| From
1975, when John Goodban, a former President of
United World College Cricket Club (UWCCC), set up
student and social cricket on Saturday afternoons at
United World College in Singapore, the foundations
of UWCCC were formed. From these humble beginnings
interest grew, culminating in 1980 with the
formation and entering of a UWC Senior team in the
Singapore Cricket League and a UWC Student team in
the Junior Cricket League.
The first major trophy was won in 1982 when the
Senior team won the Division 1 Knockout Cup.
Thereafter, UWC undertook radical ground
improvements. Following a difficult period for the
Club, by 1989 the Club flourished under the
leadership of Chris Pianca and Tom Seal, with three
teams playing in the Singapore League and a social
cricket team gracing the playing field on Saturday
afternoons. By now the ground was one of the best in
Singapore. League titles and knockout cup finals
followed. This was a direct result of the depth of
talent available to UWCCC, especially from the
strong Antipodean contingent within the Club
membership amongst other nationalities.
With the rezoning of land use by the Singapore
Authorities in 1999, it was with great sadness that
the school had to give up their cricket ground, thus
putting an effective end to the excellent work
undertaken by the UWC teachers and the UWCCC
membership in making UWCCC a premier cricket club in
both adult and student cricketing circles within the
South East Asian region.
Without a home ground, the recruitment and
retention of quality players, traditionally
expatriates from Australia and New Zealand, became
increasingly difficult. To ensure the future of the
Club, and to increase the possibility of securing a
regular home ground, UWCC decided to align with ANZA
(Australia & New Zealand Association) as an
affiliate club and commenced operations under the
ANZA Cricket Club banner from 2003. This affiliation
provided a source of talent from ANZA with a
membership exceeding 6000 and its marketing reach,
as well as providing support with respect to
corporate and administrative aspects.
Under the leadership of then President Ron
Holmes, and with the support of his committee, the
transition from UWCCC to ANZACC occurred seamlessly
to ensure the continuation of a well-established
cricketing fraternity in Singapore where cricket
enthusiasts from all countries were most welcome.
What was missing however, was a home ground which
saw the club playing home games based out of Ceylon
Sports Club (CSC) and for a while social matches out
of the Singapore Polo Club.
This prompted a search for a new home, a
challenge in a country where space dictates a
shortage of playing fields. However, in late 2003
former club member Bruce Jones-Walker identified
land at Turf City (former horse racing venue
succeeded by Kranji Turf Club) and then in
collaboration with then President the Ron Holmes
initiated a collaboration with ANZA to successfully
negotiate a lease of the inner track land area for
the development of 2 cricket fields. Club members
Phil Davies and Glenn Wright led grounds works /
pitch installation and the 2 largest cricket fields
in Singapore were born. Ron Holmes passion for the
establishment of the venue was a key factor but Ron
returned to Australia mid 2004 and Clive Tilbrook
took over as President. Clive had led the
operationalisation of the Turf City grounds and
development of arrangements for inclusion in the SCA
fixture as well as facilitating utilization by ANZA
for other sporting groups. Over 2005 Clive
successfully managed the rental and fixturing for
SCA Cricket, ANZA soccer, Touch Rugby and various
school sporting events that has made the Turf City
venue such a wonderful asset for ANZA overall and
ANZA Cricket Club in particular.
In 2005 Clive also initiated an affiliation with
the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AUSCHAM)
following an annual social cricket challenge that
prompted a keen interest within the "CHAMPS" in
entering the newly established SCA Division IV. With
ANZACC's established presence as one of the largest
clubs in the league we were able to facilitate their
smooth entry into the league. In 2006 the ANZA
Champs were born and have been a great addition the
ANZA Cricket Club as the fourth division team in the
SCA and supported by a core of AUSCHAM players along
with other ANZACC players interested in playing
Division IV.
On the field during this period the results where
mixed due to the significant turnover in players
coming and going with mid table finishes being the
order of the day, but with our best eleven on the
track in any division capable of beating the best
teams. First grade captain David Jacquier took over
from Clive as President at the start of 2007. This
was a year remembered mainly for the passing of a
great clubman, Denis Meyer, following completion of
a cricket match. Denis was the Captain of the
Dreamers and had been instrumental in 2006 in
generating a real resurgence in social cricket
within the club and was recognized that year when
awarded the Clubman of the Year Trophy. In a fitting
tribute to Denis and the spirit in which he played
the game and contributed to the enjoyment of cricket
at the club, the "Clubman" trophy was thereafter
dedicated to his memory (Denis Meyer Clubman of
Year).
Our Life Members:
- Mark EAGERS
- John GOODBAN
- Gary HIGGIE
- Ron HOLMES
- Philip JONES
- Kevin PARKER
- Chris PIANCA
- David ROBERTSON
- Tom SEAL
- Keith UNDERWOOD
- Phil RENDER
- Clive TILBROOK
Involving ANZA has also brought benefits to the
Singapore Cricket Association in their efforts to
increase the appreciation of cricket in corporate
circles in Singapore and to enhance the links
between the Singaporean and the Australian and New
Zealand expatriate communities in general.
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