IT could conceivably be the most experienced opening organization ever.

At the point when Cranbourne Cricket Club legend Murray Pratt walked out to bat in his 450th amusement on Saturday, his best mate and kindred Eagles doyen Peter Kelly was at the flip side.

The abundance of experience between the two men represented 854 recreations — more than twofold whatever is left of the players in the group joined (Kelly 404).

What's more, the combine challenged the Dingley F Grade rocking the bowling alley assault for 12 overs, achieving 25 preceding Pratt was gotten and played after "one held up on me".

"It was awesome to have the capacity to go out to bat with him (Kelly)," Pratt said.


"We most likely haven't played or batted together for 10-15 years.

"We were solid until I got out," he chuckled.

Before going out to bat, the match was having an opposition over whose bat was more seasoned, with the agreement that club recreations record holder Pratt's white painted SS Jumbo and Kelly's battered Gray Nicholls most likely had around 60 years between them — not about as old as the combine's consolidated age, which just obscurations 120.

Cranbourne got 131, preceding Dingley achieved 0-16 at stumps, yet it's no longer about the outcome and the runs any longer for Pratt, who joined the club as a 15-year-old route in 1971, subsequent to moving to Cranbourne from Jeetho, close Korumburra.

"I went up to senior preparing, which I believed was the youngsters, and let them know I was a wicketkeeper," Pratt reviews.

"They stated, 'awesome, you can play A review', which was first grade in those days."

He can let you know precisely what occurred in that amusement — 46 years prior.

"We played Berwick at Akoonah Park, they made around 200 and we made 11 and 21," he said.

"I made 0 not out in the primary innings batting at the base of the request and the commander said I did as such well that he needed me to open in the second innings.

"What's more, think about what, I made a duck, however I had around 15 wounds from this bloke nobody needed to confront."

He can educate you what occurred in simply concerning each amusement he played, with his two premierships a highlight, and reels of club greats like they played yesterday.

He says Kelly is the most steady batsman the club had seen, while men like current stars Steve Spoljaric and Matt Chasemore, alongside Turf 1 prevalence chief Peter Campbell, weapon batsmen Mark McNamee and Matty Herrick.

"There's most likely been exceptional batsmen playing for Cranbourne here and now be that as it may, more than 30-40 years, you'll never locate a more reliable batsman at any club," he said.

"You just need to look today, he hasn't gotten a bat for 12 months and he goes out there, gets 30 and looks untroubled."

The stories come thick and quick. This is a man who knows cricket back to front and drains the blue and gold of Cranbourne, having satisfied each part from president down at the club.

He discusses previous Pakistani Test man Duncan Sharpe, who might later go ahead to be the club's keeper.

"Duncan scored 100 against the Australian visiting side in 1960," he said.

"I recollect his first diversion at Cranbourne was out at Tooradin and the grass was up to our knees.

"He went out to bat, no gloves, no crate and he didn't hit one ball noticeable all around and made 49.

"It would have been 150 after Christmas.

"What's more, in the event that he was setting up the wicket with Spolly and Chasemore playing, they'd make a ton consistently."

He confronted a 16-year-old Damien Fleming on a wet wicket against Springvale South amid the mid-1980s.

"He went through us and he was lightning," Pratt said.

"What's more, he had a mate up the flip side who was similarly as fast."

Among the best stumpers the club has seen, Pratt sits behind the considerable Polly Waymouth and child David in third on Cranbourne's puzzling rundown, with 69, to run with 233 gets and 5091 runs.

"Waymouth was George Harvey's stumper and George assumed control 1000 wickets for the club.

"He has 131 stumpings, however it's presumably almost twofold that, in light of the fact that the records weren't generally kept."

He recollects the extreme days, when the club battle to make a decent living and could scarcely handle groups and is grateful for the powerhouse it has gotten to be at Casey Fields.

"I can't envision playing anyplace else. I live here, I'm devoted, it's an incredible club," he said.

His family, spouse Fay and kids David, Jo and Megan, are his greatest supporters and he says he couldn't have done it without them.

Asked to what extent he had left, he holds up three battered manager's fingers and, with his trademark shameless grin, says "three recreations".

Be that as it may, nobody who knows the man would trust it.