And today he will receive an Order of Australia Medal for his services to sport as a coach and administrator as part of Australia Day celebrations.

He said cricket hadn’t changed too much over the years, but it didn’t stop him from continuing to enjoy the battle between bat and ball.

“I’ve had a lifetime involvement in cricket and certainly since the late 80s in the Hastings I’ve been involved with administration in the area and across the North Coast,” he said. “I’ve got a lot out of cricket and hopefully I’ve made some contribution as well.”

Currently the Hastings under-19 representative coach, Bourke said watching the progress of young players through his role as a coach was one of the many highlights of his involvement.

“I’ve been involved with a lot of players and a lot of teams and it’s great to see players play to their potential and players playing as a team. There’s nothing like the bonding that occurs when a team works really hard for a goal,” he said.

He said to help with player development the region was looking at putting one more turf pitch in the next couple of years.

“All high-level cricket is played on turf,” he said. “To develop your young players you need as many turf wickets as you can. I’ve just been to Dubbo - they have seven turf wickets. It’s just essential in the development of players.

"We’ve now got four in the district, but we want to work towards getting at least one more in the next few years in the Hastings district.”

He said his passion for the game ensured he would always get something out of it.

“If you have a passion for something you give as much as you can to help out and you get it back,” he said.

“It’s a two-way street. If you give a lot of your time and put a lot of effort into what you’re doing, you always get the appreciation when you reflect on a player’s success. You feel like you have had some involvement and played a part.”

paul.jobber@fairfaxmedia.com.au