On many Saturdays, nearly three decades in fact, I have shared a cricket field with Chris Pitfield and we have always ended up wanting the same thing.
A good, hard, fair game and a beer and a chat afterwards.
Pitfield played his 350th club game for Collendina on Saturday and as a regular opponent of his for another club, it’s always been a pleasure.
Not the best player in the team, but good enough to be a more than solid contributor, it’s his willingness to do the things that others usually shy away from that stands out.
“I’m always the one who opens the batting because no one else will, bowl the wind because no one else will,” Pitfield says.
“They’re the things that I just try to make it about the team first.”
It’s the camaraderie and helping the younger players that has spurred him on.
“I did retire once, but that was because my body was no good, but the body’s not too bad at the moment and while there’s blokes like who I play with on Saturday, I’ll keep playing because it’s actually enjoyable,” he says.
“I’ll see as I get to the end of season, but while I’m still enjoying it, I’ll still play.”
Pitfield was an inaugural player for Collendina back in 1990. A second team in Ocean Grove was always going to be tough to start up, but it’s a credit to those involved that it has worked.
Pitfield lists David Rhodes, Ben Irwin, Kade Norquay, Corey Walter and Leigh Norquay as the best players he has seen at the club.
Pitfield has played in one premiership (C Grade), has made 5330 runs and taken 325 wickets.
But it’s not the individual accolades that has driven him.
“It’s not the runs and wickets, but mainly just seeing the club grow from 1990 being a stand alone club with no footy – we’ve had to battle,” he says.
“We’ve focused on our juniors and that’s come back to reward us in the long run. So to see us go from one team to the number of senior teams and women’s team, our junior program, three A Grade flags.”
Nowadays, Pitfield is still opening the batting (he made 22 in his 350th) and bowling in a Cobras D Grade team that has its share of older players. But it’s helping the younger players that has given him the most satisfaction.
“I’ve loved playing with the kids,” he says.
“Fielding at first slip I see what they’re doing wrong with bowling so to jog over and tell them something or to try something. And batting with the kids I try to teach him how to mouth back at the bowler and just to stand up for yourself.”
