Stepping out for a record 450th game on Saturday, Longford's Dion Blair doesn't look like slowing down.
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Debuting at the Tigers when he was 14, the 40-year-old is pretty casual about the milestone considering his side haven't been able to hit the park so far this year.
"It comes along if you play for so long I suppose, I'm just looking forward to getting out there and winning a game of cricket," he said.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
"I joked to the boys a bit recently saying that in another 10 years there'll be another team of the decade and I'll go three in a row.
"So I'm not sure [how long I've got left] but as long as the body feels right, I'll keep playing."
The glazier and window installer attributes his job for keeping him physically fit but gives credit to his friends and family at the club for him sticking around.
"I look back and think that I could've possibly had a crack at NTCA over at Westbury with a few mates but my priority was footy, cricket was just a summer thing so it was footy in the winter, cricket in the summer.
"I just love being out at Longford, I've got a lot of close mates and still to this day, a lot of mates there and I've got a fair few family members involved in the club still, a couple of cousins I play with, my old man and my uncle are still involved in the club."
Since wandering up to the Longford Oval as a child, the man affectionately known as 'Pistol' has played in five 40-over premierships and a massive seven T20 flags, including in 2015 where he blasted an unbeaten 92.
Among all the success, he lists last season's state T20 finals campaign as a major highlight, stepping foot on Bellerive Oval for the Tigers' semi-final clash against Devonport and scoring 32 not out off 43 balls.
Ahead of the milestone match against George Town, club coach Josh Adams described it as a "great effort".
"To play 450 games at one club, not many people get to do that," he said.
"He's been a very loyal clubman over the years and we are pretty excited to try and get the victory for him."
Moving forward, Blair is hoping to one day play alongside his nine-year-old son Jordan, who starts his cricketing career in Cricket North's under-12s competition on Monday night.
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
