By Callum Ludwig
A stalwart of cricket in the Yarra Valley has been inducted into the Victorian Country Cricket League’s Hall of Fame.
Former Yarra Valley Cricket Association (YVCA, before the merger with RDCA), Seville cricketer and current VCCL Secretary Keith Thompson received automatic Hall of Fame status as a life member for his contributions to local cricket,
Mr Thompson said he was very pleased and honoured to be given Hall of Fame status.
“I started playing in the YVCA when I was about 10 years of age, and got involved in the committee at the Seville Cricket Club when I was 17 or 18. I became Secretary-Treasurer at YVCA in 1980, which I held until the merge with the RDCA in 2020 and joined the VCCL board in 1985,” he said.
“People involved who have been awarded life membership of the VCCL will be eventually inducted as a member of the Hall of Fame and I was fortunate enough to be part of the initial induction.”
Mr Thompson was secretary for the South East Country region of the VCCL since 1985 when he joined the board.
Mr Thompson said he’s never done what he has in cricket for reward.
“For me, the reward is being involved. But to be recognised by other people for what I do for the game is fairly pleasing I suppose, I was just trying to do my best to make it all work” he said.
“I enjoyed honouring other people, when I was involved at the YVCA and we were able to change the names of our grades from A, B, C, D, E to the Strachan Shield and things like that, that was a good feeling to honour those people who contributed to our game.”
Mr Thompson’s contribution to cricket in the Yarra Valley was also recognised in 2011 when he received a Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement award from Yarra Ranges Council.
In regards to his playing career, Mr Thompson said when it comes to cricket you are only as good as those around you.
“I was very fortunate in the Seville firsts that there were a lot of good cricketers around me and that made me a bit better than I probably was. I was definitely more of a bowler and I suppose I wasn’t too bad at bowling straight spinners and being a pain in the ass as a batsman because I could hang around for a while and not go out,” he said.
“We had some fantastic cricketers inducted into the VCCL Hall of Fame and I’m nowhere near as good a cricketer as them but maybe I have achieved something as an administrator and hopefully I’ve got a bit more to give.”
