Tara Murray
Michael Walsh and Kevin O’Neill have shared many a scorer’s cricket box at local, state and international level over the years.
The two mates are again in the same company after they were both recognised in the Australia Day Honours list.
Both were awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division [OAM] for their services to cricket.
Mr Walsh, who lives in Keilor East, has been the scorer at Victorian Premier Cricket Club Essendon since 1963.
He scored on 17 tours with the Australian team, as well as scoring at plenty of state matches.
“I don’t know who nominated me,” he said. “It’s an honour.
“I’ve been in the game a long time and you don’t expect these sorts of things. When I got the notification to accept it, I was over the moon.”
Mr Walsh played junior cricket at school before starting to score at Essendon in 1963.
He said there had been plenty of highlights and star players that he had seen in his time.
“I think the first tour with the Australian team for the 1989 Ashes. It was supposed to be the weakest team we sent over and we won.
“The Essendon premiership in 1969-70 is pretty special as well.”
He said Ricky Ponting is the best player that he had seen play.
Mr Walsh said he would continue to score as long as he could. He was one of the scorers at the recent Boxing Test.
“It beats gardening on a Saturday.”
Mr O’Neill said he was just as surprised by the award. He has been scoring at Carlton since he moved to Melbourne 50 years ago, having started scoring in the country when he was 11.
“I was very surprised as there are other people just as important at Carlton,” he said.
“I enjoy seeing the young players coming through the various teams.”
The Craigieburn resident said there had been a number of good players come through Carlton, including the late Dean Jones.
When he first moved to Melbourne, he would score on a Saturday and play on a Sunday.
He has scored at 34 test matches and been a scorer for Cricket Victoria.
He said Australia had won most of the test matches he had scored, which had been good.
Former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is the best batsman he has seen. Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are up there for the top bowlers.
Both men, who are long time members of the VCA Umpires & Scorer’s Association, said they had formed a lot of good friendships with the other scorers that had been around for a long time.
“Meeting other fantastic people has been really good,” Mr O’Neill said.
“You get to know them and have a good friendship.”
