VSDCA chairman Phil O’Meara bestowed honour of leading Australia’s Over-70 team

In a decorated career, VSDCA chairman Phil O’Meara says captaining Australia in the upcoming Over-70s tour of New Zealand is up there in his achievements.

VSDCA chairman Phil O'Meara (centre) with last season's Holten Medallists Sahan Perera and Glen Parker.

Phil O’Meara thought his playing days might have been over.

However, hip surgery has given the former Western Australia Sheffield Shield batter a new lease on life and led him to be named captain of Australia’s Over-70 team.

O’Meara will lead the Aussies in a three-one-dayer tour of New Zealand next month.

The chairman of prominent cricket competition, Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association, had represented Australia at Over-60 level before injury struck.

“I played for Australia two years ago but I did a hip,” O’Meara said.

“I didn’t know what was wrong and the next day I couldn’t walk after we’d beaten England.

“It wasn’t until I had a scan, I found out I had no cartilage ... so 12 months ago I had a hip resurfacing done and it was the best thing I ever did.

“I was back moving and free, that got me back in, and they asked me to captain Victoria.

O’Meara led Victoria to the Over-70 Veterans Cricket Championship Division 1 title in November last year.

He scored 105 runs at an average of 52.5, scoring 22 in the final as Victoria Blue defeated Victoria White by 23 runs.

In a decorated career in WA and Victoria, that has seen him win a number of premierships, having the national captaincy was among his best achievements.

“We won the carnival up in Dubbo, I had a good carnival ... I thought I’d get in the (Australia) team but I wasn’t expecting the captaincy, that’s for sure,” O’Meara said.

“As you get older you look back and it’s as good as anything I’ve ever done.

“I captain-coached Fremantle to a premiership and at Port Melbourne had three championships, a couple of years at St Kilda and then down at St John’s with my three boys, we won five premierships in five years.”

O’Meara plays locally for the Australian Cricket Society club, which is based at Moorabbin’s Moorleigh Community Village Reserve.

In seven matches this season, he’s retired not out in each game, scoring 164 runs at a strike rate of 76.6.

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O’Meara will be joined in the Australian team by Victorians Ray Smith and Rex Bennett.

Ian Gibson will manage the team, while Ian Davis and Ian Southall would likely have been selected by did not nominate.

Despite little support from Cricket Australia, O’Meara said veterans cricket was one of the fastest-growing parts of the game.

The inaugural Over-70s World Cup was played in England last year with Australia making the final, going down to the old enemy.