On Sunday, Roxburgh Park Broadmeadows Cricket Club will hold its inaugural hall of fame ceremony. Tara Murray spoke to
former players and committee members who could be among those honoured.
No one would blink an eye if Mick Streiff’s name was called out more than once at the Roxburgh Park Broadmeadows Cricket Club’s inaugural hall of fame ceremony on Sunday.
Having joined the club as a 15-year-old, Streiff remains an integral part of the club despite giving up playing about seven years ago.
The club will name its greatest ever Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths sides, along with its best ever North West Metropolitan Cricket Association side.
Streiff is a contender for the club’s greatest seconds, thirds and fourths teams at the ceremony.
The former bowler-turned-batsman, who took more than 360 wickets and made more than 3500 runs, has also been shortlisted to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Eleven past or present players and/or administrators will be inducted into the club’s hall of fame. Two of those inductees will also be accorded legend status.
In his own words, Streiff wasn’t a brilliant cricketer but played more than 270 games for the club.
“It probably shows how long I’ve been there,” he said of his nominations. “I came down with one of my mates when we were 15 and I’ve been here since – nearly 40 years later.
“It wasn’t a brilliant career. I was more a seconds and thirds player. I played about 20 games in the firsts.”
Starting as a bowler, Streiff finished his career as a batsman because of injury problems.
“The last seven to eight years of my career I basically played as a batsman in the fourths,” he said. “I captained them and I managed to get a 100 and get the club record partnership [which still stands].
“It’s an achievement that I’m proud of. I was batting with a 15-year-old, Will Partington Gardner. By the end of the day I was tired from running all day with a 15-year-old.”
Streiff’s achievements don’t finish on the field – he’s spent at least 35 years on the committee.
“You do put a lot of hours into the club,” he said. “Most of those years I was on the committee, I was president or secretary.
“There have been some really good times and other times we’ve been struggling to field sides. Seeing the side make a grand final like they did last year makes it worth it.”
Having spent so much time at the club, it was only natural that Streiff’s family would become involved.
His wife, Glenda, has made 100s of afternoon teas for the club, with Streiff saying he was “lucky she likes cricket”.
Their son, Mitch, is a star allrounder in the senior team. He has been shortlisted for the club’s greatest first XI team.
Another hall of fame contender, Pas Sciulli, doesn’t think he played a game with Streiff but they have formed a friendship through their work off field.
It’s Sciulli’s time as secretary and being one of the club’s most influential figures in the merger of Roxburgh Park and Broadmeadows cricket clubs three years ago for which he will be remembered most.
“I like to think that I contributed to the survival of the club,” Sciulli said. “We were struggling for numbers and we were able to sort things out and get the merger going.
“The first season we had six senior teams and 12 junior sides.”
Sciulli has also been shortlisted for greatest firsts and seconds.
“It’s a great initiative of the club to have this ceremony and recognise long-serving members,” he said. “It’s a great honour to have been associated with the club for 25 years.”
Sciulli didn’t play junior cricket but came to the club through friends and never left.
“I had played cricket at school, in the backyard and in the street,” he said.
“A good friend of mine, Eric Ruuska suggested I came down to the club and played.
“We played a lot of first XI cricket together and it was a great honour.”
A bowling allrounder who took nearly 200 wickets, he split most of his time between the firsts and seconds before finishing in the thirds. He played more than 200 games for club.
“It was good to play with some good friends in a serious competition,” he said. “It made all it worthwhile, to play in what is a fierce competition with your friends.”
Ruuska himself is among those that could be honoured on Sunday.
A former committee member, he is just one of three players at the club to have scored 3000 runs and taken 300 wickets.
His greatest honour was being named the 1998-99 Hatch medallist for the VSDCA’s best and fairest player.
He is the only Falcon to have won the award.
Ruuska has been shortlisted for the club’s greatest first XI.
“I started at the club in under-16s and then worked my way through to the senior side,” he said.
“I spent time at Essendon [in Premier Cricket] and then returned to the club.
“The last couple of years, I’ve only filled in due to work. I’m still passionate about the club.”
Ruuska remembers his 1998-99 Hatch Medal season as one that started well.
That year he captured 36 wickets at an average of just under 10.
“It was a real good year and we won a lot of games up to Christmas and I obviously played all right,” he said.
“We missed out on finals, though, after being on top of the ladder at the break. I didn’t expect to win the medal.
“I would have preferred to be playing in a grand final win. Now I’m not playing it’s nice to look back on.”
Ruuska, who is looking forward to catching up with teammates from over the past 30 years at the club’s event on Sunday, highlighted Mark Leehane as the best player he played with at the club.
Leehane averaged more than 40 in the first XI.
“The best would have been Mark Leehane as he was the most consistent player,” Ruuska said.
“Steve Goodwin [club first XI leading wicket taker] was a good player and David Lawson was a very good wicketkeeper.”
To find out who has made the teams and inducted into the hall of fame, go to starweekly.com.au/sports next week.
