Cricket has a special place in the rich history of Shepparton sport.
From recent Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductee Raelee Thompson to Victorian big-hitter Aiden Blizzard, there have been a plethora of legendary players grace grounds across our region and achieve extraordinary things.
So in this, the 100-year anniversary of Cricket Shepparton, the association came up with the concept of immortalising its greats by selecting a Team of the Century.
Consisting of 30 members, the list recognises those past and present that have had a large impact on the game of cricket both in the region and beyond.
During the next six weeks, The News will run special feature pieces on all 30 players listed in the Team of the Century, before the release of a commemorative magazine on November 25.
Forming part of the Team of the Century committee Darryl Butcher explained how the idea came about.
“The concept is fairly straight forward, it’s the centenary of Cricket Shepparton and the previous president of the association wanted to celebrate that centenary,” Butcher said.
“So like most people when they do a centenary, they try and pick the best players of the past century, and that is what we have done.
“This is a celebration of the history of our association and the great players that have played in it.”
Deciding upon 30 players from such a long list of esteemed cricketers made for a tough job for the selection panel.
Butcher explained the process of narrowing the nominations down to the final team.
“All the clubs were asked to nominate who they thought was suitable and they had to have made a significant contribution to Cricket Shepparton — that was the requirement,” he said.
“There is possibly a couple of exceptions to that, being those who have gone on to higher honours such as playing for their state or Australia.
“From those nominations we then came together and compiled a list of 30 people and those 30 will become legends of Cricket Shepparton.”
As for what local cricket fans can expect from this magazine, Butcher said he hoped they learn about the rich history of the association and its greats.
“It is recognising the contributions and feats of the 30 people selected have made to cricket,” he said.
“Hopefully people can take a lot out of learning about these people and the impact they have had on the history of cricket in the region.”
The 30 legends will be honoured at a special presentation night to be held on Sunday, November 27.