From the Coalfields to the Sea
Stockton and Northern Districts Cricket Club | February 22, 2023
By Nick Foster
For over 50 years Stockton & Northern Districts Cricket club have welcomed a host of talent from coalfields of the Hunter Valley, and the history of cricketing coalminers at the seaside club might surprise you.
Over the years Stockton & Northern Districts Cricket Club has had a remarkable and famously close relationship with the Coalfields area of the Hunter Valley and that longstanding bond continues to thrive today.
Formed in 1888, the seaside club based at the iconic Lynn Oval in Stockton has been a home away from home for many a cricketer looking to forge a path and test their skill in the Newcastle Cricket competition.
The influx started in 1970’s and saw a period of prosperity previously unseen by the club which coincided with the recruitment of a number of talented cricketers from the Cessnock area including long time club captain James Hogg; coal miners Tim Caban, Graeme Sneesby and David Gyler; and Cessnock locals Warren Redmond, Greig Abel and Mick Caban. A strong Coalfields presence in the club played a key role in Stockton & Northern Districts winning three straight first grade premierships in 1976/77, 1977/78 and 1978/79.
The coalfields connection continued throughout the 1980’s with coal miners Robert Main and David Gyler joining the likes of Hogg, Caban and Redmond in making the trip to the seaside suburb to play in the premier cricket competition in regional Australia. James Hogg who captained Newcastle and also represented NSW Country was a dominant force throughout the decade and formed a potent combination with Queensland representative Tim Caban.
Tim Caban
In the 90’s a host of players including Newcastle Representative and Hunter Valley coal miner Tyrone Weekes, Troy Culley and players Andrew Yeomans and John Jabour took the well-worn path across the Hunter River to Lynn Oval from the Coalfields with Weekes in particular putting on numerous destructive displays of clean hitting.
The turn of the century came and with it a hugely successful period for Stockton & Northern Districts with Hassan Khan and coal miner Robert Drage part of the 2004-05 first grade premiership team. Khan scored a club record 243 at Lynn Oval in 2004 to cement himself in the Newcastle cricket history books with the second highest first grade score of all time. In the later 2000’s Patrick O’Rourke, Andrew O'Rourke and Scott Woods, as well as coal miners Matt McKay and Joseph Main all arrived at the club and played key roles at various times.
Fast forward to 2021 and the Coalfields connection continues. Andrew Nicolai has become a mainstay of the first-grade squad in recent times, and of course he is another proud Hunter Valley coal miner.
Recently Stockton & Northern Districts announced their Team of 1970-2019. James Hogg (Captain), Tim Caban and Graeme Sneesby were selected in a star studded team that included an Australian Test Player, a QLD representative and a host of NSW Country players. The last five decades has seen the seaside club punch well and truly above its weight in cricket circles by winning 5 first grade premierships and 5 club championships and it’s no coincidence that this period of success arrived on the back of a strong Coalfields influence.
James Hogg
Stockton & Northern Districts Cricket Club is currently in the midst of another purple patch after having won the Newcastle Cricket Club Championship for only the fifth time in their 133 year history in 2020-21.
The club continues to be, as it has always been, proud of the connection to the Coalfields area and the mining industry, with most of the players mentioned having been long standing workers in the pits of the Hunter Valley or the broader coal industry.
