NARRE SOUTH C.C. – THE BEGINNINGS
Narre South had its beginnings at the end of WW2 with the Dandenong Methodist Church in 1945, and in 1986 with the formation of the Maranatha
Cricket Club.
With soldiers returning home from the war in 1945, the Dandenong Methodist Church started up a cricket club, tennis teams and a baseball team, which situation was replicated with Churches across Melbourne starting cricket teams.
Geoff Dans was the PE teacher at Maranatha Christian School and started a team in C grade with the help of Wilson father and son. Rob was President and Garry Secretary, with Geoff as captain and coach of a team that was mainly his students.
The Methodist team were probably the most dominant Turf 1 team in DDCA for over 20 years, from 1957 to 1980 when they rarely missed finals and won 5 Turf 1 flags with 6 runner ups. However, being located in the Dandenong West area, saw a drastic reduction in junior numbers and the club struggled in Turf 2 for some years before they decided merging would be their best way forward.
Meanwhile Maranatha CC was losing use of their home turf oval at GMH. So, through Geoff Thom’s outstanding leadership the Methodist cricket club saw a merger with Maranatha Cricket Club, with Fotheringham Reserve being their home ground.
It was a merger made in heaven with the new combined club known as Maranatha Methodist CC, winning the Turf 2 premiership in their first year under the captaincy of Mark Daldy and coach Rob Wilson whose role also saw him skipper the seconds in Turf 4.
The club was promoted up to Turf 1 for about four seasons before unfortunately facing relegation. This saw many seasons of little and varied success in Turf 2.
In about the year 2000, the opportunity to relocate to Narre Warren South was presented to the Maranatha Methodist CC. The club did it in a slow and steady manner, with a One Day team playing on the first oval with the synthetic pitch and with a shipping container as the Rooms. The club started up Milo Cricket [now Woolworths Junior Blast and Master Blast] and junior football with the aim of making a single strong Sports Club.
At the time our Juniors based in Endeavour Hills were supported until the youngest had finished their junior days, and then 100% of our Juniors were then at Narre South. Finally, a Turf wicket costing over $30,000 was constructed by the Council and we said “Goodbye” to Fotheringham Reserve and our Turf teams now had a new home.
The club saw fit to honour club legend Geoffrey [Lefty] Wright by naming the turf oval after him, and our greatest synthetic player Geoff Dans, by naming the synthetic oval after Geoff. The club also boasts other association legends in Des and Denise Nolan who served on DDCA Executive, along with Rob Wilson who served as Vice President for four years, along with Jeff Thom and the whole Thom family.
The club has hosted many overseas players over the past twenty years including former Sri Lanka Test spinner, Jayantha Silva and Jersey international Jonty Jenner.
A few years later, under the presidency of Peter Cutting, the club agreed to change their name from Maranatha Methodist CC to Narre South CC to reflect that we were a local, family orientated, community based, welcoming club that had permanent roots in Narre Warren South.
Currently Narre South CC is one of the biggest and strongest Cricket Clubs in the City of Casey and DDCA, with Woolworths Junior and Master Blast programs, 2 All Girls teams [and reigning premiers], 10 junior section teams plus 8 senior teams being 3Turf and 4 synthetic men’s sides. We will also be fielding our clubs first ever senior women’s cricket team in the 2020/21 season.
The club’s Turf 1 team finished 3 rd on the ladder last season (2019/20) with the 2nds winning the premiership in Turf 1 Reserves. The Club has very strong off field leadership under the presidency of Nathan Tracy (life member) and a large ensemble of volunteers.
Narre South boasts 2 Gartside medal winners, Warren Dickson and Scott Phillips as best player in the DDCA in Turf 2 as voted by the umpires. This past season, Morteza Ali was voted the winner of the Wookey Medal for the best player in Turf 1 for 2019/20.
Rob Wilson. July 2020