French Island Cricket Club offering freebies to potential recruits from the mainland as numbers dwindle

Victoria’s only “overseas’’ cricket club is offering free ferry rides and after-stumps refreshments to prospective recruits as it battles for survival.

French Island Cricket Club’s captain Matthew Spark (centre) with teammates Russell Thompson and Peter Hatton . Picture: David Caird

FRENCH Island, Victoria’s “overseas’’ cricket club, is offering free ferry rides and after-stumps “refreshments’’ to prospective recruits as it battles for survival.

The 120-year-old club says it has no more than half a side, and desperately needs players to continue in the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association.

Captain Matthew Spark said the club was on an isolated island but proud of its cricketing history.

Until a few years ago it fielded two teams.

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But last season it struggled for players and Spark said that without juniors and an influx of newcomers the situation ahead of 2018-19 was much the same.

In an effort to attract players it is offering:

Free membership;

a seat at its “famous’’ afternoon tea;

free playing shirts;

performance-based incentives;

ferry travel costs from Stony Point to the island and back covered; and

free “refreshments’’ — the choice of beer or soft drink — at stumps each week at home games.

Sparks, of Bittern, works on the island and has been playing for the club for almost 20 years.

“We’ve had two sides up until around three or four years ago,’’ he said.

French Island Cricket Club captain Matthew Spark (centre), with teammates Russell Thompson and Peter Hatton, are proud of the club’s 120-year history. Picture: David Caird

“Last season we managed to field a side every week — we didn’t have to forfeit, put it that way — but we had a lot of fill-ins, a lot of non-regular players, just making up the numbers. We probably had about seven regulars every week. For the season coming up, I’d say we’d have half a side.

The clubhouse sports more than a century’s worth of memorabilia. Picture: David Caird

“The most important thing from my point of view is not keeping going for the half dozen blokes who want to play cricket, it’s the tradition of the club. It’s 120 years old this year.’’

French Island won the A1 grade premiership in 2012, part of a golden run of four flags in five years.

Captain Matthew Spark in action with wicketkeeper Rob Thompson. Picture: David Caird

The club trains at Hastings on Thursday nights to accommodate players who aren’t on the island.

Sparks said the Island ground — with a pavilion, training net and synthetic wicket — was in good order.

He said the club’s afternoon tea was “famous’’ for its array of cakes.

Any interested players can contact secretary Dianne Spark on 0411 352 772 or Matthew Spark on 0418 544 295.

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