ADAM Thomson captained his first cricket team when he was 12 and now at 20, is the youngest cricket captain/coach in the history of the Sunraysia Cricket Association.
This year will be his third year as captain of the Merbein South Cricket Club and his second year as its coach.
“I can’t complain, we’ve won the last two First Division Premierships in my first two years as captain,” the confident young sportsman said.
Adam played his first competitive game of cricket in the Merbein South under 11s and growing up on a large sheep and wheat farm in Werrimull with his two brothers and a sport-inclined sister he had plenty of backyard competition.
“There’s a strong family connection to both the Werrimull Football Club and the cricket club.
“My grandfather and my dad are both life members of the Werrimull Football Club and it was the natural move to go back home to play my competitive sport with Werrimull,” he said.
“I played all my junior football and then three years of senior football with Merbein and this year my older brother Daniel and I returned to Werrimull to play senior football where I was offered the assistant coaching position.”
The Magpies earned the right to play in the finals and on Saturday at Carramar Drive, Gol Gol, will go up against Cardross, with the first bounce at noon.
Win, lose or draw, Adam will soon be embroiled in the summer action of Sunraysia cricket.
“With football done and dusted, training for cricket is every Tuesday and Thursday night, Adam said.
“After my first year as captain of the Merbein South Cricket Club, the senior coaching job was advertised, I applied and got the job.
“I’d had previous coaching experience as a 19-year-old coaching the region’s under 14 side for two years.
“We won a few games, but didn’t make the finals of the Victorian State Championships.
“I’ve captained a fair bit as well over the years – the under 18 and under 21 Mallee Murray Region sides and the under 21 Vic Country team against Vic Metro.
“We won that game at Seymour which was great for Vic Country, given they’d lost the previous two.
“That experience put me in good stead to take on my present coaching job,” he said.
“My younger brother Mark, who is 14, plays cricket for Merbein South under 16s and he’s represented Victoria in the national championships.
The trio would make a formidable combination.
“Mark is a bowler, I’m a batter and wicket keeper and David bowls a bit as well.
“There was a fair bit of competition in the backyard between Daniel and I and now with Mark growing into the game – he’ll be highly competitive as well.
“I enjoy the coaching role and being captain and coach, I get a lot of satisfaction in watching the team improve and have success on the field both in cricket and football.
“When I was first appointed captain of the Merbein South Cricket team I was the youngest in the league’s history – it was an honour for me and the family were all very supportive.
“Last year I was appointed vice-captain of the Sunraysia team in Melbourne Country Week, which was a great experience to play against the best senior players in Victoria.
“It was a surprise and a highlight of my cricket career to be named Sunraysia Daily Team of the Year captain for 2009/2010, which was announced at the Innes Medal vote count at the South Mildura Football club rooms.”
Adam’s success is all the more rewarding, considering some of the obstacles he has faced since young in accessing sporting activities.
Adam spent all his school years at Werrimull P-12, which has a small enrolment.
In his 12 at the school student numbers in his class were low, making it difficult or impossible to get numbers for sport teams.
“The most I ever had in any class was six – all boys in that year,” Adam said.
“In Year 12, there were just two of us, so fielding a school team in either football or cricket was never possible.
“Once a year, we used to have a game of football and we used to combine with Murrayville and Manangatang to make up the numbers.
“Over the years, the main obstacle to my football and cricket was the long distance travelling and in more recent years before I got my driving licence, my parents hadn’t been enjoying the best of health,’’ he said.
“When I turned 18, I bought myself a ute and was then able to be independent in getting myself to and from training and games.
“I’m looking forward to the 2010/2011 cricket season and am hoping to win a third successive premiership”
And after that?
“I am happy to continue managing the family’s sport store, Sportspower in Lime Avenue, and down the track bringing young fellows through to maintain the strength of the cricket club,’’ the confident young captain/coach said.
This story appeared in Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily, 4/09/10.
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