| Northern District Cricket Club

THE HISTORY CHANNEL

CRICKET WORLD'S FAREWELL TO FRIEND: RONALD 'ROCKY' HARRIS

"The Sydney Cricket Ground will never be the same without him."

That's cricketing great Richie Benaud's assessment after Northern District’s life member and former international umpire Ronald "Rocky" Harris died on February 1, 2013 aged 80.”

ROCKY'S HONOUR BOARD

Back on 5th January 2008, Cricinfo published a tour diary entry about Rocky's famous SCG Honour Board, which begins:

"Seventy six year old Rocky Harris sits calmly outside the visitors’ dressing room at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A war veteran, Harris was part of the Malay insurgency from 1952 to 1965 before taking to umpiring in the early 1970s. Since 1995 he has been in charge of the visitors’ dressing room at the SCG and has a special cupboard inside to commemorate the fine performers..."

Click HERE to read the rest of the entertaining article and HERE to see a larger view of Rocky and his "Honour Board".

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CLUB SINCE 1925

Originally reproduced from the Northern District Cricket Club Incorporated's 87th Annual Report (2011-2012) and updated annually since, is the brief history on how the Club has grown and developed over the years. The genesis began in a meeting held at Epping, back on the 18th July 1924, where it was decided to create the Club, and go on and compete in the Sydney grade competition. The rest is all history.....

To read a brief history of the Club as well as a historical article by Tom Richmond on how Waitara Oval came into existance, click HERE.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF MARK TAYLOR OVAL - SUNDAY, 6TH NOVEMBER 2011

Click HERE to go to our Mark Taylor Oval Page, that commemorates the day when Waitara Oval was renamed Mark Taylor Oval.

The Page has photos, media reports and stories with the history, action, formalities and colour of the big day, including: the Official Ceremony; T20 matches versus Blacktown; behind the scenes and dignitaries:

- Mr Mike Langford, NDCC President
- Cr Nick Berman, Hornsby Shire Mayor
- The Hon. Barry O'Farrell MP, Premier NSW
- Mr Neil Marks, NDCC Patron
- Mr Mark Taylor AO

A TREASURED PIECE OF ND'S HISTORY

The Club received a wonderful letter in mid-October 2011 week from the daughter of an ND’s veteran from the 1930’s.. Ray Rowell.

Thank you to Ray’s daughter, Sue Biddle, for her kind donation to the Club. It is a treasured piece of ND’s history! Below is an excerpt from the letter:

NORTHERN DISTRICT VERSUS ST.GEORGE
AT HURSTVILLE OVAL - 31ST JANUARY 1931

Beneath is a composite photograph taken at Hurstville Oval on the above date with an estimated 10,000 spectators looking on. We all know that ND's were crowd-pullers in those days but St.George may say that a certain D G Bradman was batting that Saturday all those years ago.