South Australian cricket royalty retuned to Adelaide Oval yesterday when members of the 1963/64 Sheffield Shield winning team convened for a celebratory lunch during the current [Sheffield Shield] clash with Tasmania.
Past players, including the Hon, Ian McLachlan AO, Rex Sellers, Ken “KG” Cunningham, John Lill and Bob Lloyd joined SACA President Will Rayner and CEO Charlie Hodgson to relive the season 61 years hence, where SA finished seven points clear of second-placed Victoria to claim the state’s 10th Sheffield Shield.
“This brings back some of the greatest memories of my lifetime,” SA sporting icon Ken “KG” Cunningham, a member of the 63/64 team, said.
“I’m honoured to be here. It was a fantastic time to play for South Australia.”
The famed slogan, “cricket’s a team game” was put to the test by SA that summer.
The competition’s leading scorer was South Australia’s legendary West Indian recruit Sir Garfield Sobers, who plundered 973 runs.
He was also the leading wicket taker with 47 scalps and tied with Lill for the most catches (14) in the ultimate all-round performance.
Cunningham was in awe of his megastar teammate.
“I recall the first game Sir Garfield Sobers played,” he said.
“He was at the crease and I was about to come in. I took guard and looked up and saw the great man at the other end and said to myself, ‘What the heck am I doing here?”
While Sobers dominated, the South Australian win featured a range of strong contributions, most notably Rex Sellers’ 46 wickets with his crafty leg spin.
“I did get those wickets,” Sellers said with a grin.
“I used to place bottle-tops out there (on the pitch). And we believe they were still there [Tuesday] with 20 wickets [falling] in the day.
“As a bowler it was great to bowl to a lot of runs. And to have the skill of Sobers down one end and the other quicks to break through, so when taking over later it was certainly a help.”
Sellers said it wasn’t just the cricketing talent of the South Australians that forged the group to victory.
“The side we had back in 63/64 had all leaders in it,” he said.
“You know how sometimes you look around for leaders?
“If you have a look at each one of those players in life afterwards all have been leaders with whatever they’ve gone on and done.
“So we had a very well balanced side, good quality batsmen, the class of Sobers and the balance we were able to get from that gave us that wonderful 63/64 year.”