Almanac Cricket: A History of Cricket in Woomera 1947 – 2014, Part 2: 1951/52 – 1957/58

 

David ‘Dick’ Turpin  is a Brisbane friend of Almanacker Allan Barden. During the late 60s early 70s David spent a few years working in Woomera when it was quite a thriving community.

 

David has researched and written a history of footy in Woomera from the years 1948 to 1992 which The Footy Almanac  published over 18 weeks earlier this year. You can read each part Here.

 

David has also completed a history of Woomera water polo and he has also written about baseball. 

 

Now it is the turn of cricket to receive  David’s extensive and authorative account in the Woomera from 1947 to 2014.

 

A History of Cricket in Woomera: 1947 to 2014

By David Turpin

 

Part 2:  1951/52 – 1957/58

 

1951-52

 

By the 1951-52 season the number of teams had dropped to seven. They comprised A.R.D.U. (Aircraft Research & Development Unit), Colts, 1 L.C.P.S., Rookies, Veterans, Works & Housing Black and Works & Housing Gold.

 

A well-known player of this era was Les Patroney of Rookies who in one match against Works & Housing Black took 8/33.

 

At the end of the minor round, the placings were: Veterans 102, Works & Housing Black 80, ARDU 68, Rookies 54, 1 LCPS 46, Colts 38, Works & Housing Gold 34. Finals format in those days was 1 -v- 3 and 2 -v- 4 with the winners playing off in the final. The top team did however have the right to challenge if it lost the semi-final.

 

Scores were ARDU 152 defeated Veterans 64 and Works & Housing Black 7/107 defeated Rookies 103.

 

In the final Works & Housing Black 3/72 defeated ARDU 71.

 

Top team Veterans reserved the right to challenge and the grand final was between Veterans and Works & Housing Black however the final result is not recorded and remains unknown.

 

In 1952, Woomera again entered a team in the country carnival when on the 13^th February a tragedy struck the team.

 

In a match between South-East and Upper-North teams at the railway cricket ground, play had just commenced when shots rang out and Captain Arthur Francis Henderson (31) stationed at Woomera, fell shot through the heart.

 

Ronald Reed (22) builder, of Port Augusta, dropped to the ground with a compound fracture of the upper arm and other players scattered as bullets whistled past them.

 

Detectives rushed to the scene of the tragedy and saw a man armed with a .303 rifle on an oval at the rear of the pavilion. More armed police arrived from the nearby police training college and a cordon was thrown around the area. When Detective Giles attempted to induce the man to surrender the rifle he was threatened and warned to keep away. Other police gradually crept nearer to him and he was ultimately overpowered and disarmed. A 24-year-old Lebanese, Elias Gaha (24) was subsequently charged with having murdered Captain Henderson. Gaha told police “that he had arrived in Australia about three years ago. After spending time in Sydney, he had moved to Melbourne, where he had been a patient in a mental asylum for some time. He had arrived in Adelaide about a fortnight ago.”

 

Captain Henderson left behind his wife Joyce and three young sons John, Phid and Michael.

 

The Adelaide ‘News’ of that day reported that Mrs Henderson was told of her husband’s death by a neighbour who heard of the tragedy on a radio news service. One can only imagine the shock for Joyce, losing her husband and leaving her with three young sons to raise. A very brave woman indeed!

 

The Gibber Gabber of 15^th February, 1952 reported:

 

CAPTAIN ARTHUR HENDERSON: Woomera has lost a prominent and highly-admired citizen in the person of Captain Henderson. Everybody regrets the loss of Arthur who was one of the best-known of the sport enthusiasts in the area. Many a Sunday afternoon has he provided first class entertainment for the residents by his brilliant batting.

 

Captain Henderson was buried in Adelaide with full military honours on Saturday 16^th February, 1952.

 

The Woomera Cricket Association at its meeting on 12 March 1952 passed a motion that “That this association expresses its pronounced regrets on the passing of Capt. Henderson. The meeting also desires to express its deepest sympathy in their sad loss to Mrs. Henderson and family”.

 

Joyce later married another prominent Woomera citizen Dick Carter, continued to live in Woomera for many years, then Sydney and after her death in 2004 she was reunited with Arthur at the Centennial Park cemetery in Adelaide.

 

In April 1952 the Criminal Court was told that Elias Gaha had been certified a mental defective and transferred to the Parkside Mental Hospital. Judge Abbott directed that the murder charge should remain on the court files. This meant that any time Gaha was set free he could be brought up on a murder charge.

 

Eventually the Minister for Immigration ordered his deportation back to Lebanon.

 

 

1952-53

 

By the 1952-53 season the number of teams had again dropped, this time to six. They comprised Admin, A.R.D.U., Electronics, Navy, Optical and Works.

 

At the end of the 1952/53 season the grand final was played between Optical and A.R.D.U. resulting in a win for Optical.  Optical’s captain Les Patroney took 7/101 and 6/17 with the ball and scored 53 with the bat; Gordon Beckman also of Optical scored 66 and took 3/18 and 4/20; and Padre Calder another Optical player scored 45 not out in one innings.

 

Woomera entered a side in the 1953 country carnival and finished second to a team from Mokota (Burra area). They convincingly beat Mokota in a game between the two sides however they lost the carnival as Mokota scored more outright wins.

 

Woomera captain Jack Smith scored 106 runs in a match against Kimba and Gordon Beckman starred with the ball with figures including 4/10, 5/31, 5/38 and 7/48. He finished the carnival with an average of 8.67. Les Patroney also bowled brilliantly and had figures including 3/18, 3/45 and 6/35.

 

 

 Woomera Country Carnival Team 1953

 

1953-54

 

In 1953/54 the number of teams further reduced to five: Admin, A.R.D.U., Koolymilka, Optical and Works. The grand final for the second year in succession was won by Optical. Beckman and Patroney figured prominently for the winners and Turnbull and Barnes for the losers Koolymilka.

 

In the 1954 country carnival Woomera finished down the list. Les Patroney was again the best bowler with bowling figures of 6/19, 6/27, 7/26 and 7/30 and as a result he was in a South Australian Country team to play at the Adelaide Oval on 19^th March, 1954 in the presence of Her Majesty, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

 

1954-55

 

By the 1954-55 season things were on the improve and 9 teams competed. They were A.T.U. (Air Trials Unit), Evettsfield, Junior Mess, Koolymilka, Missiles, P.M.G., Senior Mess, Staff Mess and Works.

 

The final was won by A.T.U who defeated Works outright by 6 wickets.

 

This season marked the 1^st appearance of A.T.U bowler Flt. Sgt. Ron ‘Nobby’ Noblett.

 

 

Koolymilka Cricket Club – Annual Social Invite

 

 

1955-56

 

Details for the 1955-56 season are sketchy however the semi-finals were played between S. & T. (Stores and Transport) and Staff Mess and A.T.U and Works. In the grand final A.T.U. defeated Staff Mess outright by 10 wickets. Ron Noblett took 6/24 and scored 34 for the winners.

 

1956-57

 

In the 1956-57 grand final Works defeated the previously unbeaten ATU by 103 runs.

 

This season marked the first appearance by Works’ legendary wicket-keeper Ronald Vivian Weser; Ronnie or Wiggles to his friends. Ron had previously played first grade cricket for Midland-Guildford in West Australia. He was also the WA reserve wicket-keeper. By the time Ronnie had finished playing active sport he had played in 9 cricket premiership sides for Works

 

If Ronnie thought wickets were not falling quickly for the Works team he would start taking from directly behind the stumps, no matter how fast the bowler. He knew no fear and was also a handy opening batsman and spin bowler.

 

Ron’s brother Don Weser umpired 3 test matches in 1979/80 and was one of the umpires in the notorious under-arm one-day match against New Zealand.

 

 

1957-58

 

The season 1957-58 was an exceptionally good year for cricket in the Woomera area. Although the number of teams was reduced from eight to six teams, standard of play increased.

 

A.T.U again returned to the winning circle when they reversed their loss of the previous season and defeated Staff Mess in the grand final.

 

 

 A.T.U. – R.A.A.F. Pennant Winners 1957-58

 

 

The season was unique in the history of Woomera cricket, seeing for the first time, competitive matches played on the turf wicket at the Pimple Oval, which to some players was an inspiration but to others a Waterloo.

 

The Association also decided to remunerate umpires which to a great extent lifted the standard of cricket in the area and full credit was given to all umpires for the standard they maintained throughout the season.

 

The previous year it was decided to have annual cricket matches against the Salisbury W.R.E. cricket club. The teams would be competing for the Captain J B Newman and M W Woods shields.

 

The Woomera teams were successful in retaining both shields in 1957/58.

 

Team 1 – van Senden, Thwaites, Weser, Puckett, Gilligan, Oakley, Ruddock, Baumann, Giddins, Hefferan, Turnbull, Tanner, Lane, and Clements.

 

Team 2 – Buckham, Bertram, Ellis, McFattridge, Stringer, Lavender, Luxton, Kee, Noblett and Ortmann.

 

The Association made further history in 1957/58 in presenting life memberships for services to cricket to Padre Calder and Captain J B Newman.

 

 

 

More stories from Woomera by David ‘Dick’ Turpin can be read Here.

 

 

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