Colton Electorate Cricket Clubs

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (15:37): Today I wish to talk about a few of the very many outstanding sporting clubs that I have in my district. Given that it is now winter (and can't we tell by standing outside), I am going to focus on some of the summer sports, in this case particularly cricket, and also given that the Australian test cricket team is playing off tonight against the West Indies at 11:30pm, Deputy Speaker, if you are up to watch that.

In the electorate of Colton, we are fortunate to have three outstanding cricket clubs fielding many teams across the Turf Cricket Association competition. Grange Cricket Club, that was established in 1885 and is located at the beautiful Grange Reserve, is a club that has a proud and long history. The A grade plays in the premier division, and over the last decade has arguably (but not particularly from my perspective because it is without argument) been the competition's leading team. It also fields another three senior teams and has many junior cricket teams. Like any great cricket club, its success has been underpinned by an outstanding administration and group of volunteers. Although the Grange Cricket Club did not have its best season last year, the A grade missing out on the finals, it will make amends next season.

Woodville Rechabites—technically it is not in my electorate, but my electorate is a feeder to the Woodville Rechabites—is another outstanding cricket club and competes at the Matheson Reserve as its home ground. As I said, many of the good people of Colton feed into that particular club. Like Grange, it too plays in the premier division and fields teams across the turf competitions and, like the Grange Cricket Club, also has many junior teams. But also like Grange, the A grade did not make the finals last season, but I think the club may have had a different expectation. For the Wreckers, this was a year of consolidation and rebuilding, and that was achieved. With new coach Dean Sayers coaching them next year, things are looking positive for the 2015-16 season.

Yet another outstanding local cricket club is Fulham located at the beautiful Collins Reserve off Valetta Road. It too has a long, proud and rich history dating back, I am told, to 1905 when it played in the then West Torrens cricket association. Fulham had a successful year with the A grade, which plays in the A3 division, playing off in the grand final.

The final cricket club based in my electorate is the mighty West Torrens District Cricket Club which plays in the district competition of course, fielding four teams in all of those men's senior divisions and also fielding two well-credentialled women's teams playing in the senior A and B grade district women's competition. The women's cricket is worth going to have a look at too, Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Right up there with calisthenics.

The Hon. P. CAICA: The West Torrens District Cricket Club is a fantastic supporter of women's cricket and, hopefully, with plans in place, will be able to expand the role the club plays in supporting and growing women's cricket. The West Torrens District Cricket Club is located at the picturesque Henley and Grange Memorial Oval and also hosted two pre-World Cup games against the Afghanistan team. I am pleased to say that the young West Torrens team acquitted themselves very well against the Afghanistan team in these games.

West Torrens had a fantastic year in the A grade this year, with the senior men's team making the finals. It is a strange scoring system where, if you make the finals, the team that sits above you can really bat out the whole day or day and a half and really play for a draw, but hopefully they will fix what seems to me to be a bit of an archaic system in the future. The women's team also did well, but they know they can do better next season as well.

My final point is this: the success of cricket clubs, indeed, all sporting clubs in my electorate and elsewhere is usually judged by the performance of their A grade sides and that is the way it is, but each of these cricket clubs in Colton have many things in common. All have a successful and effective junior program fielding many teams in the various junior divisions, all have a supportive, committed, hardworking and effective administration, all have tireless volunteers helping out in a variety of roles around the club and all have a strong community aspect and connection. As much as anything else, it is these ingredients that ultimately provide the environment for each of these clubs to continue to be successful.

I am very proud to have those outstanding cricket clubs along with many other sporting clubs in my electorate. I look forward to their ongoing success. I look forward, at the end of winter and the start of summer, to talking about some of the winter competitions, but I want to finish off on a subject that makes me happy. I am very pleased about my electorate, but I am also extremely pleased today to hear the news that Mr Blatter, the FIFA president, is standing down. I think it is not before time. If there is one game in the world that can provide opportunity across this planet for unification, it is the world game, and the world game is better off without Mr Blatter.