The Spirit of Cricket
I'd like to make special mention of one significant achievement during last season in the men's club.
For the seventh time in the past 12 seasons, the Club has been awarded the SCA's 'Spirit of Cricket' award.
This prestigious award means a great deal to those of us whose playing days are long finished.
It means a great deal because it's clear proof that the University cricketers of 2024 still play the game according to cricket's deeply held values and traditions.
It's proof that in 2024, we continue to do more than just to play within the laws and codes of the game. We even do more than just to play within the spirit of the game. We do more than that. We uphold the traditions and values of the game and we actually lead all others to aspire to these great heights.
And we do that because we continue to be linked to all those who have ever worn our colours, representing the enduring values of this club, of this University.
And those values have been ingrained from team to team, from decade to decade, from generation to generation, as we carry the torch of the spirit of cricket from player to player.
By winning the spirit of cricket award so many times, we are building on a firm foundation of the humanity and artistry of the game for all who follow.
In April 1854, a 16 year old named Rodney Riddell opened the batting in University's first ever match against the soldiers of the Garrison. He was said to have been a player who played the game in the right spirit.
In February 2024, 170 years later, another 16 year old, Hayden McCarthy, made his 1st Grade debut against Hawkesbury. Hayden is said to be a fine young man, a player of great potential.
Now the two 16 year olds are linked by a golden thread to a club that continues to uphold the spirit of cricket through the decades, from player to player.
As co-Patron of this great Club, I could not be more proud of what you have once more achieved, by winning once again, the award for upholding the spirit of cricket.
JAMES RODGERS