CS Team of the Century | Clyde Young: A key pillar in Cricket Shepparton’s history

For more than 25 years Young graced cricket grounds across the Cricket Shepparton area, donning the famous blue and white of Old Students and taking his customary position behind the stumps.

On the field you will struggle to find a more skilled wicketkeeper through the 100-year history of Cricket Shepparton, as he played a key role in Old Students’ run of four premierships in six years in the 1970s.

And off the field his influence was just as great, following in the footsteps of local cricket icon and great friend Bert Lightfoot in being president of the association from 1989 to 1994.

Now happily retired, enjoying life with long-time wife Val and making regular trips to Shepparton Golf Club and Shepparton RSL, Young often thinks back to those wonderful times playing cricket for Old Students.

But when asked what game stood out among his decorated career, he was quick to mention the day he made his one and only century.

For Val this story will forever live in the memory bank of the Young family.

“I was walking to the ground with three children and somebody came racing out to me on the street and yelled out ‘Youngy is about to make his century’,” Val said fondly.

“So we raced out to the boundary and watched on, I was shocked to see him finally get there to be honest.

“But that day will always be a great memory for our family, life for us centred around going out to cricket, helping where we could around the club and supporting Clyde and the team.”

The cricket career of Young has humble beginnings.

Growing up in Shepparton he was introduced to the game and Old Students Cricket Club, from an early age taking a keen interest in wicketkeeping that would give him an opportunity to attend the prestigious Wesley College in Melbourne.

But those early days at Old Students would always sit fondly in his memory bank and when the chance came to return to the club after school he said he took it with both hands.

“I started with the club’s juniors through attending Shepparton High School before moving down to Melbourne to finish school at Wesley College, but when I came back I went back to Old Students and from there never left,” Young said.

From that point on Young quickly became a pillar of Old Students’ incredible success, partnering skipper and much-loved friend Dave Shaw as they built one of Cricket Shepparton’s most revered dynasties.

“We won a lot, so much so I reckon they got sick of us by the end, but I loved every minute of it” he said.

“Everybody at the club was very keen on it at the time, we always had three teams and everyone was great friends.

“The connection I had with Shawy (Dave Shaw) was special, from the start we were great friends and did everything together, the influence he had on both my cricket and life was huge.

“Those times playing with Old Students and winning premierships, I’ll never forget them.”

Forging a reputation as one of the top cricketers in country Victoria, Young was given opportunities players these days could only dream of.

Whether it was playing on the MCG during Country Week or flying the flag for the region in countless representative games, his career was filled with highlights.

But one day in 1972 at Deakin Reserve will always stand out, when the Pakistan Test team came to town for a one-off practice match against the best country Victoria had to offer.

“What happened was back in those days they would pick a team of all the best country cricketers and, that year, I was lucky enough to be selected as the wicketkeeper,” he said.

“Pakistan came over for a tour of Australia in 1972 and we got the opportunity to play against them at Deakin Reserve, and that day I was fortunate enough to take a few catches.

“Although we lost the match, to be out on the field playing against Test cricketers, that was easily a highlight of my career.”

But it was at Old Students where Young was truly in his element, with that love for the club and his teammates always bringing him back, despite the fact he would “retire” briefly on a number of occasions in the latter years of his career.

And, while the on-field journey would eventually come to an end in 1978, his legacy certainly did not.

To this day cricketers can see the influence he had on local cricket, with the Cricket Shepparton B-grade competition named the Clyde Young Shield after his exploits.

“It is a massive honour to be seen in that way,” Young said.

“To have my name part of Cricket Shepparton forever, it is very special.”