Veteran cricketers to return to Mt Moriac for annual challenge

MODEWARRE Cricket Club will again provide the backdrop of Geelong Cricket’s Veterans Challenge Match.

The annual match between Geelong Over 50s Cricket Club and the Geelong Seniors Cricket Club is scheduled to take place on the Surf Coast this Sunday, January 8 in Mount Moriac from 11am, featuring some of the best over 55s and over 60s cricketing talent in the region.

First held in 2020, the contest this year will be led by captains Brendan Putt (Over 50s) and Tom O’Brien (Seniors) with the clash anticipated to provide an entertaining bout.

“The challenge match first came about as a way of providing senior cricketers a pathway from over 50s cricket to over 60s cricket, which Geelong Seniors Cricket Club provides,” O’Brien said.

“When you break it down, it’s just a lot of fun. A guy by the name of Ray Gibson in the over 50s is just an absolute gentleman and we used to play cricket together, so it’s always a good time to play against one another for this game.

“It’s serious cricket on the day, but we always stay after to chat and share a beer.”

The Geelong Over 50s Cricket Club will seek its first win in the Geelong Veterans Cricket Challenge Shield.

In 2022, Geelong Seniors managed to hold off the Over 50s, defeating its friendly rivals 7/157 to 8/150 in the one-day clash.

For Putt, it will be his first challenge match, but from what he has heard, it is a day to look forward to.

“Being named captain adds a little bit more emphasis to the day for sure, I’d love to lift the shield at the end of play, it might provide a good memory to look back in a couple years,” he said.

“The whole day is about meeting people and enjoying a good game of cricket. Everyone was a good cricketer back in the day, so it should be a high standard of play as well.”

Geelong Over 50s Cricket Club’s Justin Larkins and Geelong Seniors Cricket Club’s Tom Gorman secured man of the match honours last year.

The 2023 Geelong Veterans Cricket Challenge will again be played in a one-day format, with each side getting 40 overs.