Yeah, Ian had his workshop next door producing the bats and then they’d be sold from the shop front. I bought mine from him after just randomly going past his store , from memory I’d been intending to buy a Slazenger V100 but to get an actual locally made bat seemed very cool. Like most bats of that era, this one has an incredible middle if your timing is good, and gives you sfa anywhere else. You ain’t miss-hitting an edge over the point boundary with this bat. Which is as it should be imo.
Quite a few years back Ian got involved with a willow plantation offshoot and started conducting bat-making classes with a view to retiring. Which he has now done. Several of his pupils have picked up the baton and you can still get an Australian made bat from Australian grown English willow. One of them offers a “retro” style bat that looks a hell of a lot like my Callen that is apparently quite popular with Vets aged players. I’m not at all surprised.
Edit - apologies for the less sombre post in a time of tragedy for all cricket lovers. No disrespect meant, of course.
The nets at Wally Tew are only a couple of hundred meters from my house, we heard all the commotion and I peaked down the road and saw fire, police, and several ambos and at time we deduced someone had had a heart attack. My children both go to Rowville, Ben’s school and quite soon after their phones were going off with the dreadful news. It’s utterly heartbreaking tbh.
I think today’s game was in one of the most scenic areas I’ve ever played or umpired a game.
It was between the two crater lakes about 5km west of Camperdown, Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Gnotuk. Apparently Camperdown CC play on the two fields, beside the Camperdown Golf Club, and this season, while the field at Cobden school is being renovated, the Cobden women are playing at the hard wicket here. There are hills all around, probably the lips of the crater, and both lakes are said to be deep fishing lakes.
I’d been to Lake Purrumbete on Friday for lunch with Geelong-based friends so two trips of about 100km each way in 3 days is an effort.
And their opponents were from Hawkesdale which is 36km northwest of here, so the longest roadtrip in the comp.
Good game too, but not enough scones for arvo tea.