By Russell Bennett
Each and every year, the Yabbies come together to remember their own.
Members of the Pakenham Upper Toomuc Cricket Club come together on the first Sunday in February to honour those who’ve passed away in recent years, and on Sunday 4 February the Yabbies held their Annual JA Memorial Twenty20 clash, which is named after the late John Allcock.
This year’s clash was played to honour the late Paul Garvey, who passed away on 28 August last year.
Paul, or ‘Garves’ as he was commonly known, was a special man. Loved by all who knew him, he worked tirelessly for the Pakenham Upper Community and his beloved Yabbies.
He was a life member of the cricket club and served on the committee as treasurer and secretary for many years. He also serviced and managed the bar and was always there to support his boys, Patrick and Adrian.
Paul was also a key figure on the Pakenham Upper Recreation Reserve committee of management for 21 years, and was the treasurer for many of those.
He worked tirelessly at the reserve, not only managing the books to perfection, but also the reserve and surrounds – cutting the grass, trimming trees, planting gardens, and doing regular maintenance to the grounds and facilities to ensure all users of the facility had a wonderful experience every time they visited Pakenham Upper.
Paul’s family was in attendance on the day of the T20 clash, along with the Allcock family, the Buckland family, and the Baker and Fielder families to remember them all.
It was a tremendous turnout by both past and present players to support the families and have a fantastic Twenty20 match, which fittingly ended in a draw. The cup was presented to the two captains, Ron Milnes and Patrick Garvey, by Pat Allcock.
The club paid a special tribute to all those who worked so tirelessly to make it such a great day for the families and everyone that attended. Next year’s catch will be held on Sunday, 3 February.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Yabbies travelled down to Paynesville on Sunday to take part in what they foresee as an annual event between the two clubs. Hosting the Pink Stumps Day T20 clash for the first time, the Paynesville Cricket Club put on a fantastic day – complete with kids amusements, and face painting.
The home side batted first and made great use of their home deck, putting on a credible 145. Pakenham Upper Toomuc started strongly in its chase with an opening stand of 85 before Paynesville put the breaks on – leaving the Yabbies falling short by nine runs after their 20 overs. A great day was had by all with some much needed money raised by the two clubs going towards the McGrath Foundation. Those in attendance commented on how great it was to see the country cricket spirit alive and well. The Yabbies are looking forward to hosting the event next year.
