Gordon DCC First Metropolitan Cup Premiership; 2005-06
Gordon District Cricket Club | August 16, 2026
When Gordon returned to the Metropolitan Cup competition in 2005-06, few could have predicted what was coming. With Dave Gray — aged 53 and a decade into retirement — taking the captaincy, the Club won the premiership for the very first time. It was the beginning of something special.
The Colts competition, as Dave was quick to point out, was never just about winning. It was a development pathway for talented youngsters moving through to higher grades, and the 2005-06 squad embodied that purpose. A number of Academy and Green Shield players featured throughout the season, including Harry Turner, Charlie Lawry, Cameron Crawford, James Kennedy, Adam Cubbage, Harry Evans and Hamish Angus — names that would become familiar around the Club in the years ahead.
With a record 18 teams competing across 17 rounds, Gordon played every match away from home — Chatswood Oval was being returfed and Beauchamp Park was needed for grade matches. It was an inconvenience, but the team barely noticed. They went through the round-robin largely unbeaten, dropping just one match to competition leaders Sydney University in January, and finishing third to qualify for the finals.
Powered by Platinum Partner by VoltX Energy
Along the way there were several standout performances. Charlie Lawry cracked a majestic 102 against North Sydney. Young leg-spinner Adam Cubbage announced himself with a stunning 7-23 against Balmain — including three stumpings by Harry Evans — then contributed a composed 52 not out with the bat. Dave himself chipped in with the bat at crucial moments, sharing a key partnership with Jason Russell-Jones against Auburn.
The qualifying final against Penrith, played on the freshly resurfaced Chatswood Oval, tested the team's character. Sent in to bat on a slow outfield, Gordon stumbled to 7-80 before Dave Millar (34) and Dave Gray (74) rescued the innings with a partnership of 107, lifting the side to 200. The following day, Andrew Lappan tore through the Penrith top order with 3-5 off eight overs, and Cubbage finished the job. Penrith were bowled out for 132.
The semi-final against Sydney University was similarly disciplined. Gordon sent Uni in and bowled them out for 102 — Cubbage again the destroyer with 4-27 — before knocking off the target with five wickets in hand. The young Green Shield boys, Evans and Angus, both played their parts.
The grand final against Penrith at Joe McAleer Oval was a masterclass. Gordon batted first and simply piled on the runs. Richie Kenner (112) and Craig Knight (77) shared a dominant afternoon partnership of 142. Harry Evans contributed a fluent 56, and further down the order Dave Millar (60) and Dave Gray (52) pushed the total to an imposing 443. A draw was all that was needed — and when Penrith batted, Lappan, Cubbage and Millar shared the wickets in a 156 all out dismissal. Gordon were premiers.
The statistics told their own story. Craig Knight finished with 478 runs at 47.80, Kenner with 419 at 41.90, and Cubbage took 20 wickets at the remarkable average of 8.35. Lappan (22 wickets at 10.86), Ellison (20 at 11.55) and Parfett (21 at 18.24) formed a disciplined bowling unit throughout. Dave Gray himself averaged 71 with the bat from his lower-order contributions.
But numbers only tell part of the story. Much of the credit belonged to Gray's quiet, thoughtful leadership — nurturing young players, setting standards and building a culture that would underpin three more Metropolitan Cup premierships in the following six years. Gordon had found something worth keeping.
