Keeping it in the Family - Penrith Cricket Club
Penrith Cricket Club | October 29, 2025
The photo above is a photo of the Penrith Fourths in 1978/79. It reflects a family influence(*) that would impact on the Club in the decades ahead. Fathers and sons, and, even grandsons are likely to perpetuate a typical spirit. Lose it, and the danger is you can lose that certain something that keeps a Club buzzing. Players (back row, l to r) are: N Greenway, Ian Wyatt, John Klincke*, Jon Llewelyn; (front row) Rod Vernon, Pat Doyle*, Trevor Wholohan*, Tony Diaczok, Paul Thomas*, David Blake*. John Klincke is the father of Jacqueline-Marie, who was a member of the Penrith Women’s Brewer Shield winning team in 2011/12; Pat Doyle is the father of Charlie Doyle, record wicket-taker (46) in Fourth Grade 1973/74; Trevor Wholohan, father of Michael, player and Club coach over three decades, and grandfather of Jake, a promising all-rounder from 2010; Paul Thomas, son of Bob, long-
term Treasurer and Club supporter; David Blake, father of Jarryd Blake, a talented right-hand batsman who played First grade from 2007, before joining the Army.
In the Club’s first season, 1973/74, the Morphett Brothers had set the historical bar high. All three, Ray, Rod and John, played First grade. After that, there were many more sets of brothers, including Bob and Barry Clarence, Len and Ken Robinson, Cos and Ahillen Beadle. In this second decade, some stood out.
The Baylisses came up from Goulburn, where parents Ted and Helen had a farm. Grandmother Laurre Emerton represented Southern NSW women against a touring England team in the 1930s. Trevor and Craig learned batting skills from a zillion balls delivered by Ted on the driveway and in the backyard. Once, in a neighbourhood ‘friendly’ Trevor hit a ball through the farmhouse toilet window—while the neighbour was in situ. Trevor, confident, and with a clear aversion to underachievers, was an electric, forceful batsman who often said “off-spinners aren’t real cricketers”. The irony was he was a more than useful ‘offie’ himself and once took a hat-trick against Hawkesbury, who were chasing quick runs. His victims were batsmen Nos. 1, 3, 4: Steve Mitchell, caught Brian Wood at deep mid-wicket; ‘Choc’ Hall, caught by Ken Hall at slip; Wayne Holt, caught Barry Coad at
short leg. “’Coady’ dived onto the pitch to take the ball, Holt may or may not have hit it,” Trevor conceded. But added: “It was a damn good shout and the umpire thought he’d hit it. When we came off at the tea break ‘Holty’ was throwing orange peels at us from underneath the sightscreen! I don't think he was happy.” Trevor trialled for the Club as a wicketkeeper but became a brilliant fieldsman. As a captain he had that all too-rare talent for grasping the potential wicket-taking opportunity. Tim Sullivan remembers: “He helped me get Michael Bevan out at Raby one day by putting a fielder at short mid- wicket and told me to ‘bowl a few across him and then your outswinger (inswinger to the left-handed Bevan) and he’ll hit it in the air to mid-wicket because he’s been doing it through the week at State practice’. It worked. Bevan then ran laps of the Raby complex the rest of the afternoon.” Astute observers appreciate Trevor’s natural and intuitive understanding of the game, and how it should be played. Craig came to Penrith upon finishing an apprenticeship in Moss Vale, a two-fold move to explore cricket and work opportunities. He was a natural country style batsman, aggressive, a strong cutter and puller, and a very smart fielder. He played five seasons and captained Firsts when Trevor was absent in 1989/90. The previous season he made his top score in Firsts, 99 not out against Balmain. He ran out of partners when No.11 Mark Denny was adjudged caught behind. “A shocker,” says Trevor, who also recalls the brothers batted together for some of the time. “I advised him to be careful trying to pull or hook Andrew Jones as he was known to slip the quicker bouncer in. Only one of us was listening ...” Trevor was caught at mid-on off Jones, hooking! The young Baylisses. Craig, left, bearing a striking resemblance to young Adam Bayliss, Trevor’s son, who would do well in AW Green Shield
with the Club in the 2010/11 season. Trevor, right, looks more relaxed at the cricket venue than on the golf course!
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The Arnbergers, Derek and Jason, were the sons of a soccer-loving father John, of Austrian heritage, and his wife Nola, yet both would present a good story about the meaning of ‘grade’cricket—working hard to rise through the grades. In later eras, a ‘centre of excellence’ mentality at the first-class level would filter down to Grade, not always to the benefit of the game or the player. Derek, older by four years, arrived in Grade with a bang, hitting nearly a thousand runs in his first season out of Juniors, including a century on debut in Fifths. Jason was just 13 when he first played Grade. Later, they would share the field in Ones, a notable moment being a 97-run, 72-ball partnership after coming together at 4/15. Derek was not a batting stylist. “Just a hacker who tried hard,” he says. No ‘tyre- pumping’ there, but an impartial judge would prefer “effective and courageous”. Wiry in build and light on his feet, with a good eye and a good arm, he could be electric in the field. Business would take Derek to Mosman, and, later he assisted Blacktown in their first year in Grade, but in the end he ‘came home’ to Penrith and did much good work in the lower Grades as a captain and managing the PGs. Jason occupied the crease in different fashion from Derek. His chunky build earned him the nickname ‘Hamburger’ but his dashing, powerful style, especially off the back foot, caught the eye. His square cuts and pull shots were lethal. He would score a triple century at Howell Oval in a 2nd XI match against Country which stirred the Sydney media to launch a concerted campaign to get him into the NSW Shield team. The presence of Mark Taylor, Steve Small and later Michael Slater made the challenge formidable, and fitness, not his prolific scoring, seemed to be of more interest to NSW selection panels. He received an offer to play for Victoria, which he accepted and gave that State many years of faithful service.
The Augustines were twins and something of a phenomenon, yet their career outcomes might be a reason to reflect on the ‘devotion to cricket’ we expect youngsters to maintain in modern days. Is it wise that cricket should be their exclusive sport? Or, would we get a more rounded, less-stressed athlete if youth was encouraged to participate in other sports in their ‘cricket down-time’, as once was the case, rather than set up endless off-season trials trying to keep them from the grasp of the football codes? Even when still in their teens it seemed as if the Augustines were veterans, so much cricket had they played and practised. They were precocious all-round talents, smart fielders, Philip a quickish leg-spinner with a bouncy wrong’un, and could bat, Anthony a right-hand top order batsman with plenty of patience, and he bowled tidy off-spin. In the background was their ever-watchful and
proud father. Anthony captained the Green Shield ... “future First Grade captain written all over him”. They set Green Shield records. Both played in the NSW U/17 Final in Perth in the mid-90s ... “Anthony captained the team, his cool and thoughtful leadership saw NSW become co-winners” ... “Philip took five wickets in an innings twice and was in a match-saving partnership of 92 for the eighth wicket in the Semi-final”. Tim Sullivan captained them in Thirds: “They played so much Rep cricket they always knew a young kid coming in and how to get him out ... so-and-so is a gun ...he’s quick ... he can’t hook ... can’t play Phil ... bring me on I’ll get him like I did last week ... it was like being in a birdcage when you played Campbelltown or Hawkesbury or Parramatta.” Philip still shares the AW Green Shield wicket-taking record (22 in 1993/94) at the time of writing. It was cricket’s loss that neither continued in the game.
Former Australian Cricket captain Belinda Clark - What leadership means to me - click to unlock the full conversation
