‘Born and bred’: Mordialloc legend Aaron Martello brings up 500 games

Aaron Martello still loves “belting the sh.. out out of the young fast bowlers’’, after reaching game 500 for Mordialloc.

Aaron Martello playing for Mordialloc.

Aaron Martello’s pre-game ritual hasn’t changed in decades of local cricket.

Every Saturday morning he gets up, has a quick cuppa and is out the door headed for the Mordialloc cricket ground to finish preparing the wicket.

“Me and Jamie Walker, we’ve been doing it religiously for as long as I can remember,’’ Martello said.

“I started off doing that with my dad.’’

At Mordialloc, Martello is described as “the ultimate clubman and competitor’’.

On and off the field, he’s given the Bloodhounds a lifetime of wholehearted service.

“I’ve been at Mordialloc since I was born,’’ he said.

Aaron Martello.

On Saturday, Martello played his 500th game for Mordi, becoming the club’s second player to the milestone (Martello’s mate “Nooka” Campbell is still going strong, on 580 games).

The day turned into an unforgettable gathering of Martello’s family and friends.

In a wonderful surprise, Martello met his new niece, two-week-old Freya, for the first time. Out in the middle, the milestone man cracked 25 (with 4 fours) opening the batting against Parkdale — and he later admitted, even at 57, he still gets a thrill facing the new ball.

“I love belting the shit out out of the young fast bowlers,’’ he joked.

Martello’s cricket journey has contained highs and lows, and everything in between.

He made a pair in his First Turf debut — at the age of 15 — in 1983. He remembers it well — the sticky wicket at St Bede’s did plenty.

“Br Finnian, he used to water the wicket at 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning and you’d come out at 12 o’clock and you could stick your finger in the wicket down to your knuckle,’’ he said.

Aaron Martello, aged 15, with his dad Bob prior to his First XI debut in 1983. They are in front of the old grandstand at Mordialloc.

From a shaky start, Martello became a sensational First XI player at Mordialloc, scoring nearly 9000 runs and winning 10 batting averages.

By the age of 18, he was captain of Mordialloc’s First XI.

He says his dad, Bob — “he’s a star’’ — was his biggest influence.

“I also played under real good cricketers like Geoff Potter,’’ he said.

“I was born and bred in Mordialloc, my father grew up in Mordialloc.

“My grandfather owned a fruit shop where Woolworths now is in Mordialloc.

“I grew up playing for Mordi and that’s all I knew mate.’’

Martello was also a fine footballer.

A former Melbourne under 19s captain, Aaron played senior footy for Prahran in the VFA and was a member of the Two Blues’ reserves premiership team in 1990. He was also a leading player with Edi-Asp in the Mornington Peninsula league.

“Today, Azza is still going strong opening the batting and flourishing with the ball every week in the Second XI,’’ Mordialloc said.

“This monumental milestone has only been achieved once before in MCC history with Azza now joining Darryl ‘Nooka’ Campbell as the only players to have played 500 games for the MCC.

“An amazing achievement.’’