Clubs are often cited as cross-sections of the community and for ACL Cricket Club, their community has been a staple of the region for nearly seven decades.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The club will enjoy their 70th anniversary celebrations next year as they pay tribute to their history and touch on the future at the Tamar Function Centre.
The club was born out of the bones of the Repco Cricket Club as the Repco Bearing Company constructed a side to play against their Melbourne counterparts.
Repco was rebranded to ACL in 1986 and shortly after joined the Tasmanian Cricket League after spending time in the Wilmot Cricket Association and the Tamar Valley Cricket Association.
While some would point to the victories or milestones achieved on the field, club icon Dean Martin values the friendships within ACL.
"The people and the friendships that I've made over the years are the only reason I am still here ... they're the reason I stay because I got along with them right from the start," he said.
"I've never played anywhere else, this is the only place I've ever played cricket."
Much has changed around ACL including the change rooms at University Way and the female team which sits proudly alongside clubmates in the premier league, A-grade and B-grade competitions.
It is a marked difference from a club which used to operate out of a car boot in years past.
"It gives everyone the opportunity to have a go," club president Amanda Dewis said.
"If you look around at the people involved in the club now, it's become very diverse and other clubs are exactly the same, it's probably taken us a little bit longer to come on-board but from what I've seen this year it's a real good thing," Martin said.
Martin and Tony Dunstone and Bill Dunstone will be joined by more club icons with seven to be announced at the anniversary celebration.
In another mark to the past, the club's life members or their descendents will be presented with a badge to mark their service to ACL.
Club patron Sam Gannon hoped the night would be a fitting celebration of the unsung heroes which helped the club operate.
"It's a recognition of not just [their] quality of service but the quantity of service basically they provided so it'll be a suitable night to recognise those people," he said.
The anniversary will be held on February 12 at the Tamar Function Centre.
Tickets are available on Trybooking.com.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner
Adam Daunt
Sports reporter at The Examiner. Focus on basketball and netball but occasionally rolls the arm over for some cricket coverage in the summer. Previously from Adelaide with a stint in Byron Bay. Get in touch: adam.daunt@examiner.com.au.
Sports reporter at The Examiner. Focus on basketball and netball but occasionally rolls the arm over for some cricket coverage in the summer. Previously from Adelaide with a stint in Byron Bay. Get in touch: adam.daunt@examiner.com.au.
