THE Sunshine Coast is looking forward to the Australian over-70s National Cricket Championships, being held here from September 12-18.
The region has produced some great cricketers over the years, and their passion has even made them famous.
The Sunshine Coast has some first class cricket grounds where junior and senior teams play during the season.
The Queensland Cricket Association Country Division Shield winners, 1968. Contributed
Cricket historian Warwick Torrens began researching the history of Queensland cricket as a young man.
Born in Maleny in 1935, he was particularly interested in the statistical and historical side of cricket played in Australia, especially Queensland.
He loved the game and played for many of the North Coast teams including Maleny, Maroochy, Palmwoods and Brisbane, but sadly a shoulder injury meant he could no longer play.
The Perren family cricket team, Nambour, 1925 (back row, from left) Tom, Dave, Wilfred, Dick, Fred Jnr, Fred Snr (front row, from left) Walter, Lal, Eli, Edgar, Arthur. Contributed
Collecting and collating information, he wrote books on cricket and was a major contributor to the Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket.
In 1974, Mr Torrens became a member of the English-based Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
He was the official scorer in many Brisbane matches and due to technological advances, he became the internet scorer for Cricinfo in First Class matches in 1998.
His cricket collection has been donated to the State Library of Queensland.
Cricket match at Maleny, ca 1910. Contributed
In earlier times, North Coast settlers worked hard and played sport when they could.
A Witta boy, Otto Nothling, was outstanding in sport and spirit.
As a young man, he was always busy but restless on the family dairy farm, and constantly practised throwing rocks as far as he could.
Industrious in his studies, the young Otto obtained a scholarship studying in New South Wales, where he became a doctor in 1926.
While studying, he played rugby for New South Wales from 1922-25.
He has been voted one of the top 100 Wallabies of all time and is one of only two Australian rugby and cricket dual internationals.
Junior cricket team at the Nambour Show grounds, November 1969. Contributed
Cricket was his love and it was here that his sporting greatness became apparent.
He represented Queensland from 1927-29 in 12 Sheffield Shield matches and was captain of three.
In November 1928, he was chosen for an Australian XI and a Queensland XI against Chapman’s touring English Marylebone Cricket Club team.
Selected as opening batsman in the second test side, he took five wickets for 78 against English players who were some of the best.
Dr Nothling continued working at his medical practice in Maryborough as the grip of the Great Depression took hold.
After playing a few more games for Queensland, he retired from First Class Cricket.
Men dressed in womens’ clothes at a picnic cricket match, Yandina, ca 1908.Standing, L to R: B. Nichols, Bill Brayden, Bob Ablin, Ewen Low, A.L. Best, Bill Cox, J. McNab. Seated: J. Corrigan, E. Nichols, Owen Cowley, H. Manthey. Contributed
If people were unable to pay for medical treatment during the Depression, he kept treating them, accepting whatever a patient could give, even if it was only a handshake.
His generosity was outstanding, as was his sportsmanship.
As war loomed in the late 1930s, Dr Nothling, aged 40, was rejected for military service but tried again a few months later and enlisted.
He believed doctors were needed and it was his duty.
As a Major in the Australian Army Medical Corps, he set sail for the Middle East in December 1940 as second-in-command of the 2nd/3rd Casualty Clearing Station.
Nambour Police Youth Cricket Team, April 1980. Contributed
He often worked 70-hour shifts of non-stop surgery in traumatic surroundings, alongside his Commander and leading surgeon Dr Belisario.
Returning to Australia with an injury which would not allow him to stand for long periods as a surgeon, Dr Nothling retrained as a skin specialist.
He established the dermatology clinic at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and set up as a specialist in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane.
RUNS ON THE BOARD: An A Grade match between Nambour Cricket Club and Southern District at Nambour, January 1973. Contributed
He was the first skin specialist appointed to the Brisbane Children’s Hospital.
His war-related disability did not hinder his sporting interests and he went on to become Queensland Cricket president and Queensland Rugby Union vice-president.
He was often seen at cricket grounds supporting players, young and old.
Dr Nothling kept a farm at Cambroon and visited the region he loved on weekends.
He always stopped for a rum and milk and a yarn with his former school friends at the Maleny Hotel.
Ray Lindwall, one of Australia’s greatest fast bowlers, coaches a group of Nambour High School cricketers, March 1965. Contributed
One of these stories recounts that after he had left the district, a new bowler in Maleny made his intentions known: he was “gunna teach the Nothling bloke a lesson”.
Word spread and everyone came to Witta Sports Ground to see that cricket match.
Dr Nothling’s first shot saw the ball end up close to Witta Cemetery, which is a mighty hit, and the second ball went even further.
Before the third delivery, a loud call came out from the crowd: “Is the lesson over yet?”
In December 1981, Caloundra Cricket Club hosted a game between the touring West Indies and Queensland Country, and thousands of spectators attended the game at Henzell Park.
Caloundra also hosted a great game on January 30, 1990, when Sri Lanka played Queensland Country at the same ground.
Sri Lankan international Dammika Ranatunga came to play and coach Caloundra in 1991.
Dammika and his young family were welcomed with hospitality and friendship.
This was a major coup, and the club won the A Grade premiership in the 1991-92 season.
Nambour’s Ashley Noffke has been a great cricketer, making his First-Class debut at the Australian Cricket Academy in 1999.
Throughout his outstanding career, he was rewarded with a place in the Australian squad.
An all-rounder, Noffke won the State Cricket Player of the Year award in 2008.
Women’s cricket in Australia began in 1934, and remains a popular and growing sport.
In May last year, the Australian Women’s National Cricket Team (the Southern Stars) prepared for the World Cup tour in England at the Elizabeth Daniels Sport complex on the Sunshine Coast.
Pro surfer Julian Wilson and his brothers, from Coolum, played cricket on the Sunshine Coast from an early age.
Wilson was fortunate to meet champion Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, who became a friend of the family.
Hayden also loved to surf and took a keen interest in the Wilson brothers and their sporting attributes.
Hayden taught the youngest Wilson brother that it took toughness and stoicism to become successful. Currently, he is one of the best surfers in the world and showed tremendous courage when he went to the aid of Australian Mick Fanning after a shark knocked him from his board during a competition in South Africa.
Wilson was awarded the Spirit of Sport for his brave actions. He is known to be fairly handy on a cricket pitch, too.
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