‘Pains me greatly’: Springvale forced to shut down after more than a century of cricket

Springvale Cricket Club’s talks with the local council in Greater Dandenong are over. It is folding. PAUL AMY reports on why the 108-year-old club is closing its doors.

Springvale Cricket Club fielded three teams in 2022-23. Now, after 108 years, it is shutting down.

“It is with great sadness and regret that I write this post.’’

With those words, Springvale president Shannon Lindsay confirmed to his members this week that the 108-year-old cricket club was folding.

The decision followed talks with the City of Greater Dandenong over the Scorpions’ future at a time when the council is pushing clubs to get more junior and female players.

The clubs say it’s a noble sentiment but a difficult process in multicultural Greater Dandenong.

Springvale South, for example, is one of the powerhouses of suburban cricket, but it had no junior or female teams last season.

Springvale, affiliated with the Dandenong District Cricket Association, has played at Newcomen Rd Reserve for many years.

Springvale CC's 2017-18 premiership team. Picture: Supplied

In the face of a small debt to the council, the Scorpions offered to drop their second turf team and bring in another club to save on curation costs.

But club officials said the council showed no great interest in the proposal.

Springvale also raised the idea of merging, but found other clubs in similar or worse positions.

And so it became apparent to Lindsay and his committee members, most of whom live in the neighbouring City of Casey, that the Scorpions would be unable to go on.

Nobody has played more games for the club than Mark McInnes. Picture: Supplied

Lindsay rang life members such as games record-holder Mark McIness and ex-president Barry Wright to give them the news and sent a message to the wider membership on Tuesday.

In it, he said the committee had “tried everything to keep the club going and have explored all options, but there is just no way out’’.

He said it “pains me greatly’’ to be the president when the doors were closing.

Along with his brother Scott, Shehan Silva and Sachie Rajapakse, Lindsay joined Springvale in 2009 and helped resurrect the club at a time when it was struggling to stay afloat.

All four have since served the Scorpions in leadership roles on and off the field and became life members.

Shannon Lindsay was the first XI premiership captain in 2015-16 and 2017-18, and Scott Lindsay was the first XI premiership skipper in 2018-19 and also a captain-coach.

Silva is treasurer and Rajapakse, a former secretary and treasurer, is on the committee.

Last season all four Lindsay brothers – Shannon, Scott, Sean and Seth – played together in the first XI.

The club fielded three teams in 2022-23, two on turf and the other on a synthetic wicket.

Springvale spent a chunk of its 108 years in the old Victorian Junior Turf Cricket Association, but returned to the DDCA in 2002-03.

“All of our clubs are part of the fabric of the association."@PaulAmy375@tmlew_ report on why a Dandenong District #cricket club, formed more than 100 years ago, is on the brink of shutting down. https://t.co/MjjkV5jY51

— CODE Cricket (@codecricketau) July 14, 2023

Allan “Sambo’’ Sampson is commonly regarded as the club’s greatest player.

He once took 91 wickets in a season, and won four club championships and nine bowling averages after joining the Vales in 1972-73 from District team St Kilda.

Teammates swore by his pace and brilliance.

“I remember one week where we got caught on a bit of a sticky and were rolled for 65,’’ Springvale life member Brian Woodman said in 2003.

“Not to worry. We had ‘em all out for 49 before six o’clock and ‘Sambo’ took nine.’’

Sampson was named in two Springvale teams of the decade.

The club now names its first XI player-of-the-year award the Alan Sampson Medal.

In 1993-94 Gordon King became the talk of suburban cricket when he cracked more than 1000 runs for the season, leading the Vales into the grand final, where they lost a thrilling match to Middle Park.

Life members Shannon Lindsay, Scott Lindsay, Sachie Rajapakse and Shehan Silva had previously helped build the club back up. Picture: Supplied

Shannon Lindsay told CODE Sports it had been a tough few weeks.

He said he did not want to be seen to be criticising the City of Greater Dandenong but he felt the council was treating local cricket more like a business than a community endeavour.

“I think they’re missing the point. They’re going, ‘Where’s the bang for our buck?’, sort of thing,’’ he said.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming it all on them.’’

King, a former captain-coach, said today he was sad to learn of Springvale’s demise, but it had done remarkably well to continue for so long without juniors.

He said people like McInnes, Wright and the Lindsays had served the club superbly in difficult circumstances in the past few years.

In a statement to CODE Sports, the City of Greater Dandenong said: “Council was informed on June 29 of the Springvale Cricket Club’s difficult decision to discontinue as a club beyond the 2022-23 season.

“Council officers have been in contact with the club regarding their decision and we have offered ongoing support for them to continue should the club desire to do so. Council will also support any players needing assistance finding a new club to join.’’

SPRINGVALE TEAMS OF THE DECADE

1970s: Rod Lyons, John Woodman, Steve Stoikos, Roger De Kretsa, Steve Neary, Colin Maddaford, John Eagles, Avis Liepaskalns, Anthony Beyers, Alan Sampson, Ziggy Piotrowski, Glenn Mottram.

1980s: Bruce Tonkin, Mick Powell, Garry Williams, Paul Coleman, Ted Carroll, Phil Ulbrick, Mark McInnes, Mark Padula, Rod Smith, Alan Sampson, Leon Chew, Grant Padula.

1990s: Darren Trotman, Scott Fitzgerald, Gordon King, Kanwar Singh, Jason Dennerley, Rick Dennerley, Andrew Todd, Rick Batten, Trevor Lovitt, Andy McQueen, Adrian Buller, Billy George.

Originally published as ‘Pains me greatly’: Springvale forced to shut down after more than a century of cricket