Anglesea Cricket Club legend Mark Stoneham’s 499 games have always been played in the right spirit.
Competitive, but scrupulously fair, the 62-year-old is still making runs in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association C Grade competition, having compiled scores of 46, 44 and 37 this season.
Although the weather forecast doesn’t look promising, Stoneham is due to play game 500 on Saturday 24 January at home against Barrabool.
But with the BOM predicting 40 degrees, there is every likelihood the milestone will have to wait until the following Saturday where a 45-minute drive to Ocean Grove awaits to play the Grubbers.
Stoneham has made more than 14,500 runs during his time, played in eight A Grade premierships, is a life member and seven-time club champion and was president for nine years, but it’s the little things that have given him the most joy.
“Probably the biggest thing has been just watching different second- and third-generation families involved in the club and are still around and still enjoy it,” he said.
“It’s a real family club. It’s always been like that, playing with fathers and then playing with their kids and then playing with their kids.
“I just like being around the team and the club. I used to cook tea every Thursday night. I did that for about 12 years or so, and it was only at the end of last year I said I’ve had enough.
“But I’ve missed it a bit, so I’ve done a couple of impromptu cooks for them before Christmas and maybe one or two after.”
Stoneham rates his first A Grade flag in 1985/86 as his best onfield moment and said the remarkable success of the Daryl Bisset-led fourpeat was tough to beat.
“I was playing with my brother (former Footscray and Essendon 209-gamer Alan Stoneham) then,” he said.
“I dragged him to play with us from Melbourne, so he’d drive down every weekend and my father had passed away the year before so it was good for us to play together.”
Stoneham said the introduction of Anglesea’s women’s sides had made Ellimatta Reserve an even better place to be.
“That’s been fantastic,” he said.
“It’s made us a better club because of the women. They are really heavily involved in the club and they do their warm-up training with all the guys and we keep them involved and that’s been really good.”
Stoneham said he would keep playing while he was contributing, but when he finally does call it a day, he won’t be lost to the sport.
“Still making a few, not big scores anymore,” he said.
“When I can’t contribute, that’ll be it. I’ll probably go to umpiring so I’m still involved in cricket.”
