of one-day fixtures to the Coast's competition schedule in 1986/87.

During his time the T20 knockout series under lights at Caloundra was created, there was growth of junior numbers and female participation and the SCCA Women's competition was launched.

While proud of his time on the committee, Drew said the growth and success of Sunshine Coast Cricket had come through the sheer hard work of the many volunteers at local clubs.