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A LAID-BACK character off the field – fiercely competitive on it.
That’s a picture that has been painted of Bendigo stalwart Mark “Chicken” Ryan ahead of his 300th first XI game in the BDCA with the Goers on Saturday.
“Even though he has a great personality off the field, on it he’s one of the most fiercest competitors you will come across,” David Rosaia – a former team-mate and opponent of Ryan – said this week.
“He has that bit of white line fever when he’s out on the field, but he’s a very team-orientated player.”
Ryan and Rosaia spent eight years playing together at Bendigo before Rosaia made the move to take up a coaching opportunity at rival club Strathfieldsaye.
“We always used to travel together to games on a Saturday with Paul Monro. We all lived on the same side of town out Junortoun way,” Rosaia said.
“We used to jam into Chicken’s yellow Holden ute and have a lot of fun going to and from cricket.
“I have a lot of great memories of playing with and against Chicken.
“Chicken always used to bowl a lot, but was predominantly down the order with the bat and I remember one of the seasons I was captain giving him an opportunity to bat up the order at No.4.
“I remember him making a really good 120-odd against Eaglehawk (117) and another hundred later in the season against Huntly-North Bendigo (119)… he really excelled when he got the opportunity up the order.”
That was the 2002-03 season when – according to BDCA historian Darren Rodda – Ryan cracked a career high 523 runs at an average of 65.3.
That 2002-03 season, in which he also took 23 wickets, was Ryan’s 10th at the Goers after arriving at the club from Bamawm Lockington United in 1992-93.
His first captain was David Bakes, who, along with Tony Fitzpatrick and Terry Hurford, were able to recruit not only Ryan, but his older brother, Tony (Noony), who had just finished playing with Premier club South Melbourne.
“We’d heard about this gun from Bamawm Lockington United, so we went around to the house he was living in with his brother and sister behind the 24 hour shop in Williamson Street and 300 games later the rest is history,” Bakes said.
“He came with a reputation as a player who could belt the ball every where and was a very good bowler as well and we just hit it off with both Chicken and Noony straight away.
“When we got the Ryans, not only did we get Chicken and Noony, but also their sister Joanne and parents Barney and Joan.
“Barney and Joan would come along every Saturday to watch the boys. I remember Barney would come with a mate who’d always be wearing a beanie, even if it was 40 degrees, and they’d sit on the opposite side of the ground every week and have a good time.”
Ryan’s debut game for the Goers in 1992-93 was a washed out draw against Kangaroo Flat at Dower Park in which he made 18 batting at No.5 and picked up two wickets – his first being Steve Newlan.
Ryan, 48, holds a unique place in Goers’ history as the only player to have been part of first XI, one-day and Twenty20 premiership teams for the club.
He won the BDCA’s one-day premiership last season, Twenty20 title in 2014-15, while he was part of Bendigo’s last first XI premiership side in 1993-94.
In his 29th game for the club, Ryan took three wickets in the Goers’ gripping two-run win over Eaglehawk at the QEO to capture the 1993-94 flag – and they were all big scalps: Wayne Walsh (23), Geoff Findlay (109) and Garry Tupper (38), who were all bowled.
In a game ultimately decided by just two runs, Ryan’s five with the bat on day one also proved more than handy in the Goers’ first flag since 1977.
“I remember Chicken coming to us as a skinny young country lad who enjoyed a beer and his cricket,” Bendigo’s 1993-94 premiership captain Tim Alexander said.
“His brother Tony came to the club at the same time as well and they were both a pair of characters. Their mum and dad would come along to the cricket every week and Chicken was an absolute dead ringer for his dad Barney.
“He obviously took some big wickets in that 1994 grand final and I remember he also bowled really well in the semi-final against Kangaroo Flat the week before.
“I had given him a bit of a stir up before the finals that he needed to pull his finger out a bit and he really delivered for us in those two finals.
“To beat Eaglehawk in that grand final was just fantastic because they were one hell of a cricket side… their batting in particular was probably as good as any in country Victoria.”
As well as being a premiership player in all forms of the game, Ryan is also a BDCA Cricketer of the Year winner, having tied with Bendigo United’s Heath Behrens in 2005-06.
Such has been his longevity at the club, Ryan – who has made 6499 runs and taken 349 wickets for the Goers – has played under 11 coaches at the Goers, the most recent being Shane Koop.
“Chicken is a fantastic support both on and off the field. He has played a lot of cricket for the club and been involved in a lot of pressure moments,” Koop said.
“We always want to make sure we represent the club really well every time we go out on the ground, but this week is extra special with Chicken’s 300th. We want to make it a game he remembers fondly.
“He always plays to win and we’ll be looking to do that for him on Saturday.”
Ryan’s longevity was highlighted during the 2014-15 season when he played alongside his son, James, for the first time in a first XI game against Strathdale-Maristians at Bell Oval.
Ryan’s 300th game will be against White Hills at Atkins Street, with the feat at the one club all the more impressive when considering his career was in jeopardy in 2008-09 due to a back injury.
“I guess the 300 games probably just means I’ve played for a long time, but I suppose it also shows there is still a bit of loyalty in sport,” Ryan said.
“I could have easily gone to other teams and had more success, but it never interested me. I’d rather stay and play with the side I grew up playing with.
“The wins haven’t been as frequent, but they have always been hard-earned and that makes them satisfying.”
As for the origins of the “Chicken” nickname in which he is synonymous with in the BDCA: “I look like my father, whose name was Bernard, but everyone called him Barney. So I started getting called Barney, then Barnyard, then Barnyard Chicken and then just Chicken.”
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