The First Dance - Penrith Cricket Club
Penrith Cricket Club | June 19, 2025
Caringbah Oval set the scene for Penrith’s inaugural match in the Sydney Grade competition, but the welcome was anything but warm.
Three months before the season began, the newly appointed Penrith team launched a recruitment drive to ensure a strong showing. Former First-Class players John Benaud and Geoff Davies assessed the playing group and determined that experience was needed. As a result, several seasoned cricketers joined the ranks: Tony Carroll (North Sydney), David Nicholls (Wests), Ian Forrester (Randwick) and Phil Dingle (Petersham). Local talent also bolstered the squad, including Bob Morris, Colin Hall, John Morphett, Ron Hall, and Greg Gavin, all of whom had representative experience at the Hawkesbury Cricket Council level.
Despite Penrith’s preparation, the first fixture was brutal—the Sharks secured an outright victory against the newcomers.
However, the second match at Howell Oval provided a magical moment: a thrilling win over St George in the dark. The setting was electric—a damp pitch slowly drying in the fading light, the Hunter Pavilion’s lights blazing, and a crowd roaring with every run in a dramatic Nepean run chase. Tony Carroll led the charge with 80 runs in a 102-run opening stand alongside Rod Morphett. Geoff Davies showcased his signature ‘mountain glide’—an open-faced bat guiding shots to third man—against Saints’ fiery-fast Sheffield Shield bowler, John Martin.
Throughout the season, First Grade remained in semi-final contention at various points. In his season report, inaugural captain John Benaud reflected: “We began the season categorized by some as ‘unworthy’ of First Grade status, by others as ‘cowboys.’ That we finished eighth was thanks to great individual efforts, an ever-improving team spirit, and some amazing fielding performances. That we didn’t do even better—perhaps reach a semi-final—was simply due to inexperience and inconsistency.”
One Nepean First Grade debutant put it more bluntly: “You don’t run into Jeff Thomson pace every weekend in local juniors.”
A standout performer, Geoff Davies won The Sydney Morning Herald Player of the Year, earning $500—prompting his teammates to demand: “Your shout!”
Meanwhile, the Morphett brothers—Ray, John, and Rod—made club history against Sydney University in a memorable chapter of Penrith’s first season in Sydney Grade cricket.
Brought to you by Panthers Penrith
BeaconPoint Club Clips - Why Leadership in Community Sport is important with Pat Cummins - Australian Cricket captain
