IT was a special night on Wednesday for the Nyah District Cricket Club, with two of their stalwarts getting inducted into the Swan Hill District Cricket Association’s Hall of Fame.
Club legends Kent Wooding and Leigh Paynter were recognised for their decades-long service to the competition at the league’s presentation night.
Wooding played in seven A Grade flags for the Demons, including three in his first three seasons and a premiership with his son in the same side.
Fellow club and league legend Richie Boulton said Wooding was an incredible person to take the field with.
“He was an exceptional cricketer from a technique point of view and a fierce competitor,” Boulton said.
“Just a great teammate and genuinely good bloke to play cricket with.”
Wooding was humbler in his view of his abilities but said seeing the junior award winners on the night brought back many great memories.
“If you’re going to play cricket for a very long time as I did, you’re going to get a few runs and wickets,” Wooding said.
“I love seeing the juniors getting up and thanking their parents because they were the best times ever – when mum and dad would drive you to games.
“If you’re coaching on a Friday night like I did, you’re doing everything – scoring, umpiring and co-ordinating – you think at the time, why am I here, but I look back now, and those were some of the best nights of my life helping junior cricket.”
Fellow inductee Paynter who played for RSL and the Demons had similar thoughts, saying cricket had given his life so much.
“The social connections I have got from cricket is unbelievable,” Paynter said.
“I can walk into a place and see someone I played with 15 years ago and meet their children.
“Those connections you get out of sport is one of its best traits, and the stories I’ve made with teammates I’ll take with me till I die.”
The night got better for the Demons with Joel Walsh cleaning up the SHDCA A Grade awards.
The Demons superstar’s return season from the UK went perfectly on a personal level.
The all-rounder took out both the A Grade best and fairest and Murray Downs Golf & Country Club Medal, which is, in effect, the league’s most valuable player.
Walsh was imperious with the bat this season, hitting 457 runs at an average of 41.54.
It was his season with the ball that was more impressive, however – the opening bowler had a career-best season, picking up 37 and coming very close to winning the league bowling average.
That honour went to St Mary’s Tyntynder captain Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, who had an incredible regular season that saw him take 39 wickets at 8.10.
RSL gun Ryan Hinton added another trophy to his impressive collection, taking out the league batting average after scoring 609 runs at 50.75.
