OUR CLUB'S HISTORY
WOMEN'S PLAYING RECORDS
Many thanks to Club stalwart, Hilary Griffith who dedicatedly compiled this playing record of all the women who have played with the Club, since their transition from HKHDCA for season 2005/06 right up to and including season 2020/21.
BLUE GUM AND WILLOW
A HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN DISTRICT CRICKET CLUB - 1925 TO 2000
In December 2000 the Club launched Blue Gum & Willow – A History of the Northern District Cricket Club, 1925-2000, a wonderful chronicle of the Club’s history written by Alistair Kennedy.
The history of the Club can be read or downloaded by clicking on the below PDF Hot-links:
LIST OF LIFE MEMBERS
CLICK HERE to view the full list of our esteemed Life Members.
All our Life Members reflect a dedication to the values of the Club and demonstrated a commitment to the principals of fair play and good sportsmanship.
Each has provided valued leadership and/or been an outstanding role model to fellow Club members.
LIST OF FIRST GRADERS AND THEIR NUMBERS
The list includes each player's full name and sequential number plus their debut date, against which opposition Club and at which venue.
NOTE: There are some players from way back who do not have numbers. These players were subsequently found by Hilary Griffith when he was recording First Grade matches.
The Committee decided not to redo all the numbers but to just leave them blank with an explanation saying that they were found after the numbering was done.
ROLL OF HONOUR
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.
SYDNEY'S FAMED CRICKET NURSERY AND HORNSBY HERITAGE
NDCC Life Member and local historian, Tom Richmond has written an evocative article on the early history of our spiritual home for the Hornsby Advocate of 2nd August 2018.
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Tom's article is reproduced below:
Originally reproduced from the Northern District Cricket Club Incorporated's 87th Annual Report (2011-2012) and updated after every AGM since:
"The Northern District Cricket Club (NDCC) first competed in the Sydney grade competition in the 1925/26 season although the decision to form the Club was made a year earlier at a meeting held at Epping on 18 July 1924.
In fact an NDCC team competed in the 1924/25 Municipal and Shires Competition, playing eleven matches and finishing the competition as runner-up. The New South Wales Cricket Association unanimously agreed that Northern District Cricket Club should be admitted to the Sydney grade competition and in the 1925/26 season, the Club fielded teams in all three grade competitions.
Waitara Oval was officially opened as a grade cricket ground on Saturday 3 October 1925 which established a successful and enduring relationship between NDCC and Hornsby Shire Council.
Prior to the start of the 1928/29 season the Club secured a seven year lease over Waitara Oval and plans were made for the erection of a permanent pavilion. In 1928 the foundation stone for the grandstand was laid by the manager of the touring MCC team Sir Frederick Toone and the stone is still visible today.
NDCC won the Club Championship in 1959/60, 1975/76, 1980/81 and in 1998/99. The Club won its first First Grade title in 1948/49, and won further First Grade flags in 1962/63, 1966/67, 1985/86, 1986/87 and 1992/93. The Club has also won the First Grade Limited Overs competition and was the inaugural winner of the Sydney Cricket Association Twenty 20 competition at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March 2008. Significantly NDCC has secured premierships in all grades and all competitions, with the exception of the Fourth Grade title which continues to elude us.
The Club has developed many outstanding first-class cricketers. This list is headed by Mark Taylor AO who was appointed as Australia’s 39th cricket captain in May 1994. Neil Harvey MBE had been the first (and only previous) Australian captain to have played for the Club, but Mark Taylor was the first current NDCC player to have done so.
Other Test cricketers to have represented the Club include Peter Taylor, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin, Alan Davidson, Jim Burke and Arthur Chipperfield. Many others have represented at First Class level and their achievements are detailed in the annexures to this report.
NDCC representatives also made significant contributions to the game as administrators, selectors and managers the most notable being Tim Caldwell OBE, Austen Hughes OAM, and Neil Marks. Others such as Life Member Rocky Harris, made their contribution as leading umpires, whilst Robyn Sanday became the first NDCC scorer to be appointed to score at Test and One Day International levels.
In 1966, Northern District adopted the blue gum as its motif, symbolising the area in which the Club resides. The former badge had consisted of the letters NDCC intertwined. The badge has been modified on a number of occasions with the one used today being adopted in 1994.
In October 1994 the Austen Hughes Club Room at Waitara Oval, was officially opened following many years of planning and concerted fund-raising by Club members.
In October 1999, the Hornsby Shire honoured Australian of the Year, former Australian Cricket captain and NDCC Life Member, Mark Taylor AO, by naming the Waitara Oval scoreboard The Mark Taylor Scoreboard and in 2011 Waitara Oval was officially re-named Mark Taylor Oval.
During the 1990’s the Club’s victory song, the ND Ranger, emerged and although there continues to be debate as to its exact source, it is generally acknowledged that it was imported and adapted by Bruce Mills (later to be First Grade captain). Nonetheless during the following decade on-field, the Club remained known as NDs, with the popular support of the players and supporters.
The 2005/06 season saw a new chapter in the history of Northern District Cricket Club when it fielded four teams in the Sydney Women’s Cricket Association competitions with the support of the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai and Hills District Cricket Association and in 2009/10 NDCC secured its first women’s premiership winning The Brewer Shield.
In December 2000 the Club launched Blue Gum & Willow – A History of the Northern District Cricket Club, 1925-2000, a wonderful chronicle of the Club’s history written by Alistair Kennedy. These notes have been compiled from Blue Gum and Willow and it remains the best reference for those interested in a more detailed history of the Club.
Since its formation NDCC has been a leader in Sydney Grade Cricket. Recent initiatives include the acclaimed NDCC Leadership Program and the development of the Special Olympics Program where our players coach kids and young adults with intellectual disabilities on a weekly basis. This has reinforced the Club’s commitment to building future leaders and its desire to provide cricket opportunities for all.
Season 2013/14 was a significant year for the Club, with two of our Special Olympics cricketers, Harry Langford and Nathaniel Quan, representing Australia. ND Test cricketers, Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon, played a big hand in winning back the Ashes and restoring Australia to no.1 ranking. ND's won the First Grade Limited Over competition and 3rd Grade won the two day Premiership. The Club finished second in the Club Championship.
2016/17 saw some well-earned results for the Club. NDs won the covered Club Championship, as well as the 1st Grade T20 competition, 3rd Grade Premiership, Women's Brewers Shield Premiership, Women's "Spirit of Cricket" award and were Gren Shield Minor Premiers. It is only the 5th time the Club has been crowned Club Champions.
In 2018/19 the Club had two significant Premiership successes: the AW Green Shield (for the first time in 40 years) which led to the team being crowned State Champions; and the Women’s 2nd Grade, which we had never won before.
Season 2020/2021, although impacted by the challenges of Covid-19, was the Club’s most successful season ever. The winning haul consisted of the Club Championship, 1 st Grade Women’s Premiership, 3 rd Grade Men’s Premiership, 5 th Grade Men’s Premiership, AW Green Shield Premiership (and State Championship), Women’s Spirit of Cricket Award and Men’s Spirit of Cricket Award
For those who have been fortunate to serve the Club as a player, administrator or volunteer it is also a place that has fostered strong friendships, provided character building experiences and developed bonds that link the Club’s past and present. It has also developed a great love and respect for the game of cricket and a legacy of strong values that will be passed to the future generations that wear the maroon, old gold and royal blue of Northern District Cricket Club."