Salute to club's half century

Above: Players and members of Peninsula Cricket Club at the 50th anniversary celebrations. Picture: Bob Jones Photography

Players, officials, members and friends – past and present – gathered last month to celebrate Peninsula Cricket Club (PCC) reaching a major milestone.

Thousands of players have pulled on the club colours and walked on to Filmer Park over the last 50 years.

They range from Queensland and Australia A stars to many who took guard or marked their run-up purely for the love of cricket.

Some of the club’s founders joined more recent generations at Woody Point on August 17 to catch-up and enjoy a question-and-answer session.

PCC has fielded five or six teams most years and won 63 premierships in summer and winter competitions, across various grades, over five decades.

Among its former players are Nathan McSweeney, tipped as a future Australia captain, who played C Grade winter cricket at PCC.

Picture gallery - Bob Jones Photography

Also, Nathan Rimmington, who played first-class cricket for Queensland, West Australia and three English counties, as well as one-day for Perth and Melbourne.

Bryce Street is a mainstay of the current Queensland squad and former winter player Josh Brown has emerged as one of the Big Bash’s biggest drawcards.

Peninsula Cricket Club was formed by brothers Jim and Stan Marks, Ken Pampling and Sam Wakeman in 1974.

The founding members played in the Warehouse Cricket Association (WCA) for Brisbane Hospitals, but saw a need for a team on the peninsula.

Funds were raised through raffles run by loyal members such as Ron and Colleen Butler.

PCC started joined the WCA for the summer 1975-76 season and convincingly won the B1 North division.

The following season it fielded teams in the A3, B1 and B2 divisions – and won the A3 and B2 Premierships.

In 1985 PCC took over Filmer Park, from Redcliffe Soccer Club and it has been the club's home ever since.

The club enters teams in the WCA summer and winter seasons and recently joined the QSDCA/WCA combined Community Cricket Competition - winning the 2023-24 summer 1st grade Premiership.

Former Test greats also graced Filmer Park in 2022 when Queensland Bulls Masters played their first match in Moreton Bay against the WCA for the latter’s centenary celebrations.

Peninsula stars:

Don Muddle – right-hand bat and right-arm fast medium bowler, played 11 Shield matches for Queensland in 1959 and 1960. Hit 236 runs in 16 innings with a highest of 37 not out and took 11 wickets, with a best of 3-71.

Bob McGhee – Right-arm fast bowler who made four first-class appearances for Queensland in the 1990-91 Shield season. Took a best of 3-83 against Victoria in November 1990. He finished with nine first-class wickets.

Nathan Rimmington - Redcliffe-born fast bowler, played for Sandgate-Redcliffe and then Queensland, making his debut in 2005-06. Starred in T20 and one-day cricket, was man-of-the-match with 4-40 as Queensland won the 2008-09 Ford Ranger Cup. Also played for Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades, Hampshire, Durham, Derbyshire and Nangarhar Leopards.

Bryce Street – Made the highest score in Australian Second XI cricket with 345, just two weeks before his first-class Queensland debut in 2019-20. Maiden first-class century came in November 2019 against Western Australia and full State contract in 2020-21. Played for Australia A against England Lions in 2021, scoring 119 not out.

Nathan McSweeney – tipped as future Australia captain, McSweeney started with Queensland but is now captain of South Australia. Was in Australia’s Under 19 World Cup squad of 2019, a year after his first-class debut for Queensland and last year captained of Australia A in New Zealand, scoring half centuries in both innings of an unofficial Test. Skippered Brisbane Heat to the Big Bash title this year.

Josh Brown – Makes his own bats and blasted onto the Big Bash scene in January 2023 with 62 from 23 balls for Brisbane Heat against Sydney Sixers. In January this year he smashed 140 from 57 balls – with 12 sixes and 10 fours – as Heat beat Adelaide in a qualifying final and hit 58 from 23 as Heat beat Sydney Sixers in the final! Was snapped up by the Bangladesh Premier League and Melbourne Renegades.