ST Columba Anglican School student Oscar Brotherston joined the Port News for work experience last week. He delves into the career of Macquarie Hotel keeper and former Wauchope RSL player Gordon Scott, and finds out just how much Scott puts back into the sport he loves.
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MACQUARIE Hotel gloveman Gordon Scott puts in plenty of work behind the stumps for the club, but the biggest impact comes from what he does off the field.
Scott started playing for the Macquarie side four seasons ago after meeting some of the guys at indoor cricket and being told the club needed a wicketkeeper.
Previously playing third grade cricket for Wauchope RSL, Scott stopped playing for them in 2007, after "many years with the club".
Scott's best performance coming against Macquarie, carrying his bat and scoring an unbeaten century. Making the step up from third grade to first grade when changing clubs, Scott has struggled with the bat with a high score of 18 since joining the Macquarie side, at an average of just over eight.
Scott said he only ever put in his best effort for Macquarie.
"I put in 100 per cent every game for the club," he said. "I couldn't be much happier playing cricket."
He is also extremely happy to be back playing for the over 35s Oxley Thunder representative team again.
This is Scott's first season back after serious injury in a round five over 35s representative game against Manning District last season.
Scott tore a rotator cuff tendon in his right shoulder while diving for a catch.
He missed 11 months of work thanks to the injury, along with one and a half seasons of cricket.
He had to watch his Macquarie side lose two straight grand finals against the Magpies and then again against Wauchope RSL the following season.
Off the field, Scott runs the canteen along with his partner Mel after every game, mans the barbecue, controls the flow of stock in the canteen, which brings in most of the club's income, and he is also an important member of the club's committee.
Macquarie Hotel Cricket Club president Phil Arnell labelled Scott "irreplaceable on and off the field" and that his efforts to come back from such a serious injury are "tenacious, and shows his competitive spirit".
"Most players would have given up at his age," Arnell said.
On the field Scott was described as "competitive" and a "great leader for younger players".
Some of the more important innings he has posted are the 20 or 30 run partnerships to get his side back in the game.
Most notably there was an innings in Laurieton where he and batsmen Shayne Redden put on a 97 run last wicket partnership, which is still a club and district last wicket partnership record for first grade.
Arnell also noted an impressive 50 odd run partnership to win against the Pirates at Oxley Oval.
Scott recalled his greatest memory at the club as winning back-to-back premierships for Macquarie.
The first was in 2010/11.
Scott has taken an impressive 31 catches and 12 stumpings in almost 50 games for the Macquarie Hotel side.
"I'm just loving to be able to play again and being back on the field," he said.
Scott and his Macquarie first grade side will look to extend on a great start to the season this weekend in a two-day match against his old side Wauchope RSL.
