With the cricket season now done and dusted it is worth recognising that 50 years ago Victoria won the Sheffield Shield from Queensland by just five points in an era when top of the table at the end of the home and away season won the Shield.

This was undoubtedly a very strong Victorian team with a good blend of youth and experience under skipper Keith Stackpole but it was also a bitter sweet season because it also saw the end of the very talented sporting career of Robert Rose which was abruptly curtailed in February 1974 by a motor vehicle accident that saw him become a quadriplegic.

Robert's last innings for Victoria was against NSW in Sydney in January 1974 when he made 23 not out in Victoria's second innings as they defeated NSW by 7 wickets.

Sadly, along with Robert, three other greats of Victorian cricket in Max "Tangles" Walker , Alan " Froggy " Thompson and John " Barrell " Scholes are no longer with us.