The 1994/95 season was my first season at Western Suburbs. I’d played all my cricket at Petersham and after 4 years in the top grade, I felt it was time for a change.
I started the season in good form. In the first game we played Fairfield and I took 5 for 59 and scored 99 not out. Unfortunately, we lost by 5 runs. One game, one loss.
We won the next 9 before losing to Campbelltown on a wet wicket against Campbelltown.
We ended the season with one outright win,10 first innings wins and two losses. We won the Minor Premiership and the coveted home ground advantage for our first semi-final.
Winning the Minor Premiership was a reward for all the hard work but also “guaranteed” a home game semi-final which meant that if the semi-final was a draw or washed out we’d go straight through to the final.
So it was Pratten Park for us; you beauty.
With the top two teams set to play a home semi-final, it was 1st plays 4th at Pratten, and 2nd plays at home against the 3rd placed team.
St George had come 2nd and due to play at Hurstville Oval against Bankstown but North Sydney took the Sydney Cricket Association (SCA) to court to challenge their determination that North Sydney’s last-round win had been a contrived result.
For the first time in most people’s memory, the first week of the semi-finals was postponed until the courts made their decision. Not ideal but we simply prepared to play whomever at Pratten Park. North Sydney won their appeal, so they moved into 3rd spot to play St George at St George home ground and Bankstown finished 4th to play Wests at Pratten Park.
Out of nowhere there was a whisper Wests semi-final was going to be moved away from Pratten Park. At no stage during that season was any game transferred away from Pratten Park.
Unfortunately for Wests as minor premiers history will show that the game was moved to a neutral ground, UNSW’s Village Green. With the legal and courts commotion that North Sydney had prevailed in, Wests decided against fighting the SCA decision and played on.
After scoring a very competitive 351 Bankstown successfully chased our score for the loss of 4 wickets on a very flat 2nd-day wicket.
From 4th position, Bankstown then went on to play North Sydney at Bankstown Oval (home ground) in the final and won the Premiership and Belvedere Cup.
Lamenting, I never did play semi-final cricket again, maybe we should have taken a leaf out of North Sydney’s playbook.
We'd still love to know why we lost our home ground advantage.