Growing up at Strathmerton Mal Stuart remembers crossing the train tracks every weekend to watch the local cricket side play during summer.
He loved everything about the sport and would look on intently as the older boys would bat and bowl in the hot sun every Saturday.
After consistently watching from the sidelines, Stuart was eventually asked if he wanted to join the team — only as a fielder to start with — and of course, the 11-year-old jumped at the opportunity.
From there, cricket became one of the most consistent aspects of his life and 69 years later he is still involved in Goulburn Valley cricket as an umpire for Cricket Shepparton’s Clyde Young Shield.
During last year’s Boxing Day Test Stuart and other long-serving members of the Victorian cricket community were invited to a lunch at the MCG.
There Stuart received an award celebrating his long-standing contribution to cricket.
The 79-year-old received the commendation for his time at Strathmerton, Mulgrave, Wheelers Hill (where he played more than 400 games and picked up the nickname ‘’Mighty Mal’’) and Royal Park Cricket Club.
Stuart estimates that throughout his career he has played more than 750 games and umpired more than 200.
Mighty Mal’s commendation was also for his services off-field, where he has been a secretary, treasurer, curator, president and delegate.
Simply put, if there is a job in or related to cricket, Stuart has probably done it.
When asked why he has stayed so involved with cricket for nearly 90 per cent of his life, Stuart believes the answer is fairly simple.
“It’s just a passion,” he said.
“I started when I was 11 and now I’m nearly 80. I don’t really know what it is, probably club camaraderie.”
Before becoming an umpire Stuart was an accomplished cricketer who competed until the age of 68.
He played Victorian Country Week, scored eight or nine centuries (he can’t quite remember) and had a top score of 159.
And, while Stuart prefers to think of himself as a batter, he was also a more than handy leg-spin bowler.
Although he does concede he lost the passion for the craft as he got older.
“I went from a leg-spinner to bowling darts because it was easier,” he said with a chuckle.
Even though he gave up playing the game more than a decade ago, Stuart said some of his best moments on the field were still as clear as day.
“One day, we were supposedly going to get beaten and I opened the innings and I was still not out by the end of the day,” he said.
“I was on about 50 not out. It was one of those challenges where we were up against one of the best sides in the competition.
“We only finished nine down and they didn’t get their outright.”
Another time ...
“We were 5-39 and I remember this clear as day; I was the only person that had scored,” he said.
“I was on about 37 and went on to win the game. It’s just those little moments that stick out to you.“
Having been involved with cricket for nearly seven decades, Stuart has seen the sport develop and evolve better than most.
Mighty Mal said he appreciated the skills required for shorter format competitions such as T20s, but the 79-year-old remembers how different the sport once used to be.
“I would not have hit 10 sixes in my career,” he said.
“I just hit the ball along the ground; that was the idea back then.
“When I was at Strathmerton they used to have an award for the most sixes (hit) in a season and a guy won it with one.”
When Stuart retired from playing the game he turned his attention to umpiring in Cricket Shepparton’s B-grade competition.
After spending time on the officiating side of cricket Stuart believes that having an in-depth knowledge of the game of cricket, not just the rule book, is what makes him a good umpire.
“The only thing is, after you play so much, it is hard to divorce yourself from the game,“ he said.
“(I am) always an honest umpire, no doubt about that.
“I don’t mind giving a tip to a young kid or something like that. If a player wants to be sociable, I’ll be sociable; if he doesn’t, then I don’t talk to them.”
Despite still having a vested interest in the sport, Mighty Mal is planning to soon pack his cricket bag for the final time.
“I’m thinking this (year) is about it,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ll be 80 in a couple months.
“If I umpire next year I’ll have 70 years in cricket, so I am thinking about it. One more year and that would be it.“