Sedgwick stalwart set for last hurrah

AFTER almost 30 years in the Emu Valley Cricket Association, the curtain will today fall on the career of Sedgwick veteran Scott McKenzie.While he will play in Tuesday night’s Bash for Cash finals, today will be McKenzie’s last Saturday afternoon game for the Rams after announcing his retirement.The 43-year-old, best known as “Cackles”, has been a stalwart of the EVCA dating back to 1984 when he joined Emu Creek, before crossing to Sedgwick in 1994, where he has remained since.While there’s one more round remaining after today, McKenzie felt it fitting that if Sedgwick wasn’t to make the finals then the best way to bow out would be by playing his last game against his old club, Emu Creek.Sedgwick will resume today at 0-12 in reply to Emu Creek’s 236.Throughout his career, the consistent all-rounder has amassed more than 10,000 runs – including 13 centuries – and over 300 wickets.After playing his junior cricket with Bendigo United, McKenzie joined Emu Creek in 1984.He spent the 1984-85 season playing in Emu Creek’s B grade side, before stepping up to the A grade team the following season.McKenzie made his A grade debut on October 12, 1985, against Maiden Gully, making 6 and taking 0-12 followed by 0-9 in the second innings, and has been a permanent fixture in EVCA A grade since.During his 10 years with Emu Creek he was part of a winning grand final team in 1988 against Heathcote.Emu Creek (4-220) defeated Heathcote (219) by six wickets, with McKenzie’s contribution one with the bat at No.4 and 1-24 opening the bowling.But the biggest regret McKenzie will leave the game with is that he didn’t get to savour the same success at Sedgwick.While he would have loved a premiership medal for himself and team-mates, more importantly, he wanted to win one for long-time Sedgwick official Brian Geary, who died in July, 2010.It was his friendship with Geary that was one of the key factors in McKenzie making the decision to leave Emu Creek and join Sedgwick.“Sedgwick has never won an A grade premiership,” McKenzie said this week.“We’ve lost three or four grand finals since I’ve been out here, which is disappointing because I really would loved to have won one for Brian Geary.“He ran the club for a long time, so it was always a goal for us to win one while he was alive.“We had a couple of chances a few years ago (lost to Axe Creek in 2009 and Spring Gully in 2010)... we wanted to win one for him, but it didn’t quite happen.”McKenzie did his best to lift Sedgwick in the 2009 grand final loss to Axe Creek when he made 95 before being given out lbw.When McKenzie – who got the nickname “Cackles” at primary school – joined Sedgwick, the club trained at Golden Square’s Backhaus Oval, before shifting to its current base at Catholic College’s Junortoun campus.“When we came out here there were no nets, so we had to build them,” said McKenzie, who has made 295 runs and taken nine wickets this season.“And we didn’t have any clubrooms, so I used to put all the gear in the back of my old Landrover and then distribute it all out of there.”McKenzie also fondly recalls the development of Sedgwick’s “tin shed” clubrooms.“We built the shed firstly without a door, but we thought it was pretty good,” McKenzie said.“When we got the door, well, we thought that was unreal.“We used to have an old fridge (without power) that we would fill with ice blocks to keep the grog cool.“Then when we got power, we thought that was Christmas, and once the bar got put in, well, that was super.“We get a bit of crap hung on us about our little tin shed clubrooms, but we have a good time in here.”As well as player, McKenzie has served on Sedgwick’s committee, while he has also represented the EVCA at Bendigo Country Week.“Cackles has been an integral part of the club since he came across,” Sedgwick president Mick Purdon said.“He has been an ornament to the game and fantastic for the club.”While McKenzie’s playing days are about to come to an end, he won’t be lost to the EVCA next season as he intends to take up umpiring. And he will also have a bit of extra time to focus on his greyhound training.