Foundation and Growth 1947/48 - 56/57

West Hawthorn CC was formed back in 1947, at a meeting of players and friends from the Hawthorn Colts Un/15s football team. It was led by their coach and Hawthorn FC rover, Alan “Snowy” Jensen at 32 Connell St. West Hawthorn. One matting side was entered into the ESCA competition in 1947/48 and the Club has been a member continuously since that first season. Home games were played at the tiny Fairview Park ground by the Yarra River. Balls frequently had to be fished out of the water with a long pole and net.

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In 1949/50 the Club entered a turf team based at Burke Road South Reserve, which became West Hawthorn’s home for nearly 40 years. 18 year old Bert Tilley scored his maiden century with a magnificent 198 in the 1XI and Allan Henry smashed 168 in the 2XI B matting side. Bert tried his luck at Hawthorn-East Melbourne for a brief stint and returned to become West Hawthorn’s highest run scorer with 11,076 runs @ 32.58.The other stand out player of this first decade was John “Sconesy” Harris, known as for his express
bouncers on uncovered wickets. In his prime, John averaged 60 wickets a season and captured 935 of them at 11.93 over 25 seasons. His older brother Peter, not as quick but deadly accurate, took 364 wickets at 14.26. The Club featured regularly in finals over its first 10 seasons but could not bring home top honours.

The first Team of the Decade included; Ray Armstrong, Ted Dietrich, Jack Forde, John Harris, Alan Jensen, Roy McLean, Naish Reilly, Bert Tilley, Les Wain, Lindsay Wickham, Bill and John Yole.

West Hawthorn Decade 1957/58 - 66/67
West Hawthorn finally broke through in 1957/58 with its first Premiership in Turf 1 against Deepdene. Promised a “fair dinkum fight with no quarters given” by opposition captain Roy Laws, West Hawthorn batted first and were bundled out for only 50. Peter Harris struck back claiming 6/21 to have Deepdene all out for 75. In the second dig, Wests managed to set a victory target of 120 which Deepdene fell short of by some 15 runs.

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Throughout this decade the Club produced strong, competitive sides but Premierships continued to be elusive. Great mateship, loyalty and fun was had by all, on and off the field. 1960 saw the first Life Members of the Club anointed in Les Yole and Bill Jeffries, followed by other foundation players in Vin Kennedy (1963) and Ted Dietrich and John Harris (1964).

 

A Junior side was formed in 1963/64, which heralded the careers of many fine senior players, culminating in back to back, Un/16s Flags in 1967/68 and 68/69. Among those juniors were; Les Quarrell, Graeme Yole (son of John), Tony Tongue and Jon Kozeniauskas. Graeme, Tony and Jon were all to become long serving Club Executives. Players in the 1957/58 - 66/67 Team of the Decade were; Ray Allsop, Ray Armstrong, Roy Beal, Tom Cooksey, Ted Dietrich, Colin Green, John Harris, Peter Harris, Tony Johnson, Gordon Roberts, Bert Tilley and John Yole.

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Players in the 1957/58 - 66/67 Team of the Decade were; Ray Allsop, Ray Armstrong,  Roy Beal, Tom Cooksey, Ted Dietrich, Colin Green, John Harris, Peter Harris, Tony Johnson, Gordon  Roberts, Bert Tilley and John Yole. 

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West Hawthorn Decade 1967/68 - 76/77 

Express bowler, Bob Moller captured 9/16, prior to 1970 in the 1XI to record the best bowling figures  in the Club’s 77 season history. Two other 1XI 9-fers followed with Arnie Jensen’s 9/42 in 1967/68 and  John Harris’ 9/35 in 1969/70.  

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In 1970, Jon Kozeniauskas (aka Koz), who had debuted in the 1XI as a 15 year old, firebrand bowler,  moved to Melbourne University CC to play District 1XI for five seasons. Due to back problems, he  adapted into a dangerous all-rounder and belligerent batsman on his return to the Club. “Captain Koz”  led the 1XI for some 13 seasons from 1976/77 through to 1991/92. 

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Two highly prominent arrivals in the early 70’s were Jerry Tsiligiannis, aka Tylas (1970/71) and Mark  Fitzpatrick (1973/74) who were to both become major contributors in the 1XI, top committee men and  later, fantastic captains in the 2nd and 4th XIs. 

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Merger brings name change and use of Rathmines Road Reserve. 

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In 1972/73 the Club merged with Hawthorn District CC, (also established in 1947/48) to become  West Hawthorn District CC. Hawthorn District had one turf team, and shared Rathmines Reserve with  Hawthorn East-Melbourne CC at one stage. The merger gave both clubs more stability with 2 turf sides,  two matting sides and full use of Rathmines Road Reserve.  

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Ray Armstrong retired as Club President at the end of this season after a 15 year stint.  Colin Martin from Hawthorn District CC took over as the new President. Col was an excellent  administrator who led the Club for 8 seasons. He was also actively involved in many roles with ESCA  from 1969 to 2001, including Junior Chairman for 12 years and President for 7 years. Col played a  major role in the merger of the ESCA and ESDCCA in 1999/00. He was President of the ECA for its first  2 seasons and retired after 33 years of continuous service. 

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The West Hawthorn and Hawthorn District CC merger however, was not a happy one. Within two years,  the Club reverted back to West Hawthorn CC and dropped back to 3 Senior sides in 1975/76. 

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Foundation player Vin Kennedy established the Best All-Round Performer trophy in 1976/77, bearing  his name. It was judged on a points system for runs, wickets and fielding, for all team members in the  club. The inaugural winner was Jon Kozeniauskas, an award Jon won 8 times. 

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The 1970s saw 6 Life Memberships awarded to long serving players and in 1974, June Yole and  Margaret Harris were also honoured for their services to the Club.  

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Members of the 1967/68 - 76/77 Team of the Decade were: Fred Allsop, Robert Aylen, Bernie  Crimmins, John Harris, Ray Hitch, Jon Kozeniauskas, Colin Martin, Bob Moller,  Ian Niquet, Allan Sleeth, and Bert and David Tilley and Jerry Tsiligiannis.

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West Hawthorn Decade 1977/78 - 86/87 

In 1979/80 all 3 Senior teams made the Grand Final. The 2XI ended the 20 year Premiership drought  by defeating Surrey Hills in D-Turf. Bowling first, wickets were hard to come by. Skipper Richard  Large brought on leggie Allen Sleeth as first change, who picked up 2 quick wickets. Combining with  Gary Allsop, Steve MItchell and Ian Niquet, Surrey Hills were all out for around 150 well before stumps.  

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West Hawthorn started badly but recovered to pass Surrey Hills about 5 down on Day 2, with Mark Reid  and Steve MItchell (75) at the crease. Allsop contributed a valuable 50 and Westies finished with just over  300. That was enough for Surrey Hills to concede and hand West Hawthorn the 1979/80 Premiership. 

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Two seasons later the 1XI won the A-Grade Flag to elevate the Club back into Senior Turf. Burwood elected to bat and were all out for 166, Grant Fawcett (4/55) and Jon Koz (4/34) did the bulk of  damage. Graeme Yole (40) was solid but the team were in trouble at 7/146. Captain Koz steadied the  ship, scoring a famous 180* with Bill Karvellis (30) to guide the Hawks to an impenetrable total of 351. 

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The next season Grant Fawcett took 42 wickets in Senior Turf and 1983/84 saw the arrival of 17 year  old Michael Torriero, who was to make a huge contribution to the Club as an opening batsman.  

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The 1977/78 - 86/87 Team of the Decade was dominated by Jon Koz, with 6 consecutive  Vin Kennedy Awards, 7-1XI Batting and 4-1XI Bowling averages. The other members included;  Jim Christodoulias, Grant Fawcett, Mark Fitzpatrick, Allen Juskin, Bill Karvellis, Richard Large,  Jamie Lucas, Steve Mitchell, Noel Morgan, Tony Tongue, Jerry Tsiligiannis and Graeme Yole. 

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West Hawthorn Decade 1987/88 - 96/97

In 1989 Rathmines Reserve became West Hawthorn’s home base. This decade saw Mick Torriero take  over the mantle of top 1XI batsman on 6 occasions. 1990/91 saw a 4XI team back at the Club after a 15  year absence. The Junior program was re-established in 1992/93 thanks to Tony Tongue and Graeme  Yole. Peter Harris retired in 1994 after an outstanding contribution of 31 seasons as Club Treasurer.  

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In 1995, Stephen and Michael Yole marked a 3rd generation of West Hawthorn players in the Un/14s  alongside Marcus Tilley, youngest son of Bert Tilley. In the Un/16s, Alex Kozeniauskas, Andrew and  Robert Tongue were capping off an impressive Father-Son tradition at the Club. 

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The 1987/88 - 96/97 Team of the Decade was; Brad and Greg Alcock, Graeme Biffin,  Peter Coe, Victor Dimasi, James Farmer, Grant and Tim Fawcett, Michael Karayannis,  Kevin Stallworthy, Michael Torriero, Jeff Vaneede and Graeme Yole.

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In 1997 West Hawthorn celebrated its 50th season, 6 players were inducted into the inaugural West Hawthorn CC - Hall of Fame 

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​West Hawthorn Decade 1997/98 - 06/07 

The next decade proved to be the most successful period in the Club’s history to date.  

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In 1997/98, the 1XI made the Grand Final with 4 members who had come through the Junior program.  The Un/12s won a Premiership that season, however it was to be an ongoing struggle keeping Junior  teams on the park.  

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A Junior Section Revival Plan was created by Tony and Andrew Tongue, taking the Club from no  Juniors in 2001/02 to fielding teams across Un/10s, Un/12s, Un/14s and Un/16s. Coaching support  came from John, Graeme, Stephen and Michael Yole, Marcus Tilley, and Rob Tongue. In the latter half  of this decade Andrew Waugh-Young took over as Junior Coordinator and the program expanding to 5 Junior teams with a Give every kid a Role to play and a Fair go approach.  

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Jerry Tylas returned to the Club in 1998 to play in the 4XI after retiring in 1991. His mate Jon Koz captained the team and smashed 208 vs. Mulgrave to become the first Double Centurian for the Club. 

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New addition to The Hall of Fame 

Graeme Yole was inducted into the West Hawthorn - Hall of Fame in 1999 for his huge contribution  over 29 seasons of Senior cricket and 28 Junior games with the Club. Graeme was President for the  past 7 seasons and Secretary for 2 seasons prior to that. His on field achievements included playing in  the 1981/82 1XI Premiership, Captain of the 1XI twice, duel Team of the Decade member, winning the  1XI batting averages twice plus a Vin Kennedy Award. Graeme was also a large contributor for  the Junior program.  

 

In 1999/00 the ESCA merged with the ESDCCA to form the ECA and the Club’s Vets team became a  Senior 5XI, to help Juniors integrate into Senior cricket.  

 

Graeme Yole notched up his 300th game in the 4XI with a 91* alongside his 2 sons Stephen  and Michael.  

 

Tony Hughan single-handedly dismissed La Trobe University at St. James Park in the 3XI, taking 9/23 off 11 overs into the breeze. Tony became the 4th West Hawthorn player to take 9 wickets in an innings.  Sadly the opposition did not have a No.11 in the team! 

 

That same season, the 2XI C-Turf Premiership, led by Mark Fitzpatrick, broke an 18 year drought for  the Club. Batting first the Hawks amassed 354 against Bulleen. The heroes were Andrew Tongue, with  a maiden (113) and Victor Dimasi (60), who put on a 128 run partnership for the 5th wicket. Bulleen  were all out for 223 in reply. 

 

In 2000/01, a young Robert Tongue departed to Camberwell Magpies CC after being selected in the  Un/18s Vic Metro side. Rob averaged 61.75 with the bat and 12.33 with the ball for the Inner East Emus  Premiership side. He spent 2 seasons with the Camberwell Magpies, gaining valuable experience for  his return to the Club in 2002/03. 

 

In the same season, the 4XI won their first Flag in C-Grade Synthetic under Jerry Tylas, in his first year  as captain. The 4XI defended 238 against Glen Iris United. Jerry was the hero, chaired off the ground  by his team mates.  

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2001/02 saw the arrival of Milo In2 Cricket for boys and girls aged 5 - 8, run by Tony Tongue. 

 

John Yole announced his retirement from the committee after 54 years of service to the Club.  New arrival Quentin Sear made a record high 175* at Rathmines Reserve in the 3XI Semi Final but  the team lost to Deepdene Bears in the Grand Final.

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The Club changes name for a brighter future 

On 24th June, 2002, under President Jon Koz, West Hawthorn CC officially changed its name to  Hawthorn CC, to advance the Club’s profile in the community. The name change was aimed to attract  more players and sponsorship dollars, which proved successful. It also reflected a wider presence with  3 home grounds at St. James Park in West Hawthorn, Auburn Quarry Reserve, down near Toorak  Road and Rathmines Reserve in East Hawthorn.  

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A confident vibe ran through the Club for season 2002/03. Mark Fitzpatrick had led a group of 14  Hawks on a memorable 3 week cricket tour of England and Scotland in the winter.  

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New arrival Rob Tempone scored a Club record 213* off 135 balls at St. James Park in the 3XI and  3 out of 5 Senior teams made Grand Finals.  

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On a sour note, the Club’s application to build a new net facility at St. James Park near the corner of  Barton and Denmark Sts. was defeated by Council. A squattish palm tree magically appeared within  weeks on that very site after the announcement! 

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2 out of 3 Premierships in 2002/03 

The 1XI led by Michael Torriero in his second stint as captain, took on old rivals North Balwyn for the  A-Turf Flag. North Balwyn elected to bat on a good track but superb fielding and pressure bowling had  them all out for 101.  

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In reply Hawthorn passed the target 7 down and limped to 124. North Balwyn chased fast runs,  declaring at 4/170. Day 3 was delayed by a wet start and Captain Torriero, in his 200th game for the  Hawks, carried his bat with 31* for a tense 48 overs, with Quentin Sear (34) to finish on 1/89 and A-Turf  Premiers. Josh Crane won the ECA A-Turf Bowling averages that season with 31 wickets at 11.10. 

The 4XI, had a tight contest making 220 against Camberwell Salvation Army on the small ground at  Frog Hollow. Graeme Yole top scored with 87 and gloved 4 catches. With a strong bowling attack they  dismissed their opponents for 194 to claim their 2nd Premiership in 3 years under Jerry Tylas.  

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In contrast, the 3XI lost 3 Grand Finals between 2002-2004, making a total of 7 attempts for the 3XI. In  the 2002/03 Final, Peter Angelis made a maiden 142, chasing 324 but the team fell 36 runs short. 

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The ECA - Turf Team of the Century 

2002/03 marked the Centenary of the ESCA/ECA competition and Hawthorn CC entered 3 nominations for the Turf Team of the Century - Bert Tilley 342 Games 11,076 runs @ 32.58 and 525 catches John Harris 285 Games 935 Wickets @ 11.93 

Jon Kozeniauskas 335 Games 9,308 runs @ 30.72 and 414 Wickets @ 15.04

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At a special ECA dinner on 11th April 2003, all 3 nominees were in the top 33 short list but disappointingly, none made the final Team of the Century. 

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In 2003/04 the Club moved its training base from the Auburn Quarry Reserve to the plush net facility at  Carey Grammar’s Kew campus for 3 seasons due to the dilapidated 2 net facility and ground conditions  not fit for the Club’s needs. This was eventually resolved with the ground being refurbished and a new 4  wicket facility was built with grant assistance.  

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2004/05 saw the arrival of a new 1XI captain/coach, Mehul ‘Taj’ Somaia, an elegant opening bat  coming off coaching Old Haileybury CC to 3 successive premierships. The 1XI had big challenges with  some key players travelling overseas and the coach sidelined with a hernia operation. They did not fair  well in Dunstan Shield despite Marcus McMeekin taking 35 wickets at 11.26. The 1XI were relegated  back to A-Turf the next season. 

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The 2XI however, won the C-Turf Grand Final after being relegated the season before. Skipper Brad  Alcock led a powerful team against Donvale. Quentin Sear opened with 75 and Marcus Tilley (74*) played the anchor for 99 overs to reach a total of 254. Donvale were 2/101 but Hawthorn struck back to  have them shaking at 7/132. After some resistance, Donvale were all out for under 200 with  Brad Alcock taking 4/63 and Andrew Monk 4/53.  

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The 3XI made the semi-finals for a fourth consecutive season but could not go further this time around. 

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The Juniors continued to grow with 4 teams and parental involvement. Tony Tongue still ran the Milo In2Cricket sessions in addition to being President of the ECA Junior Section.  

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In April 2005, Rob Tongue was awarded the Hodge Medal for best player at the VMCU Under 21 Carnival while representing the ECA.  

Four months later, Tony Tongue was awarded Life Membership of the ECA for being instrumental in  the expansion of the ECA Junior Section over the past 12 seasons. Tony was a Grade Secretary from  1993/94 and became Junior Chairman in 2002/03. 

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Four months later, Tony Tongue was awarded Life Membership of the ECA for being instrumental in  the expansion of the ECA Junior Section over the past 12 seasons. Tony was a Grade Secretary from  1993/94 and became Junior Chairman in 2002/03. 

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Moving out of Rathies, a new Legend and a 1XI Flag 

In September 2005 the Club vacated the old, green pavilion at Rathmines Reserve which was to be demolished. A larger pavilion of  

similar style was to be constructed on the same site. The timber pavilion started life near the railway yards in East  

Melbourne in the 1920s, moved soon after to the Glenferrie Oval and again to Rathmines Reserve in 1938. The 3XI was relocated to  

McCutcheon Oval in Yarra Bend for the 2005/06 season. 

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​​​​                                                                                                                                                                                                          Graeme Yole (left) presenting Mark Fitzpatrick

                                                                                                                                                                                                          with his Hall of Fame Award - Nov 2005.​

 

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In November 2005, Mark Fitzpatrick was inducted into the Hawthorn CC - Hall of Fame at a Life Members function for his exceptional contribution to the Club since joining in 1973. Fitzy had done it all including being net captain, providing jobs to players and evolving into an opening batsman with close to 500 wickets and 5,000 runs for Hawthorn CC. Hawthorn’s Junior Program grew to 5 teams with 62 juniors registered. The 1XI and 3XI again had strong seasons and made the Finals.  

 

The 1XI faced off against Old Carey at Surrey Park, in the A-Turf Grand Final. Mehul Somaia won the toss and batted. Mick Torriero was solid at the top with 56 and Mehul, batting at No.3, compiled a quality knock of 89. Toby Mullen chipped in with 22 in 

Hawthorn’s Quartet of Quicks were on song and Old Carey wickets tumbled regularly. Josh Crane  (3/25) broke through with first 3 wickets to have them 3/33. Kendall Stewart (3/28) and Rob Tongue (2/45) picked up the next 5 wickets to have Old Carey 8/91. Tim Wilson-Humphries (1/19) bowled the  next batter and with a final run out, Stewart to Mullen, Old Carey were dismissed for 132. 

Hawthorn batted out the match reaching 5/190 to claim the 2005/06 A-Turf Premiership. Toby Mullen top scored with 48, Rob Tongue and Rob Tempone were both not out on 38 at the end. ​​

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At the start of 2006/07 the Club was devastated at the sudden passing of Lee Fedden

at the age of just 36. Lee was the 5XI captain for the past 2 seasons, a great clubma

with a bawdy, “left field” sense of humour, unconventional tactics, extremely unselfish

and had endless energy. ‘Chook’ or ‘Lethal’ as he was known, was an all-rounder/keeper,

joining West Hawthorn in 1989/90 and  played 117 games from 2XI to 5XI. 

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                                                                                                                               ​Lee Fedden at the 2004/05 HCC Presentation Night.

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The new pavilion at Rathmines Reserve was ready to go and  shortly after the Club was back training at The Auburn Quarry with  a new, 4 net facility and centre wicket. Andrew Tongue returned  from 2 years of work and travel overseas and Dhruv Pandya scored 203 in the 4XI to become the 3rd Double Centurian for  the Club. 

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60 Years Celebration and a Junior Flag
Hawthorn CC celebrated its 60th anniversary by unveiling its

Donor Bricks paving installation at Rathmines Reserve

on 18 February 2007 at its Super Sunday Event.

 

A 20/20 match HCC City v Country was held and

the Team of the Decade was announced to a packed crowd

of over 100 people.

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​​​​​​​​​​The 1997/98 - 06/07 Team of the Decade was; Brad Alcock, Josh Crane, Victor Dimasi, Marcus McMeekin, Toby Mullen, Quentin Sear, Paul Stocks, Marcus Tilley, Andrew Tongue, Robert Tongue, Michael Torriero, Jeff Vaneede and Tim Wilson-Humphries.

 

In the Juniors Section, the U/14s team coached by Marcus Tilley, celebrated by winning a Premiership, the 4th in the Juniors Club history.

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Hawthorn Decade 2007/08 - 16/17

All the hard work in building up the Club in the previous decade established Hawthorn CC as one of the largest clubs in the ECA.  

The momentum continued and Finals became a regular feature for many sides. 

 

With the 1XI back in Dunstan Shield, Michael Torriero took over the coaching role for 2007/08 with a focus on fitness preparation. It was the era of the “Hawthorn Grind” for our 1XI. Their strong bowling attack and pressure in the field was the formula for winning by attrition and when they were on, it worked a treat.  

 

The 1XI finished a creditable 6th in Dunstan Shield. 3XI recruit Angus Donaldson smashed a Club record 34 off an over, batting at No.11 vs. La Trobe University and claimed match figures of 7/72. In the 5XI Shiva Kallure captured 8/34 vs. North Balwyn Combined and the 5XI reached their first Grand Final but went down to Mulgrave defending 211. 

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Hawthorn mourns the loss of a Club Legend 

Rob Tongue took over the coaching role in 2008/09 but the Club was mourning the tragic loss of Club  Legend, Mark Fitzpatrick to cancer in the pre-season. To honour Fitzy’s contribution to HCC the Club  established the Mark Fitzpatrick Most Valuable Team Member Award, voted by the players 3,2,1 for  the persons they feel have contributed most to their enjoyment of cricket during the season.  

This was the Club’s “True Spirit of Cricket“ award. 

The Junior Section now featured 7 teams and around 100 players, with Stephen Yole’s Un/12 team  winning a Premiership. 2 other teams also made finals. 

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John Yole passes Club Record to his Son 

Graeme Yole’s 395th game in the 5XI surpassed his father John Yole’s Club record of 394 games, just prior to Christmas in 2008.

Graeme’s 400 games milestone was achieved in February 2009. John said that it was one of his proudest moments in his association with the Club.  

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​4 of the 5 Senior teams featured in finals that season. The 1XI (Dunstan) and 4XI (A1 Synth.) made  Grand Finals but both missed out on a Flag.  

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The 1XI batted first against East Doncaster in a reduced 80 overs a side affair. Captain Rob Tongue  made 50 and Steve Pask 47 in a total of 221. In a tense Day 2, bowling too straight and dropped  catches proved to be the downfall for Hawthorn, losing by just 3 wickets in the 3rd last over of the day. 

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Another Legend passes and Juniors progress in the Senior ranks 

On 1st November 2009, Club Founding Father and Hall of Famer, John Mortimer Yole passed away  from a long illness ending a 63 year involvement with the Club and 34 seasons as a player. His service  to the Club off the field covered many committee roles and a huge contribution to the Junior program In  his later years John was fondly remembered behind the bar, heating pies and cleaning up after a long  day. He was always around to watch on the progress of his beloved Club. 

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In 2009/10 a 6XI was added to the Senior section. Andrew Waugh-Young led a 5XI Junior  development team in F-Turf and dominated with the bat, scoring 3 centuries and a total of 635 runs  across 3 grades. Of the 7 Junior teams, 3 played in finals, 19 Juniors played Senior cricket and 6  Juniors played in Representative Carnivals. 

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The 1XI and 2XI narrowly missed Finals that season and the 4XI lost in a storm ravaged Semi-Final  to Surrey Hills. 

 

2010/11 got off to the wettest start in living memory and became the wettest Melbourne summer on  record. Hawthorn CC held its best Super Sunday to date at Rathmines Reserve, commencing with an inaugural Gala Breakfast, Milo in2 Cricket, Junior T20 game on Turf followed by a Seniors Over 30s vs.  Under 30s game. The entertainment was enhanced with special guest, Kangaroos ruckman,  Todd Goldstein, live music from duet, Patterns for Paper and a jumping castle. A huge effort again from  Coordinator Marcus Tilley, these events bring the entire club together for a fantastic family day.  

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The 4XI under Club President Stuart Stockdale, finished 3rd and won their way through to the F-Turf  Grand Final. Unfortunately they were out classed by Bulleen. 

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The 3XI break their Grand Final Hoodoo 

The 3XI, led by Liam Routledge, faced Mulgrave in the E-Turf Grand Final, with 9 unsuccessful finals  attempts over 40 years the hunger was palpable. Bowling first, they dismissed Mulgrave for just 142  after a superb 5 wicket haul from Hyder Khan. They chased down the target 6 wickets down with Tom  Zavecz (36*) belting the winning runs. 

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2011/12 saw the Club’s first appearance in the ECA T20 Cup finals since entering in 2008/09. It was an  exciting period for Hawthorn reaching T20 Finals in 6 of the next 8 seasons. It also saw a return of a  Veterans team led by Kevin Stallworthy. 

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The 1XI missed Finals on percentage in Dunstan Shield after being top of the table at Christmas and  the 6XI reached its first Semi-Final under Graeme Yole.  

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International Cricket comes to Hawthorn 

The highlight of the season was the Super Sunday on 29th January, 2012 which saw a Papua New  Guinea T20 development team, take on HCC in a thrilling International Charity Match at Rathmines  Reserve. HCC were supplemented with Premier cricketers, Clive Rose and Mark Simpson, plus  English keeper/batsman Paul Summerskill.  

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The PNG players got involved in a Milo In2 Cricket display, which was followed by an intra club  mixed Seniors and Juniors curtain raiser.  

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In the Main Event, PNG batted first making 9/141, with Jason Kila (30) top scoring. Dave Middleton , Jackson Brazzale and Dan van den Hoek picked up 2 international wickets each. 

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In reply, Mark Simpson (31), Jeff Baker (23), Rob Tongue (22) got starts and the match came down to the very last ball. Needing 2 to win, Will Lawton on 18, was caught behind, giving PNG the narrowest  of victories. MP Josh Frydenburgh presented the trophy to the winning skipper Jack Vare.  

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HCC performance coach Dan van den Hoek organised the event, which provided a flood of donated,  second hand cricket equipment for PNG to aid the development of kids cricket. Adam Cassidy from the  ICC East Asia Pacific Regional Office attended the match along with Radio Australia. 

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In the Junior section, team numbers were dropping off but quality was still prominent with the addition  of Les Quarrell as Junior Development Coach. The Un/16s Blue team won their Grand Final against  Manningham CC under direction from Marcus Tilley and Michael Yole. 2 more Premierships followed  for the Un14s in 2012/13 and Un/12s in 2013/14.  

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Changes at the top for the 1XI 

Season 2012/13 heralded in the arrival of Dale “Wilko” Wilkinson from Ashwood CC as the new  HIPE Coach. (High Intensity Performance Expectations) for the revamped A-Squad. Dale came with  an impressive resume of captain/coaching experience at Ashwood and involvement with the Victorian  Un/19s squad. 

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After 4 seasons Rob Tongue handed over the 1XI captaincy to Garth Ancher, who had established  himself as a very capable 1XI all-rounder in his first 2 seasons at the Club. 

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Rob’s achievements over those 4 years were outstanding, leading the 1XI into the Dunstan Shield  Grand Final in his first year and winning the Dunstan Medal. He was voted Captain of the ECA Turf  Team of the Decade the following year and collected 92 wickets @ 17.45 and 1,699 runs at 52.1 over  the period. 

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The 3XI became the Club’s Turf development team, they made the E-Turf Grand Final but went down  to Ringwood. The 5XI moved into the LOC Div 2 and along with the T20 XI, 6XI in LOC 5 and the Vets  XI, all made the Semis but could not go further. Vets captain Kevin Stallworthy reached his 300 Games  milestone for the club during the season. 

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The 1XI again were edged out of Finals by 0.05% despite winning their last game in the final round.  The 2XI also narrowly missed finishing in 5th spot. 

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McGeary 250* re-writes Records 

2013/14 saw HCC’s highest individual score  

record smashed by Cory McGeary with 250* at  

St. James Park in the 4XI, G-Turf against  

Deepdene Bears. It was Cory’s maiden century  

and boy he went big!  

The 1XI finished 5th for the 2nd season in a row on  

percentage in Dunstan Shield. 

The 3XI, 4XI and 5XI made Finals that year with  

the 3XI losing the Grand final for the second  

season in a row under skipper Naveen Radhappan.

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