This blog was written in 2022 for a History Blog project for the Loxton Waikerie Council in conjunction with Writers SA …

Here in the Riverland, we are renowned for the quality of our sporting facilities, be it our ovals for football with turf wickets for cricket, our immaculate grass tennis courts, our excellent golf courses and bowls facilities, or our basketball stadiums. The richness of our sporting facilities certainly encourages our traditionally high levels of participation in sport, and we are very proud of the array of people from our region who have succeeded at the top levels of their respective sports.

However, as is the case across many of our communities, participation levels are falling, and it is increasingly hard to find volunteers to keep clubs and competitions going. This is due to numerous economic and social reasons, which are making it increasingly challenging to ensure sporting participation remains a vital part of our culture and community. In recent years, that challenge has especially been felt by the Loxton Cricket Club with it only fielding one team over the last few seasons. However, encouragingly, the club has entered A and B grade teams for the 2022/23 season.

I first played for Loxton in 2013 after relocating to the region earlier that year. I have learnt over the years that one of the best ways to find your way into a new town is to play sport and get involved in a club. So, despite being well past my prime as a cricketer – and my prime only being a handy B grader – I was welcomed into the club, especially by the likes of Mark ‘Chief’ Pontt, who is one of those quintessential people you find in most clubs, dedicated and hardworking and just a great person to be around. But before I talk about Chief and some of the more recent history of the club, I’d like to explore the history of cricket in Loxton from its beginning.

We do not know when cricket was first played in Loxton, but it has been a fixture in the community since it’s very early years. Prior to WWI there was a local competition which consisted of teams from Loxton, Forrester, Noora and Pata.

Between WWI and WWII, the local competition expanded to include two Loxton Teams (Imperials and Olympians), Veitch, Wunkar and Pyap as well as Forrester, Noora and Pata. The most successful team during that period was Forrester, and some of their best players included the left arm quick Nes Crase as well as batsmen HC ‘Davey’ Pflaum and Ian Kinsborough.

Following WWII, Loxton abandoned its local association leading to the Loxton Cricket Club joining the Upper Murray Turf Cricket Association (now known as the Riverland Turf Cricket Association (RTCA)) in 1946/47. The transition to the new association meant the Loxton Oval needed to be improved and a turf wicket laid. These works required a massive community effort through numerous working bees. This effort was coordinated by Allan Hosking, who went on to maintain the pitch for many years. It should also be mentioned that Allan was a very handy bowler in his time and was the inaugural captain for Loxton in the new association, a role he held for five seasons. Allan is not only remembered as a key part of the history of cricket in Loxton but also through his work to beautify the town. His contribution to the town is recognised by a section of the East Terrace median strip being named after him.

The Loxton Cricket Club won its first A Grade Premiership in the RTCA in 1957/58. This team was led by Kevin Harrington (4311 runs including 11 centuries), probably the finest opening batsman to play for the club. He led the club to 2 more premierships in 1958/59 and 1960/61. The club has gone on to win 17 premierships with the latest in 2021/22.

I guess at this point I should recognise the greatest player to have played for Loxton, Michael Gutsche. Michael debuted as an A grade cricketer at the age of 15 for Loxton North in 1983/84. He joined Loxton in 1985/86, celebrating a premiership in his first season for the club.

Michael has gone on to play in 7 premiership sides for Loxton, including its latest in 2021/22. Michael’s aggregate of runs for Loxton currently stands at 9,974 runs, including 18 centuries and a highest score of 159* against Waikerie. He has also taken 297 wickets, winning the bowling trophy 7 times. It should also be noted that Michael played 6 seasons for Wunkar in the B Grade between 2003/04 and 2008/09 where he made 6,175 runs averaging 126 with 28 centuries as well as taking 86 wickets at an average of 12.1. It is fair to say that Michael is a strong contender for the mantle of ‘the Bradman of the Riverland’.

So now to Chief. He has been involved with the club for over 50 years and is a deserving life member. It could be argued that the success of the club over the last decade or so can be attributed to Chief. He took on the Presidency in 2006, when the club was struggling on and off the field. He was president for 14 seasons, culminating in 4 premierships and 3 one-day premierships over that time. He was not only the leader of the club but also the person doing the hard work in the background, such as spending hours preparing the pitch as well as making sure the players had a cold beer to enjoy after the game or training.

It would be remiss not to mention that Chief was also a very successful cricketer in his time, playing in two A grade premierships, scoring 4,439 runs (including 5 centuries), the fourth highest aggregate by any player for the club behind only Michael Gutsche (9,974 runs), Graham ‘Grub’ Madden (6,539 runs) and Brenton Mann (4,467 runs). He has also taken 131 wickets, including 44 in his 1974/75 debut season, awarding him the bowling trophy for that year.

To keep cricket alive in the Riverland it needs to continue to evolve and, with reducing participation levels, a new combined competition between the Riverland and Mallee District has been played as part of the last two seasons. which Loxton won in 2021/22. Furthermore, new lights at the Loxton Oval have renewed interest in the game with the opportunity to play day/night games, proving popular for players and spectators alike.

But at the end of the day, it is the salt-of-the-earth people like Chief who ensure that clubs and competitions stay afloat, and his contribution to the Loxton Cricket Club cannot be underestimated. He is a legend of the club who has played a significant role in its proud history.

If you are a visitor to the town and enjoy a game of cricket, come on down to the main oval and support the yellow and black caps, you’ll probably find Chief there ready with a cold beer, a good laugh and a story to tell.

If you are interested in reading the other History Blogs in this series click on this link –

Loxton and Waikerie – History Blogs | Riverland, South Australia