Over 175 members of the SA cricketing community came together on Monday, March 11 to celebrate the annual SACA Community Cricket Awards at Adelaide Oval.
Athelstone Cricket Club took out the award for Community Cricket Club of the Year. A community driven sporting club that now caters to adults, juniors, veterans, inclusive players, boys and girls, this season has seen the successful introduction of Athelstone’s new inclusive team, providing, coaching, mentoring and support to a whole new group of players who overcome their challenges to engage in our sport.
Alexandra & Eastern Hills Cricket Association was named the Community Cricket Association of the Year. The AEHCA always promotes and prides itself on their junior cricket program, from Cricket Blast, where 75 per cent of clubs actively run a Blast program, to the mixed U10s, 12s, 14s and 16s pathway, in which team numbers have grown this season.
The Young Leader of the Year was awarded to Josh Niederer for his role as Inclusive Programs Director at Reynella Cricket Club. Reynella run an All-Abilities cricket program and have a team in the Adelaide Inclusive Cricket League and Josh has been instrumental in raising awareness of the program, liaising with players, parents and carers to make sure all participants are supported.
Ben Hull from Echunga Cricket Club was named Volunteer of the Year. Ben selflessly gives up his time to fulfil multiple roles throughout the Adelaide Hills, such as Echunga Cricket Club Secretary and Cricket Blast Coordinator and coordinator for the new Mount Barker Daughters and Dads Program. Ben has also been the key driver behind the Eastern Falcons Women Cricket Club which provides a strong pathway for junior girls to transition into senior cricket. Ben is a great communicator and always shows a willingness to learn new skills that help to create exceptional experiences for players across the Adelaide Hills region.
Tanunda Recreation Park won this season’s Cricket Facility of the Year Award. The Park redevelopment is part of 'The Big Project', the Barossa region’s largest and most ambitious community infrastructure project. This project has completely transformed multi-faceted facilities including clubrooms, changerooms, a new junior oval (with junior marking related to cricket pitches), main oval enlarging, lighting upgrade, resurfacing of main oval with five wicket new turf pitch square, new drainage, irrigation and practice net facility upgrade to ensure compliance to Cricket Australia guidelines. This facility will be a big part of the Australian Country Cricket Championships held in the Barossa Valley in 2025.
SACA sincerely thanks and congratulates every member of the South Australian cricketing community, without whom this sport we love would not be able to thrive as it has for so long. SACA firmly believes that this great game can be a force for good with the ability to positively change communities and the wonderful people involved with cricket in South Australia prove this every day.
This year, we had a total of 48 outstanding finalists across our 15 award categories, including 33 volunteers who accepted awards for 10, 25 and 50 years of service to the game and you can see all the winners below. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!
10 Year Service Awards recipients
- Bradley Williamson – Keswick Cricket Club
- Donna Clark – Southern District Cricket Club
- Jarryd Roberts – Monash Cricket Club
- John Miller – Keswick Cricket Club
- Paul Sibley – West Torrens District Cricket Club
- Peter Hutton – West Torrens District Cricket Club
- Ross Ormsby – Keswick Cricket Club
25 Year Service Awards recipients
- Ben Hull – Echunga Cricket Club
- Bruce Stribley – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Chris Smith – Port Noarlunga Cricket Club
- Damian Kitto – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- Douglas Jewell – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Eugene Negruk – Blind Cricket South Australia
- Geoff Behn – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Grant Murphy – Keswick Cricket Club
- Ian Martin – Para Vista Cricket Club
- James Treagus – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- Jason Gaerth – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- Jeremy Appleton – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- John Nemcic – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Michael Mestros – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Michael Zannis Blind Cricket South Australia
- Nathan Bricknell – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Neil Richardson – Nuriootpa Cricket Club
- Paul Maraun – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- Robert Stone – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Simon Fry – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
50 Year Service Awards recipients
- Barry Earl – Adelaide District Cricket Club
- Brenton Jarman – Northern Districts Cricket Club
- Geoff Sando – East Torrens District Cricket Club
- Ian Lowe – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Lynton Donisthorpe – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
- Peter Laidler – South Australian Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association
2023 Premier’s Certificate of Recognition of Outstanding Volunteer Service
- Brett Nitschke – Barossa and Light Cricket Association
- Jarrod Waterworth – South Augusta Cricket Club
- Michael Cutting – Strathalbyn Cricket Club
- Ross Ormsby – Keswick Cricket Club
Volunteer of the Year
Finalists:
- Amy Roe – Blind Cricket South Australia
- Ben Hull – Echunga Cricket Club – WINNER
- Jeremy Glaros – Glenunga Cricket Club
- Rhiannon Fenwick – Central United Cricket Club
Community Club of the Year
Finalists:
- Sheidow Park Cricket Club
- Brighton Cricket Club
- Athelstone Cricket Club – WINNER
Association of the Year
Finalists:
- Alexandra & Eastern Hills Cricket Association – WINNER
- Adelaide Nepalese Cricket Association
- Mount Gambier & District Cricket Association
Community Coach of the Year
Finalists:
- Nicholas Brodley – Craigmore Cricket Club
- Peter Roberts – Monash Cricket Club
- Brett MacTavish – Modbury Cricket Club – WINNER
Young Leader of the Year
Finalists:
- Georgia Little – Mil Lel Cricket Club
- Jacinta Coulter – Lenswood Ranges Cricket Club
- Josh Niederer – Reynella Cricket Club – WINNER
- Jay Burton – Keswick Cricket Club
Community Partnership of the Year
Finalists:
- Pinnaroo & Border Cricket Association
- Brighton Cricket Club & Childhood Cancer Association – WINNER
- McLaren Districts Cricket Club & Tatachilla Lutheran College
Women & Girls Initiative of the Year
Finalists:
- Upper Fleurieu Division Adelaide Strikers Girls Cricket League
- Blind Cricket South Australia
- Para Hills Cricket Club – Daughters & Dads Program
- Reynella Cricket Club – Little Strikers Program – WINNER
Celebrating Cricket in Schools
Finalists:
- Lezelle Williams – Portside Christian College – WINNER
- Lukas Antoniadis – Nazareth Catholic College
- Tamara Holstein – Our Saviour Lutheran School
- James McCarthy – Stella Maris Parish School
Technology & Media Initiative of the Year
Finalists:
- Alex Mathewson – Glenunga Cricket Club
- Adelaide Turk Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association
- Para Hills Cricket Club
- Coromandel Valley Ramblers Cricket Club – WINNER
Community Match Official of the Year
Finalists:
- Michael Bohmer – WINNER
- Graham Wood
Inclusion & Diversity Initiative of the Year
Finalists:
- Adelaide Inclusive Cricket League – WINNER
- Blind Cricket South Australia
- Greenock Cricket Club
Cricket Facility of the Year
Finalists:
- Clare Oval
- Adelaide Lutheran Sports Club training nets
- Park 12 grandstand refurbishment
- Park 9
- Tanunda Recreation Park – WINNER
Indoor Facility of the Year
Finalists:
- Cricket For All
- Arena 42 – WINNER
Junior Cricket Initiative of the Year
Finalists:
- One Tree Hill Cricket Club
- Payneham Cricket Club – WINNER
Spirit of Cricket Award
Finalists:
- Hudson Virgens – Ingle Farm Cricket Club – WINNER
- Monash Cricket Club