The Upper Brookfield Cricket Team was formed around 1929/1930. The original Upper Brookfield team comprised the following players:
Frank Congram, Charlie Whitney, Sid Box, Ernie Breddin, Lionel Breddin, Carl Campbell, Ernie Cooper, Vince Doyle, Norm Doyle, Phillip Doyle, Fred Breddin, Bob Breddin, Ted Burgess.
This team won the Premiership undefeated in 1930/31 and remained in the competition until the war years.
Lower Brookfield and Moggill also fielded teams.
In 1946, the locals reformed the Upper Brookfield team and in that initial year they fielded a team in the QCA Second Division competition. Their first game was at Ballymore and they accumulated the massive score of 32! Despite this unimpressive start, they went on to win the Premiership. A few years later a second team was formed. In the early days of the club, a wicket was prepared for practice on what is now called Ogilvie's flat. One particular highlight for the teams was the day when Bill Brown, who was a member of the 1948 Australian team to tour England, came down to pass on some tips to the players.
Brookfield is one of the oldest teams still playing in the Subdistricts (Second Division) competition with only three other teams being members of the Division for as long as the Brookfield Club. A number of locals played for over 25 years and three of these deserve special mention. They are Don Midgley, Allan and Eric Weiss. They all played for over 40 years.
Brookfield has always fielded a team every season since its inception with up to three teams in a season at various times. Nowadays, the team relies on many players who do not live in the Brookfield district, but the same spirit is still there.
The Club has a proud history and won premierships in the following years:
1930/31, 1946/47, 1970/71, 1972/73, 1977/78, 1984/85, 1998/99.
Don Midgley, a long-serving Brookfield player, as mentioned above, is trying
to locate past records and photos of the Club. If anyone can help in this regard,
Don would love to hear from you.His contact number is 3374 1080.
TALES TALL AND TRUE:
Some amazing stories have been told and include the following:
"Rough Justice"
Umpires of old had ways of seeing justice was done. At one game the home team was in danger of losing when Brookfield had one of their better days. The second week of the game arrived and Brookfield turned up to find the wicket very wet. The umpire was told that a storm had hit the ground the night before. He walked a short distance from the wicket and kicked up the dust and stated that it must have been a small storm and waited for the wicket to dry enough to play. Needless to say the home side lost in no uncertain terms.
Another instance involved the captain wanting to leave the field to let his pigeons out for their daily flight. He was told in no uncertain terms that he need not return to continue the game if he left the field.
"Copy Cats"
In recent times a certain Brookfield team tried to copy the tactics of the West Indies groundsman and light a fire on the wicket to dry it out to play because they needed to win the premiership. Unfortunately, they didn't win the premiership and the wicket is still trying to recover. They should have remembered that in the West Indies they lit straw covering the wicket that was virtually grassless. They did not pour petrol directly on the wicket and then light it.
Upper Brookfield Cricket Team Undefeated Premiers, 3rd grade Junior C. Association, Winners of Sport Depot Shield 1930-31
Front Row - C Jones, S Doyle (V/Captain), H Cooper (Captain & Hon Sec), W Anstead, B Gorman
Second Row - P Doyle, V O'Sullivan (3rd grade bowling average), N Doyle, E Westaway, Vinc Doyle, W Carlow (Hon Treasurer)
Back Row - T Ballard, E Cooper (Umpire), Vic Doyle