Penrith Cricket Club Presidents - 1973/74 - 1982/83
Penrith Cricket Club | December 18, 2025
Darcy Smith was the inaugural President of the Nepean District Grade Club, a fitting reward for a man who devoted so much to the local game over so many years, as a player and an administrator. When the local cricket competition resumed after World War II, Darcy played with the Crescent Club, then Rovers, but joined Penrith RSL Cricket Club upon its formation in 1948, the start of a career lasting more than 20 years.
He was regarded as a rather dour left-hand opening batsman and had the honour of scoring the first century at Howell Oval playing for RSL against Rooty Hill, and was a member of the RSL A Grade Premiership teams of 1964/65 and 1965/66. He also represented Nepean in the Gibson Cup in the Hawkesbury Cricket Council Competition and, in the early 60s, captained the Hawkesbury Council team that played Jack Chegwyn’s XI (virtually a Sheffield Shield combination) at Katoomba. Darcy was President of the local Nepean District Cricket Association for 33 seasons, a record. He was also an Assistant Secretary and Treasurer. He was a Secretary of the Hawkesbury Cricket Council and a Selector. Darcy’s administrative skill did much to convince the NSW Cricket Association to admit Nepean to Sydney Grade in 1973. He liaised successfully with Penrith Council to establish the Club’s second ground, Cook Park.
Others in the Smith family were prominent in Penrith cricket: Darcy’s father Frank was an umpire, and brothers Norm, Frank and Ken all played; his sister Heather scored for the Rovers Club. Darcy is a Life Member of the Nepean District Cricket Association and the Penrith RSL Senior Cricket Club. Bill Winter served as President when the workload of dual Presidencies (the Grade Club and the Nepean Association) became too much for Darcy Smith. Darcy resigned in February 1975, and Bill carried on to the AGM in July 1975. He was an enthusiastic committee man whose drive and business nous were instrumental in helping secure the sponsorship from the Leagues Club in 1978. He was a good all-round cricketer, a right-hand batsman and a left-arm medium-pace bowler, whose career began with Manly in the 30s. After World War II, where he served in New Guinea, he purchased a small property near Luddenham and played in the Nepean and Camden Associations. One of his team-mates at Luddenham Club was Barry Hubbard, who was later to become a director at Penrith Leagues Club, and Bill’s staunch supporter when it came to convincing other Leagues’ Directors of the merits of sponsoring the fledgling Grade Club. The rest is history! Bill Winter passed away in 2004. He was 86.
Trevor Wholohan has had a long association with the district, in business and cricket. His business, as detailed in his ‘curriculum vitae’ upon joining the Australian Cricket Board in the late 80s, was “meat purveying”, but to locals he was the bloke who ran the butcher’s shop at the top end of High Street. It was the meat source for many a successful Club Gradings barbecue, usually organised by his delightful wife Pat.
‘Hooley’ was involved in cricket from an early age. In 1949/50, he played with Penrith RSL Club in the inaugural Under-16 Saturday morning competition introduced by the NDCA and, as a 14-year-old, scored the competition’s first century. In those days, all matches were played on the four Penrith Park wickets that made up the present Howell Oval and the Penrith Football Stadium complex. He was chosen to captain the NDCA Gibson Cup team and, in 1957, captained the Nepean District against Jack Chegwyn’s XI in the match which celebrated the official opening of Howell Oval and the N.A. Hunter Pavilion.
During that period, he was playing Grade cricket with Cumberland, now Parramatta. He played nine seasons, from 1954/55 to 1962/63, and appeared in all Grades. He then returned to play in the NDCA and, with the admission of Nepean to Grade, his Cumberland experience would prove invaluable, especially in his role as inaugural Fourth Grade Captain. He played continuously from 1973/74 until 1979/80. He was a middle-order right-hand batsman whose style was more grit than grace, inclined to frustrate bowlers, the anchor in many a partnership.
Bill Ball. A life in cricket. He scored 716 runs @ 23.09 (Fourths), 761 runs @ 24.58 (Thirds) and 192 runs @ 12.80 (Seconds), a career 1669 runs @ 21.40. He was a thoughtful medium pace bowler, disciplined and nagging. He took 18 wickets @ 21.90 (Fourths) and 19 wickets @ 15.21 (Thirds), a career 41 wickets @ 18.87.
He has been a long-term administrator. He served as a Secretary of the NDCA and was a regular member of its Board of Control. He was on the Grade Club’s Formation Steering Committee and, in the Club’s inaugural year, was elected Secretary.
He was a Delegate to the NSWCA for a decade and, when the SCA came into being in 1984/85, he was a Delegate to both. In season 1975/76, he was elected Club President, a position he held continuously until season 1981/82. At the 1980/81 Club’s Annual Meeting, he was elected as the Club’s third Life Member.
He was appointed a Trustee to the SCG in 1974, a position he held until 1984 and was a NSW director to the Australian Cricket Board from 1988 to 1994. He is the father of Michael Wholohan, who, as a junior cricketer, used to man the Howell Oval scoreboard in the afternoons and later played and coached.
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Bill Ball has had a lifelong interest in the game, particularly administration. In his youth, he played with the Bungarabee Club in the Parramatta Association, then played with the Blacktown Workers Club in the Nepean Association from 1960 to 1980. He was a true all-rounder, opening the batting, bowling medium pace and later dropping to the lower order and trying his hand at heady off-spin, with which he had much success.
He played until he was 49 years old, and in the last decade of his career, he opted to play C Grade to help develop young talent.
Bill is a Life Member of the Workers Cricket Club, was a Secretary and President and delegate to the NDCA for more than 20 years. He is a life member of the NDCA. From 1975 to 1982, he was a delegate from the NDCA to the Grade Club and was a member of the Penrith Club’s Steering Committee and Inaugural Committee in 1973. He took over the Penrith Club Presidency in Season 1982/83.
In 1992, Bill moved to Coffs Harbour, where he was elected Secretary of the West Coffs Cricket Club. He became a delegate to the Coffs Harbour Cricket Association and in 1994, was elected President.
He was also a delegate, selector and Vice President to the North Coast Cricket Council and was involved with the organisation of the 1997 NSW v New Zealand One-Day Tour Match at the Coffs Harbour International Stadium. He is the father of Wayne Ball, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner who played lower Grades with the Club and later joined the ranks of Sydney Grade Umpires.
