By Callum Ludwig
Cricket often splits opinions; some think nothing beats the sound of the ball flying off the middle of the bat, while others couldn’t think of anything worse than standing in the field in the hot summer sun.
We can safely assume which camp Launching Place Cricket Club legend Colin Voigt is in, set to finally retire after almost 60 years.
Mr Voigt said he first started playing when he was 11 years old at Wantirna South.
“I played there until I was 17 or 18 and we moved up to Seville. I played half a season with a friend at Emerald, then played at Seville for 13 years, good people and memories there,” he said.
“I left Seville because my son was going to school in Launching Place and was thinking of playing cricket, and that was in 1986-87 and I’ve been here ever since.”
Back when Mr Voigt joined Launching Place CC, there wasn’t even a clubroom but players would still stick around for a barbecue after the game, sometimes around a fire.
Mr Voigt said he always played cricket for the social atmosphere, not the glory.
“It’s the fun and enjoyment after a game, I’ve got lots of friends throughout the valley from cricket, not just from Launching Place but those who played at other clubs too,” he said.
“The emphasis here at Launch is on trying to hold things together with what we’ve got, we’ve got very good training facilities here, the ground is picturesque with the hills in the backdrop and we’ve got a lot of good people in the club.”
Mr Voigt’s influence at the club will live on in his retirement, with the clubrooms named the Colin Voigt Pavilion in his honour. He may even stick around to coach the talented women’s side.
Mr Voigt said being part of forming the club’s first women’s side in 1991 and coaching it was one of his proudest achievements in cricket.
“From memory that was the only women’s side in the Yarra Valley at the time, and now there’s three or four. The team played in a few finals but never won a flag, but a couple of years ago they won their first premiership and they won the A Grade flag last year which was a big highlight,” he said.
“For my highlights, I played in the Launch A Grade side when the Yarra Valley cricket was pretty strong and took 8 for 64 one day, and another time in a lower grade we were playing Hoddles Creek at Gladysdale and I took 8 for 50 odd and made 144 not out, but we lost that game.”
Ever the clubman, Mr Voigt was the Captain/Coach from 1988 to 1990 and again in the 2000-01 season, the President from 1990-94, then again from 2006-08 before being Vice President until 2016 and was even the Secretary from 1996 to 2001. He was awarded the Club Champion for the 1997-98 season and is one of the club’s life members.
Mr Voigt’s final game is at his home ground at Wickham’s Reserve against Coldstreams 2nd XI.
