News

Waratahs Scholarship (Oct 2023)
In the run up to the 2023 reunion, ideas were sought from members as to suitable activities for the reformed club. 1980's player Steve Hadfield suggested Waratahs sponsor a junior cricketer, selected by the ADCA, to attend a suitable development camp. In this way, the club is not just concerned with the past but also the future of cricket. This idea was accepted with acclaim at the Reunion and plans , will be made to formalise the arrangement with the ADCA. Several ideas have been floated as to how it will be funded apart from the obvious fact it will require the financial support of the member base. 1990's player, Mark Tanner, has offered to conduct fundraising for the scholarship fund. More on this as it develops.

The Reforming of Waratahs Cricket Club (Oct 2023)
During the 2023 Reunion, those assembled, representing the remnants of the Waratahs Cricket Club, decided to reform the club for the purpose of providing a means by which members can rally around. The aim will be to carry on as a social club which will not seek to play in regular cricket competitions and to use a more official status as a means of more regular get togethers. Meeting will be held annually, either in person at events or via electronic communications. There will be no fees and only two elected officials: the administrative leader and the historian. Andrew Davis was elected unanimously as the the new leader, which a group suggested at the breakfast which followed, should be known as the Waratahs "Father". It was a term of endearment and recognition of high status, invented by either Graham Johnson or Alan Gray and as such, pays tribute to the fore-fathers of the club. Join now by following the link.


Repairing the Website (Aug 2017)
Still a long process but proving to be worthwhile. Individual years have been reinstated from the 50"s through to the 70's. Because of interest being expressed on the Facebook page, the focus has been on the 80's of late and these will be finished by early September. New records have turned up as the scoresheets have been reviewed and many players are have their figures adjusted upwards as a result. An ambitious project will be to provide a match count, which will, like other aspects of the stats, not be entirely accurate because of how games have been recorded or whether a match appears in the record at all. However, it will act as an indicative measure of service.

Website Activity (Dec 2016)
Part of the site crashed earlier this year, taking out all of the match result from before 1984-85 - about 35 years of the club's fifty! The rebuild has started (see the Matches tab) but it will take some time. This time, a click on the title of each match will give you the complete scorecard (where available).

Passing of Ian Campbell

Very sadly, James Campbell reports the passing of his Dad, Ian Campbell. Great is a word overused these days. Legend likewise. However, for Campbelli, these are truisms. He joined the club in the 1967-68 season, playing a few seasons in first grade with some success and then lower grades for the bulk of his career. He played in more Premiership teams (four) than any other Waratahs player, including captaining his beloved 5th grade boys in the mid 1980's. Ian was my first captain at Waratahs. He was a former player at St George in grade cricket in his earliest days but his renown is for the many years he steered youngsters in their fledgling years in senior cricket, including many who went on to be some of our finest players. Ian taught these boys about the game and a lot about being a man. He was a thoroughly decent human being; one of the very best most of us have ever known. His only flaw was his misunderstanding of the lbw law; a flaw which led him to believe that it was not possible to be given out when struck on the pad, despite the many times it occurred in his career. He was a lecturer in German at UNE and a few beers after the game, he who regale the gatherings with his goose stepping impersonations of a certain Austrian corporal, claiming, with tongue firmly in cheek, that NeoNazis were soft.
Our thoughts and a great warmth of affection is sent out to his wife Liz and his five boys, all of whom eventually played for Waratahs: Matt, Tom, James, Martin and Ben.

Website activity

It must be the changes/additions to the website but September 2013 was the most viewed month of the website's history!

Current Updates

Match scores from 1990-91 to 1993-94 have no been completed (never before seen on the website). The records for 1st Grade, including 60 new entries recovered during research, are now available on the "Grades" tab.

Website Changes

The website is currently undergoing some cosmetic and content changes to make it more accessible and more attractive. You will notice that tabs have been added to the top of the page which link you to the many features which were previously along the right edge of each page. Peter Langston's poem, "The Days of Old Waratahs" can now be found on the Sundries page. We are going for a cleaner look and links which are more obvious and easier to use. During the rebuilding of the website, please be patient.

Waratahs Ashes Reunion @ The Gabba

A small but enthusiastic party of Waratahs members will be attending the first of the Ashes Tests for the 2013-14 Australian summer (November 21-25). Apart from watching some glorious cricket, there will be a reunion dinner on the Saturday night and even if you are not attending the match, the dinner will give you a chance to get together to talk old times or if you can't remember them, to here some exciting tales for the first time.

Tickets have already been organised and more details on the dinner and other matters pertaining to the trip will be advised through the website. For more information, you can contact:
Andrew McNeill            ajtjjjsjmcneill@bigpond.com
James Campbell            jamescampbell@live.com.au
Andrew Davis                 ardavis62@bigpond.com
Bob Barwick                   brbarwick@iinet.net.au
Peter Langston              plangsto@bigpond.net.au

Waratahs 60th Reunion DVD
Graham Frost & Michael Connolly



Now available, a DVD record of the fabulous Waratahs Reunion Weekend. The
slide show records moments and characters from the cricket match, the dinner and the golf.

Cost is only $5 including postage & packaging. Given the small cost, please send your $5 to Peter Langston, 19 McRae St, Tamworth 2340 and the DVD will be sent to you by return post.
Caps can still be ordered at a cost of $25 - the extra $5 is for postage. Please note there is at least a four week turn around between ordering and delivery.

Waratahs Names Its First XII

At a well attended 60th Anniversary Reunion Dinner, former players of the Waratahs Cricket Club represented all eras of the club's life, except the most recent. Among the guests were champion bowler Tom Cooke, batting tyro of the sixties Bill Thompson and Milton Milligan, a member of the 1952-53 side which was the first Waratahs team to win a premiership. Milton relived that epic final in which Waratahs were dismissed for a second innings 27 but still won the game outright thanks to a remarkable bowling performance from midium pacer Don Paul, who too 13-38 on the second day to spearhead the win.

Brian Connolly (1970-71 to early 1980's) spoke warmly of his memories of mates and larikans he had played with and Andrew Davis delivered the keynote address on the right of passage to manhood being so brilliantly catered for under the stewardship of the men of Waratahs.

Life Members Syd Philp and Graham Johnson presented commemorative club caps to all players presented.

A culmination of the evening was the anouncement of the Waratahs First XI - the best of the best - which had been determined through the voting of thirty players, iccluding opposition players.

The Waratahs First XI is, in batting order: 1. Alan Gray, 2. Bill Thompson, 3. Michael Connolly, 4. Graham Johnson (Capt), 5. Bede Ryan, 6. Graham Frost, 7. Terry Betts, 8. Brian Joice, 9. Andrew McNeill, 10. Tom Cooke (vc), 11. Joe Harrison, 12. Tim Muldoon.

Throughout the evening, players records were displayed on the screen, as well as photographs from the past and photographs from the cricket match played earlier that day against The Golden Oldies.

It was a magnificent evening and the highlight of several events held over the weekend of celebration.

The following attended at least one activity of the reunion: Phil Allen, Brian Battersby, Tony Bennett, Tim & Joanne Bindley, Laurie Blake, Ian & Liz Campbell, James Campbell. Mark Charter, Brian & Nancy Connolly, Mike Connolly, Tom & Eileen Cooke, Andrew Davis, Graham Frost, Cindi Blanch, Brian Joice, Graham & Gaye Johnson, Peter & Sue Langston, Brian Mair, Terry & Jenny Mackenzie, Andrew McNeill, John McIntyre, Ken Marshall, Milton Milligan, Bill & Judy Thompson, David & Celia Tilbury, Brian Rhodes, Roger Sattler, Tony Scanlon, Jack & Mrs Trestrail, Paul Marquardt, Graham Spooner, Kevin Pike, Mike Porter.

Armidale Express Reporting the 60th Reunion

Click on the following for the story about the Reunion in the Armidale Express

2AD's Steve McMillan Interviews Peter Langston About the 60th Reunion