The other Ian Repdath

Stockton and Northern Districts Cricket Club | September 08, 2024

The next time you hear a Newcastle district cricketer whinge about traveling over the Stockton Bridge or down to Toronto for an away game, mention Ian Redpath.

The Stockton & Northern Districts batsman was without a doubt the most committed cricketer in town in the 2012-13.

During the 2012-13 pre-season, Redpath emailed every club in Newcastle requesting a chance to play.

Six replied, and because he had relatives in Stockton and an offer from the club to provide accommodation if required, Redpath chose the Seagulls.

Redpath was born and bred in Darwin and played first-grade cricket in Adelaide with Woodville and in Victorian Premier Cricket at Geelong as well as representing Western Zone in the NSW Country Championships.

But living in Dubbo he wanted a bigger challenge.

Every Friday lunchtime the 36-year-old would pack up his car in Dubbo and makes the 400-kilometre trip down the Golden and New England highways for afternoon training and weekend games with the Seagulls.

On Sunday, he would make the 5½-hour return trek to Dubbo.

By the time the season concluded, he had done enough kilometers to put him well on to his second lap of Australia.

"It's been my main sport throughout my life, and the ambition to play at the highest level possible was the main motivator for me, and unfortunately I wasn’t getting that out in Dubbo," Redpath said in 2012.

"I've been thinking about the comparison between country and city cricket, and the fact that there's more people trying to play for positions creates a high level of intensity," he also said.

"That's been evident so far with Stockton."

Cricket was not only a pastime for Redpath. He also previously worked as Northern Territory Cricket's indigenous officer, which involved visiting remote communities to promote the sport.

Redpath was always destined to be a cricketer as he was named after former Australian Test vice-captain Ian Redpath.