What is the lure of suburban cricket that has those of us that love the game fronting up year after year, especially those diehard fanatics who continue to pull on the whites when the aging body tells us maybe it is time to settle into a comfy recliner and watch from afar.
One such dedicated stalwart Jeffrey Law from Barkly Street United Cricket Club is one who’s love for playing this great summer pastime far exceeds the aches and pains that accompany such a prolonged stint in the middle.
Jeff this weekend steps out for his 600th game of local cricket in the VTCA Gary Murray Shield – Division 5 Seconds, yes folks your eyes are not failing you, 600 games. This does not include the 48 representative games he has played in during his career, these are just for his beloved club, Barkly Street.
Law continues to be a valuable member of the club’s second XI, having even this season played in a couple of first eleven games as well when the club needed a steady guide. Remembering that is most seasons, you would play on average about 12 games, most obviously two-day games – throw in a couple of washouts and the achievement seems even more remarkable. In fact, if you do the maths Law has taken the field in over 1000 Saturday afternoons.
Law’s first game was as a six-year-old in the club’s only junior side – the Under 16’s in 1965. He has a unique record of playing a decade in the under 16’s. His playing career pre-dates the My Cricket stats system by 40 years.
His dedication and love of the game are attributes that his friends remark when quizzed on why someone can keep playing when the call of walking the beach or dangling a fishing line in a quiet stream seem a more sedate and relaxing option.
One of Law’s more remarkable records is he did not miss a game in 49 consecutive years, nearly three decades of which were in the first eleven.
Over the years many weddings and family functions were politely declined. As Law explained on the clubs Podcast, “My best mate had asked me to be his best man at his wedding, but we were scheduled to play a semi-final, so I had to regrettably refuse. It cost me our friendship and to make matters worse, we went on to lose the final, so that wasn’t great’, he said.
Longevity is obviously in the family genes, with Dad Jack Law holding the club secretarial post for a phenomenal 57 years. The Law family have an indefinable history at Barkly Street United as the club is about to celebrate its own centenary.
Jeffrey Law is a quiet, inconsumable accountant who will never be accused of blowing his own trumpet. When I learned of this upcoming achievement a few weeks ago, Jeff played it with the straightest of bats and made it clear the occasion was not about him, it was a celebration of the club and the mates that he’s shared a changeroom with.
Saturday’s encounter will see Barkly Street host Gellibrand at Maribyrnong Reserve with festivities kicking off around 12.15pm. Guest speaker will be Graham “Smokey” Dawson the iconic ABC cricket and football broadcaster. There will be some speeches pre match with the game the centrepiece.
After the game there will be a club function which will undoubtably be an opportunity for those who have played so much cricket with Law over the years to give their unassuming team mate a “roast” of all the tales accumulated over five decades of cricket participation.
The club, thankfully with the support of Gellibrand Cricket Club, has given Law the privilege of selecting an Invitational XI for his milestone game – friends that he played with over the years. Some of the guest XI include VSDCA President Phil O’Meara, West Coburg Cricket Club President and former Barkly Street United star Jeff Lally and a multitude of Law’s teammates past and present.
Law’s stats rank him up there with the best local cricketers to grace ovals across the Western sphere of Melbourne – 600 games, 7671 runs, 764 wickets, 3 x premierships, one as captain, 6 x centuries with a top score of 160*, 6 x Club Champion Award, a hat trick, 1x Association Best Player Award, 10 x Association Representative at National Carnivals – a record, 3 x All Australian Representative, 1 x All Australian Captain, most Carnival Games, Club and Association Life Member, member of the Barkly Street Team of the Century and in 2016 inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Legend status a mere formality if and when he decides to pull the pin on an illustrious career.
On behalf of all associated within the VTCA fraternity, I wish Jeffrey Law and the Barkley Street United Cricket Club all the best on Jeff’s 600 game milestone- Well Done Champion.
