Past and present players, administrators, umpires and supporters converged on Kinetic Stadium in Frankston on 7 August to celebrate 60 years of the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association.
The function room was filled to capacity, with 250 people attending the anniversary celebration. Those in attendance cast aside their club allegiances to make the occasion one of the most memorable in the storied history of the MPCA.
Former Langwarrin premiership player and SEN radio sports presenter Jack Heverin served as MC. He expertly managed proceedings alongside 17-year MPCA president Steve Morone.
Celebrating 60 Years of MPCA Cricket
The Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association has 35 clubs competing across its competition.
Many regard the MPCA as one of the strongest competitions in provincial Victoria. It has secured numerous Country Week titles and produced players who have progressed to state and international teams.
One of the highlights of the anniversary celebration was the announcement of six Teams of the Decade.
The selection committee established its criteria before evaluating individual performances across home-and-away seasons, finals and representative games. The process proved both challenging and arduous.
The evening culminated in the announcement of the Team of the First Half-Century, covering the seasons from 1965–66 to 2014–15.
MPCA Team of the First Half-Century
The team comprised the following players in batting order:
Jack Peacock
Baxter, Pines, Balnarring
11,254 runs
Don Clarke
Tyabb
7,248 runs
John C Hille
Hastings, Heatherhill
10,822 runs
Robert Bedford
Karingal, Long Island, Frankston YCW
13,487 runs
Jeff Slocombe
Hastings, Tyabb, Seaford, YCW
12,849 runs and 833 wickets
Scott Phillips
Frankston East, Long Island, Hastings
6,241 runs and 550 wickets
John Pearson
Mt Eliza, Baden Powell
4,357 runs and 220 wickets
Paul Hartle
Seaford, Long Island
8,604 runs and 790 wickets
Tony McWilliams
Mt Eliza
437 wickets
Greg Wilson
Flinders
397 wickets
Brian McCue
Mt Eliza, Seaford, Balnarring, Heatherhill, Long Island
2,651 runs and 615 wickets
Paul Bradley (12th)
Pines, Seaford, Heatherhill, YCW, Baxter
8,272 runs and 667 wickets
Captain Robert Bedford won six premierships, scored 33 centuries and captained the MPCA Country Week team 14 times.
Two-Time Team of the Decade Selections
Jeff Slocombe: 1965–1974 and 1975–1984, as well as the Team of the First Half-Century.
Robert Bedford: 1985–1994 and 1995–2004, as well as the Team of the First Half-Century.
Doug Rolland: 1975–1984 and 1985–1994.
Paul Hartle: 1995–2004 and 2005–2014.
Paul Bradley: 1995–2004 and 2005–2014.
Bobby Wilson: 2005–2014 and 2015–2024.
Father-and-Son Selections
Mark Brittain: 1975–76 to 1984–85, and Chris Brittain: 2015–16 to 2024–25.
Jason Nagel: 2005–06 to 2014–15, and Patrick Nagel: 2015–16 to 2024–25.
MPCA International Representatives
The celebration also recognised three MPCA international representatives:
Shaun Graf (Somerville): Victoria Cricket Operations Manager from 1995 to 2022.
Bryce McGain (Mornington).
Simon Cook (Crib Point): Appeared via video clip from Europe.
The event showcased the rich history of the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association. Congratulations must go to the organising committee, selection team and MPCA statistical coordinator Doug Dyall.
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