Speeches
Thursday, 19 June 2025
South Australian Cricket Association Men’s Champions Dinner
Rod and I, as proud patron of the South Australian Cricket Association, are delighted to welcome you to Government House this evening to honour the outstanding achievements of the South Australian Men’s cricket team in winning the Marsh Cup and the Sheffield Shield.
You not only did yourselves proud by displaying grit, determination and sporting prowess, I think I speak for all South Australians in saying you did the State proud.
Taking home the Marsh Cup for the first time in 13 years and winning Sheffield Shield for the first time in 29 years is a rare domestic double.
In the Marsh Cup you topped the table. You defeated Western Australia (twice!), you defeated New South Wales. You defeated the runners up (Victoria) twice! As Rod has put it, you bossed the competition.
The double lifted the spirits of not only cricket tragics, but others who felt the excitement of the wins much more widely.
And it felt somehow right for a state seen to be going from strength to strength in so many areas.
I am sure that former SACA CEO the late Keith Bradshaw, who came to Adelaide Oval with a vision to grow South Australian cricket into a powerhouse, would have been very proud of what has been achieved by the entire SACA team – players, coaches, support staff, and the executive leadership team, including his successor, Charlie Hodgson.
Friends
As I think is well known, Rod and I love going to the cricket and were thrilled to be at Karen Rolton Oval for the Shield final. Rod was there every day.
Like many in South Australia, we had our hearts in our mouths with some early nervous moments as you chased down 270 runs to defeat Queensland.
The roar of the crowd and the exuberance felt by everyone said it all, particularly after some quiet nail biting.
No wonder the crowds ran onto the oval at the end of the game, embracing players, taking selfies and living the moment.
Naturally, people focus on that amazing final, but you didn’t just win the final, you dominated the entire Sheffield Shield competition at home and away. You were the clearest winner of the league stage for some time.
It is appropriate also, I think, to congratulate Queensland this evening. They were hard to beat. They never stopped trying and they kept coming back at you. Rod reckons you had to beat them three times to win.
Incredibly stressful though it was for everyone watching – and doubtless for the players – it did make the victory all the sweeter and the game an absolutely unforgettable one.
What stellar contributions with the ball, the bat and in the field.
When Adelaide Oval wasn’t available for the final and a shift was made to Karen Rolton Oval, there was, as we are all aware, some controversy.
But, from a spectator’s point of view, it was a tremendous outcome. The sense of intimacy was immediate and it was one of the most satisfying matches Rod and I have ever attended.
I commend Will Rayner and all involved at SACA – with a special mention for Kirrily Herath - for stepping up to the challenge and expertly staging the event at Karen Rolton.
Thanks are obviously also due to Head Coach Ryan Harris and his team –What a return to Adelaide! Talk about setting the bar high from the very beginning.
Thank you also to the SACA Board and staff for your dedication to supporting the SACA teams.
And I thank partners and children who have supported you all.
Rod and I wish the SA Men’s Squad – and the Women’s Squad too - all the best for seasons to come and hope there are many future wins.
Please relax and enjoy the evening. We hope, though, it won’t be long before you are back again!
I now invite you to stand and join me in a toast to SACA.
To SACA!