Memories of the Back Room at Waverley Oval

Bob Wilson | June 16, 2023

The Waverley District Cricket Club now the Eastern Suburbs Cricket has a proud history on the field and a proud and interesting history off it.

Playing for Waverley meant it didn’t matter if you were a first grade player or a lower grade cricketer you all enjoyed the success and mateship of each other’s company after the game. Here are few off field stories from the good old days of the Waverley Cricket Club.

The famous Back Room underneath the grandstand at Waverley Oval was the clubhouse and was the only cricket club in Sydney that served cold tap beer dating back to the 1960’s and probably even before.

As a 12 year old I witnessed many interesting times looking at the players enjoying themselves drinking beer and it wasn’t too many years down the track I joined them, much to the detriment of my cricketing ambitions.

As a youngster in the 1960’s I can remember the wives of players enjoying a wine and making toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches in the room that housed a large snooker table while the other room “the Bar” was packed with the barman, Norm Richardson father of former NSW batsman Lenny Richardson, pouring beers while cracking jokes every 5 minues. I certainly grew up pretty fast……it was a great experience and a very learned time.

Eventually the bar was moved into the other room and the old bar area was made into a “Lounge Room” with a TV, lounges, tables and chairs. The description of “Lounge Room” was probably a little exaggerated. The ladies loved the new “Lounge Room” well that’s probably another exaggeration.

When Tony Greig joined the club, Kerry Packer donated a temperate for the keg beer which was a lot better to operate and pour the golden nectar. Kerry Packer was a great supporter and sponsor of the club and who enjoyed the atmosphere of the back room.

There were so many long Saturday nights. The players from Waverley and opposition clubs loved it and with no regulations like there thankfully are today, it’s a mystery how the Waverley players let alone the opposing club players made it home.

There were so many gold medal performers and whilst I can’t list all of them and I do apologise for those missing, the best back then were Dave “Gibo’ Gibson, Dick Rowland, Greg “The Chin” Besomo, Col “The Fox” Josephson, of course the Hourn brothers, Dennis and David, Rod “Poddy” Richards, Geoff McMah, Bob Horsell, Keith Jackson, Les Adcock and Ron Boucher to name a few.

After the Back Room, the next stop was the Sheaf and Oak Hotels at Double Bay and after that, well we were in the Eastern Suburbs on Sydney. The Sunday recovery was either the Easts Rugby Club or Bondi Icebergs and occasionally the bar at HMAS Watsons Bay Mess……….gee they were great days.

During the week the watering holes were several hotels such as the Rose Bay, Billy the Pigs and the Tea Gardens at Bondi Junction where you could order and get fitted for suit, long pants or shirts from the local Grace Brothers supplier commonly known as a shoplifter, all he needed was your size and a cash only transaction.

Back then the monthly Committee Meetings were quite long, well after the meetings were with several cold refreshments once again in the Back Room.

In those days the secretary used to distribute the Minutes of the Meetings by mail and use to document the time the meeting closed.

Well one of the wives read the Minutes and said to her hardworking husband ………” How come you got home after midnight and the meeting finished at 7.40pm? ”.

Well a little explaining was needed but it was a waste of time. At the next Committee Meeting the secretary was instructed by the members not to record the closing time of any future meetings.

Anyway there’s a few stories from the good old days of the 1970’s, the 80’s and 90’s were much the same. It’s definitely not like that these days.

So many people………players, their wives and girlfriends, parents and friends enjoyed the great Waverley District Cricket Club and I am sure the current players do also as they are with a club with long history, culture and tradition, the Eastern Suburbs (Waverley Inc) Cricket Club.

For all the clubs Annual Reports dating back to the 1800’s up until 2021 plus some newspaper articles click here