CS Team of the Century | Mr Reliable: How Robert Wood got the most out of his cricket ability

Hard work.

By his own admission, not the most naturally-talented cricketer, Wood consistently put in the hard yards to improve, with his love of the game and teammates constantly bringing him back.

And as a result the all-rounder is regarded as one of the greatest players the region has seen, winning two Lightfoot medals and constantly finding himself at the top of Cricket Shepparton’s batting and bowling charts in the 1980s and 1990s.

Now one of the 30 players shortlisted for the association’s Team of the Century, Wood said it was surreal to be thought of in the same breath as some of the greats of local cricket.

“It was completely unexpected and it’s a real honour,” Wood said.

“Seeing some of the other names in the 30 selected it is certainly humbling, as I never saw myself as a player with much natural talent.

“Rather I was somebody that got the most out of what I had and worked hard to be the best player I could be.”

The beginning of Wood’s cricket journey mirrors most players that have come out of regional areas.

Frequently heading down to watch his beloved Katandra side growing up, he idolised those players in the senior team dreaming one day he could work among them.

And then one day as a small teenager, he would get that chance, filling in for the seniors in an experience he said changed his life forever.

“We lived on a dairy farm out at Katandra and were only a couple of kilometres from the cricket ground, so growing up I used to often go down and watch the seniors play,” he said.

“And then one day I got the chance to fill in for the senior side at Katandra, I took a catch, didn’t make any runs, but batted for about 20 minutes and was just this little guy playing among all these adults.

“I think that day I truly fell in love with the game and that kick-started my cricket journey.”

Following that day filling in for the seniors became a regular occurrence, as he would play juniors in the morning before testing himself against the adults.

He said those formative years were some of the most enjoyable of his career, with his work ethic and eagerness to learn having him quickly climb the ranks.

“The love that all those guys in the seniors had for the game really rubbed off on me as a kid coming through,” he said.

“Through that time I developed a love of the contest, going against the best players in the region and just getting into battles on the field.

“It gave me such a good grounding playing with and against those guys and tested me in a way that put me in great stead as I became a senior cricketer.”

After finishing his junior career with his home town Katandra, Wood moved to Central Park for the opportunity to play in the A-grade competition.

Forcing his way into the senior side as a reliable all-rounder, he would begin to garner a reputation as one of the top players in the region before moving back to Katandra when the club was bumped up into A-grade.

His second stint at the Eagles was where he truly blossomed and in the summer of 1983-84 he officially took the mantle of the competition’s best player, winning his first Lightfoot Medal.

“That first Lightfoot win was just a bumper season,” he said.

“Everything seemed to turn to gold for me in the sense that I made runs almost every week, I bowled really well and took a number of great catches.

“It was the sort of year where everything worked for me and at the time the team at Katandra was just such a fun group to be around.”

Following that golden season, Wood would make the move back to Deakin Reserve to feature in the newly amalgamated Central Park-St Brendan’s.

Quickly becoming a key part of the Tigers’ side, Wood would add another Lightfoot Medal to his collection in the summer of 1985-86.

“When Central Park merged with St Brendan’s I saw it as a great opportunity to go back and progress my career even further and be part of a great team of guys,” he said.

“That second (Lightfoot) win was more of a surprise, I thought I had a solid season, but it certainly wasn’t my best, but that’s cricket some times.”

While Wood’s career was one filled with great highlights and a mountain of personal accolades, there is one thing that will always plague him.

Forming part of successful sides with Katandra and Central Park, Wood would take part in six grand finals, but unfortunately did not taste victory in a single one.

“Not winning a premiership was easily my biggest regret,” he said.

“We got so close so many times and some of those years with Central Park-St Brendan’s the quality of the A-grade team was incredible, so to not win one was disappointing.

“But after my time the club enjoyed a lot of great success and I’d like to think those teams of the late ’80s and early ’90s helped build that foundation.”