Hadspen Cricket Club

Tuesday 8 December 2020

Special Interest Matter speech

[11.10 a.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, today I speak about something very close to my heart and the hearts of many others in our community - the Hadspen Cricket Club, of which I am patron. This fantastic group of people does so much to promote and play the sport they love, and I am incredibly honoured to be involved.

The Hadspen Chieftains Cricket Club started out as the Sidmouth Cricket Club, which was established in the 1987-88 season, joining the Tasmanian Cricket League with many of the players having played together with another TCL team, the California Hotel Cricket Club. In its first year in the TCL and under the captaincy of Sid Holland, the Hadspen Chieftains finished runners-up, unfortunately going down to Trevallyn in the grand final.

In their second season, again under the stewardship of Sid Holland, the Hadspen Cricket Club had an undefeated season in competition games taking out the premiership. In a tight game, Gary Neville dropped by the keeper earlier, tucked the winning runs in front of square leg, leading to a hard-earned victory.

In the 1991-92 season, the Chieftains reaped their first A-grade premiership with a one wicket win with one ball to spare against Legana at Bethune Park.

Since that time, the club has enjoyed a smattering of wins, near-wins and some absolute floggings in the TCL premiership competitions, but the club itself has gone from strength to strength as a regional team promoting this great sport. These days, the Hadspen Cricket Club fields six sides in the TCL - the Premier League, two A grade teams, B-grade, C-grade and female T20 BOOM.

Clearly, there are a lot of people who are involved in playing the sport and having a go and have had a great deal of success in the TCL, taking out the premierships in the past two years with their eye on the 2021 prize.

Each year, the Hadspen Cricket Club around the time of the season's start holds the Champions of Sport event, an annual entertainment lunch that featuring various current and past sporting champions.

Mr President, in mid-November, the 2020 Champions of Sport event was held at the Tailrace Centre, just outside Launceston. Olympic and Australian Survivor champion Shane Gould; Tasmanian basketball great, Anthony Stewart; AFL player and coach, Jade Rawlings; and former Australian fast bowler, Brett Geeves, joined MC John X for what was a truly memorable event.

This is a great fundraiser for the club and always very well attended - obviously this year a little harder for them having to have Tasmanian guests, but they were great guests and always a really well attended event.

Mr President, the Hadspen Cricket Club also promotes juniors to get into playing cricket to get kids who are new to cricket to build their skills through fun, game-based activities, and ensuring that every kid gets a go in small teams.

The club is all about inclusivity and diversity and caters to people of all ages, abilities and experience. The only requirement is that you have to love the sport.

I have been a patron of the Hadspen Cricket Club for a number of years now and I try to get out and watch a match or go to many of their events as often as I can.

I am incredibly privileged to work with the fantastic people who make the club what it is. The hardworking committee, including President Corey Martin, works so hard to make the club the inclusive and successful organisation that it is.

I am looking forward to another brilliant season of cricket in 2021.