Gordon 1974-75 PGs Reunion
Gordon District Cricket Club | February 10, 2025
On the weekend of 8-9 February, 2025, a group of former Gordon players got together at Chatswood Oval to celebrate exactly (to the day!!) fifty years since they won the Poidevin-Gray competition.
In 1974-75, Gordon won the Northern Division of the comp. They won five games (one outright), drew one and lost one (on New Year’s Day – never a good idea!). In one of their games, they played Balmain and the Tigers leggie, Mick Murfin took all 10 Gordon wickets. And Gordon STILL WON!
They played Sutherland ((the Southern Division winners) in the final over two Sundays at Waverley Oval. The Sutherland team included John Dyson and Andrew Hilditch, both of whom played for Australia a couple of years later.
After being 2-0 after two overs, Gordon recovered to finish with 249, largely due to Darryl Quigley batting for more than two sessions for an invaluable 86. At stumps, Sutherland were 0-38.
On the second day, the score moved to 4-125 at lunch with Hilditch looking a real threat, not out 60 odd. However, straight after the break, opening bowler Craig Peifer took three wickets in four balls and it was game over. Sutherland finished 100 runs behind and some second innings heroics were to no avail.
Fifty years later, the game was well remembered and the win became even greater with many much-inflated performances.
Names under the 2025 photo:
Back row: Peter Olsen Dick Huey (scorer), Piet Baird, David Meagher
Front row: Steve McDowell, John Dedman (captain), Jim Cattlin (coach), Michael Falk, Jim Cameron, John Crawford.
FINAL VS SUTHERLAND AT WAVERLEY ON 2 & 9 FEBRUARY 1975
SUTHERLAND
A.Hilditch c Cameron b Peifer 69
I.Everett c Peifer b Olsen 21
J.Dyson c Dedman b Olsen 4
D.Russell c Cameron b Peifer 12
B.Malbon c Cameron b Falk 4
B.Handley c Peifer b Falk 17
P.Stewart b Peifer 0
R.Handley hit wkt b Peifer 0
G.Bannon b Peifer 0
J.Sands c Spence b McElroy 4
G.Eke not out 3
Sundries 15
All out 149
Peifer 5-62, Olsen 2-28, Spence 0-3, Falk 2-34, Dedman 0-5, McElroy 1-2
GORDON
J.Crawford run out 0
P.Baird c Hilditch b Russell 0
D.Quigley c Bannon b Eke 86
S.McDowell c Russell b Eke 24
M.Falk c Handley b Russell 13
J.Dedman c Russell b Sands 18
C.Peifer c Russell b Hilditch 31
J.Cameron run out 16
A.McElroy c Dyson b Eke 25
P.Olsen not out 10
N.Spence b Russell 3
Sundries 23
All out 249
Russell 3-91, Eke 3-48, Sands 1-58, Handley 0-9Hilditch 1-20
SUTHERLAND
A.Hilditch run out 0
I.Everett c Cameron b Peifer 52
B.Handley not out 103
D.Russell c McDowell b Peifer 8
J.Dyson c Meagher b Quigley 13
B.Malbon not out 6
Sundries 8
4 dec 190
Olsen 0-29, McElroy 0-38, Spence 0-27, Dedman 0-31, Peifer 2-35
GORDON
J.Crawford c Stewart b Sands 25
P.Baird not out 38
C.Peifer b Sands 0
D.Quigley not out 0
Sundries 3
2 for 66
Russell 0-3, Eke 0-7, Sands 2-13, Handley 0-10, Hilditch 0-14, Dyson 0-16
