BEHIND THE SCENES: We met some of the unsung heroes at Wodonga Cricket Club

You move into a new place and there are still some things sitting in boxes long after you've opened the doors and welcomed in your first guests.

Except the boxes in question, sitting inside the sparkling new pavilion at Les Cheesley Oval, are filled not with DVD box sets, dusty mugs you never use or that bedside lamp which has needed a new bulb for years.

Instead, they're almost overflowing with honour boards and framed press cuttings, chronicling more than 150 years of sporting tales, the names of great past players and office holders who have contributed to the rich traditions of Wodonga Cricket Club.

It's quite a paradox that such a modern facility, to which the finishing touches were applied less than two months ago, should feel so steeped in history.

Club treasurer Peter Willcox, a central figure in the building project, assures me the countless plaques will be decorating the bare walls soon enough.

"I was only ever a lower-grade player here but the club has always been strong," Willcox said.

"The history shows the number of flags we've won over the last 30 years. They won the inaugural flag for what was then the Albury Cricket Association back in 1907/08.

"The club has a great deal of pride in how it operates.

"It's had a number of members over the years that have instilled what we call the Dogs culture and when you're part of that family, we expect a high standard.

"A lot of new players who come to the club are very impressed with the level of professionalism, which then creates that atmosphere of being competitive - and being part of a team.

"We expect you to respect everyone, we expect you to step up the mark and participate and we expect you to involve your family."

The players are warming up on the outfield ahead of Wodonga's clash with fellow provincial heavyweights North Albury. It's the first time cricket has been played here this season due to, you've guessed it, COVID restrictions, and the ground looks immaculate.

"It's come up Mickey Mouse," chuckled head curator Laurie Saxon.

"I'm pretty lucky that we haven't had a game so I've had plenty of time to get it up, get the grass green and put some fertiliser into it and grow it.

"I'm very fussy. I don't let people do things, I want to do them myself.

"I've got a bit of pride in it. You've got to find love with these things, cricket pitches, and I like to give them the best wicket I can. We've got a beautiful ground and it complements the ground if you've got a nice cricket pitch.

"I like to keep it in mint condition for the boys.

"You want it nice and hard to start off with but there's always a little bit in it early. I don't like to roll dry wickets continually because it doesn't do them any good.

"When they start the game today, there might be a little bit of moisture in it and they'll get something out of it but then it'll die down and play normally."

Attention to detail around 'The Cheese' is everywhere.

"I do the lines," life member Bill Proud said. "I just love doing that sort of thing.

"If it gets a bloody wriggle in it, I'm pissed off. The first time we line it, they put dots around for me so I can blame them, but I love doing it.

"I still feel like I'm involved. If you're just sitting at the cricket, you don't feel part of it but I want to be part of it with these great kids.

"BJ Garvey, he's my size and that's why we relate well to each other. He's a little champ.

"People like Robbie Jackson are very strict and stern but he's got a real commitment. You've got to be committed, it's no good just saying 'I'm going to play cricket', you're going there for a reason, you're going there with a team of guys to win the bloody game.

"You need that determination and I think we've always had that. You never take it for granted that you'll win, without working hard."

Club president Byron Hales started in Wodonga's under-10s, playing his first game at Noreuil Park and working his way up into the senior set-up.

"It was a little bit intimidating," he recalled.

"We had a lot of big figures at the club. Burly Bob Craig would float around, I didn't see a lot of him but he was there and you knew who he was.

"Tim Williamson was another one, guys like Dean Collishaw, Chris Macey, these guys were a little bit older than me and they were people I looked up to as a 17-year-old.

"But after the premiership in '99, I don't know whether people left, the exact circumstances, but we were struggling when I came into A-grade. There was a bit of a lull until guys got a bit more senior cricket.

"We were getting close but we just couldn't get the wins.

"Tim Williamson was in charge and he always flew the flag. There weren't too many times when Tim had a poor day with bat or ball. I wanted to be like him. I thought he did well.

"He'd take wickets but he wouldn't go for many runs and, when we were playing two-day cricket, that was the key. While he was the skipper, that's what he did and he's someone I really looked up to the most - and I still do.

"I still see him and I get a bit nervous because he's one of those guys who always leaves a lasting impression.

"We didn't have too many superstars, we were all honest cricketers but we probably could have been a lot more serious about it.

"When Tim Kennedy came to the club and took control, that's when I felt the professionalism turned. Him and Andy Gibson set some standards, from when Wayne Ashton took over and, by all reports, that professionalism was implanted then."

Ashton, who joined the club in 1995, captained and coached the Dogs for six years.

"We trained really hard," Ashton said. "I'd played for five years in Melbourne and we trained as hard as anyone. We got there an hour earlier, we did a full warm-up - which no-one was doing in those days - and that contributed enormously to the success of the club.

"We made sure the culture was right. The players enjoyed their time playing but they played to win and it worked.

"When we first started, we sat down and made a bit of a plan. One of the things we wanted to work hard on was our junior club. We ended up with an enormous amount of juniors at the club and that filtered through for the next few years.

"We wanted to make sure that as soon as the game started, we were there to play hard, play fair and play to win.

"This is one of the most proudly traditional clubs I've ever come across. The minute you walk in, you understand there's a tradition and to represent the club, it's important you do your best.

"I think it's as simple as that. Everyone that plays here expects to do their best.

"The other aspect of the club is that we've always got fellow older retired players involved at the club. That was the same for the last 30 years. If you've got clubs that attract people back to the club because it's a good place to be, that's worth its weight in gold."

Speaking of which, Hales was right. Bob Craig, another of the club's all-time greats, is not just 'floating around', he's at the scorer's table waiting for the umpire's signal out in the middle.

"It's the people here who keep me coming back," Craig said.

BEHIND THE SCENES - OUR CRICKET SPECIALS:

"We've been blessed to have good leaders and I'll start with John Gehrig. He was a wonderful example of a good cricket person, player and clubman.

"I remember playing with Graeme Hicks and Clem Hicks, they were part of the start of the modern club we have now and then Ron Hill was a great player but also a wonderful team-mate and contributor to the spirit.

"Billy Proud has been around for years and he transcends a lot of eras, first as a player and leader, then as a mentor and trainer, taking a real interest in players' careers from the young age groups right through to being successful senior players.

"The strength of our club is the people and the contribution they're prepared to make. Billy is a very humble man and he doesn't do what he does to get anything out of it for himself.

"There's a sense that everything's in its place when Billy's about. You know, when you've got kids coming through, he makes the place safe.

"I don't think there's any other person I've come across in my lifetime, involved in sport, that is held in greater respect than what we hold for Bill."

For all the acknowledgements of the past and the determination to uphold the standards which have brought them so much success over the decades, Wodonga are also open to changes which will make the club stronger in the future.

Nadia Dinneen, having just taken on the role of secretary, wants to facilitate more conversations around mental health.

"As a sporting club, we've got an obligation to have something in place for our players and members," Dinneen said.

"Some people spend more time here than they do at school or work, whether it's playing, training or volunteering. A lot of the time, there isn't a lot of judgment around sporting clubs in terms of our stature and what we do for a job; we're all equal and we're all here to enjoy our sport.

"But there's been a lot of suicide around this area in the last couple of years so we're getting something together more officially where a player, if they are struggling, can reach out to someone and we can help guide them in the right direction.

"It's not all about our physical wellness.

"Yes, we want to be fit, healthy and switched-on when we play sport but just as important is our mental space.

"You can have the fittest, most talented cricketer out there but if they've got a bit going on in the mind, a bit of conflict or whatever their struggles might be, they're not going to be performing at their peak.

"It's a sign of a good positive club that wants to help their players and members."

North Albury have proved too strong today but Wodonga will bounce back - the expectations among the playing group wouldn't allow anything else.

"I don't know what it is but it's just like a second home," Hales said.

"You're there for half the year, during the summer months, three times a week.

"I've grown up playing all my junior cricket there.

"I've seen it where we were playing games solely on the Martin Park footy ground and the Gordon Street oval was a synthetic wicket that was dusty, onion weed grass, a real rural oval, no fence, just the galvanised bar as the fence.

"As time's gone on and the ground's been turned into this magnificent outfield, wicket, nets and now the pavilion's been upgraded, it's a first-class facility."

With first-class people.

"I've got a genuine interest in all grades and all the people," Craig said.

"My son (Jack) played here for a few years and he's moved away but I'm still here to support (captain) Tom Johnson and all his men.

"It finishes the week off for me, to come down, catch up with a few old mates, help out and hopefully add a little bit to the Bulldog spirit."

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