Cricket has played a major role in Brian Edwards' life.
Brian enjoyed a 30-year career with Emu Creek, before coaching juniors at Strathdale-Maristians and watching proudly from the sidelines as his sons Steve, Greg, Joe and Tim padded up in the Bendigo District Cricket Association and Victorian Premier Cricket competitions.
These days few things give Brian more joy than watching his grandchildren continue the family tradition of playing cricket.
Last weekend capped a successful season for the Edwards' with five of Brian's grandsons winning BDCA premierships.
Noah, 11, and Archie, 11, were team-mates in the Strathdale-Maristians under-12A premiership team.
Henry, 12, played in the Bendigo United under-14A flag, while 13-year-old Charlie and 16-year-old Will celebrated team success in the Strathdale-Maristians 4th XI side.
For Brian, the premierships were just an added bonus.
"I'm just so happy that the boys love playing cricket,'' he said this week.
"Cricket is a great leveller and it's a great character-builder as to how you want to live your life.
"The boys are the fifth generation of Edwards' to play cricket in Bendigo and that's pretty special to me."
When it comes to handing out advice to the youngsters about cricket, Brian keeps things simple.
"It's about enjoying the game, being part of a team and learning sportsmanship,'' he said.
"I hope that the boys value their premierships. I played for 30 years and only won four and look at a club like Sedgwick who took 100 years to win their first premiership.
"That sums up cricket for you. It's a great game."
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