Canterbury Bankstown’s top 20 sporting heroes countdown Part 2
IMAGINE facing a vastly superior schoolboy pace bowling attack comprising Jeff Thompson and Len Pascoe.
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IMAGINE facing a vastly superior schoolboy pace bowling attack comprising Jeff Thompson and Len Pascoe.
That was the scary scenario for opposition teams when they took on Punchbowl Boys High School when Thommo and Pascoe were just starting their cricketing careers, which would see them play for the Australian Test and ODI teams.
This is our second part (15-11) of our countdown for our greatest local sporting heroes from Canterbury Bankstown we reckon might well make the list but is extremely hard to chose between the champions from different eras.
Send us your list of top sports heroes in our area to: editor@theexpress.com.au
15. Len Pascoe, who was born Leonard Stephen Durtanovich in WA, was educated at Punchbowl High School where he and Australian bowling legend Jeff Thompson were classmates.
Pascoe, 68, played 14 Tests and 29 one-day internationals for Australia and joined Kerry Packer’s revolutionary World Series Cricket. He has the honour of sending down the first ball of the WSC to South African great Barry Richards.
One of the fastest bowlers at that time, Pascoe played in the Centenary Test in London in 1980, claiming career best figures of 5-59 in the first innings.
A knee injury cut short his career after the series against West Indies in 1981/82.
14. Brett Emerton is one of the most capped Socceroos in a stellar career from 1998-2012, playing 95 times and scoring 20 goals. As a junior Emerton, 39, turned out for Marconi Stallions and started his career with Sydney Olympic in the then National Soccer League in 1996 and captained the Olyroos at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. His talent took him to Feyenoord in the Dutch league later that year and he won a EUFA Cup medal in 2002 with them.
He joined Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League in 2003 and stayed on until 2011, earing plaudits from his managers, despite injuries. He signed for Sydney FC before retiring in 2014, after playing
13. Peter “Bullfrog” Moore will always be known as the man who helped Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs nurture the family culture and preside over probably the greatest era the club has known.
Moore, who was awarded an OAM for his services to the sport in 1987, was the chief executive from 1969 to 1995, overseeing five premierships and four runners-up trophies.
Moore managed the Australian and NSW teams during his tenure as a first class administrator.
One of Moore’s nine children, Kevin played for the Bulldogs along with nephews Garry, Mark and Graeme Hughes.
The Dally M Rookie of the Year Award is now named in his honour. In 1995, he was handed he keys to Canterbury city.
Moore died in 2000, aged 68, after a battle with throat cancer.
12. Billy 'The Kid' Dibb is one of Australia’s world boxing champions after taking to the sport at the local PCYC at 12 years to beat his chronic asthama condition.
The Greenacre local went on to become the IBF featherweight champion and IBO super-featherweight titleholder in a career featuring nearly 50 bouts.
The 32-year-old Dib — the younger brother of Punchbowl state Labor MP Jihad Dib — missed out on representing Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics after a motorcycle accident. His pro record is 42 wins from 48, with 24 by knock out.
11. Hazim El Masri was an outstanding rugby league player, playing 317 games for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.
He is regarded among the greatest goalkickers in rugby league history, and holds the record for the most points scored in NRL: 2418.
El Masri, 42, retired in 2009 after having the honour of representing both Australia and Lebanon — his country of birth. While at Belmore High School, he was spotted by Bulldogs scouts and never looked back in a stellar career as fullback and wing.
El Masri, who is also well known for his work in the community, helped the Bulldogs win the 2004 NRL premiership while he was the always among the leading points scorers, thanks to his phenomenal kicking skills.