25 Icons of Broken Hill Sport – Geoff Delbridge
A TOWERING figure in the history of the West Broken Hill Cricket Club from the mid 1960s to the turn of the century, Geoff Delbridge is a true Icon of Barrier cricket.
Across a 23-year playing career Delbridge played in nine A Grade premierships and after his days on the pitch finished, he coached the West A Grade to a further six titles.
The first of these 15 titles was in 1971 and the final triumph was in 2000.
Back in the 1974 Barrier District Cricket League decider Delbridge simply dominated the game, making 99 and taking 10 match wickets (7-26 and 3-23).
He was born on September 4, 1948, playing his cricket as a right arm fast-medium pace bowler who could move the ball off this seam, and was able to also swing the ball mainly away from the right hander.
He was right hand opening bat who liked to hook and cut.
As expected, he has legend status in the West Broken Hill Cricket Club Hall of Fame.
“I started at the Railway town infant school, went to Burke Ward Primary and Broken Hill High,” Delbridge said.
“My dad, Alan was an electrician in the South and transferred to Zinc Corp and mum is Joyce.
“Coincidently, my first employer Zinc Corp in an administration role.
“Both footy and cricket started a school on Friday afternoons.
“I started playing A Grade cricket as a 16-year-old in the Silver City.”
As a teenager in 1965 Delbridge was asked by the New South Wales Cricket Association to attend a week-long coaching school at Sydney Cricket Ground, where they lived in the Members Stand and trained at the venue.
He said remembered bowling to Test cricketers of the era, Bob Simpson and Graeme Thomas and playing in a city versus country game.
In December 1968 Delbridge played against the West Indies touring side at the Mildura City Oval, making 23 batting at number 9 and certainly being the pick of the bowlers against the Windies taking 4-63.
He was a key member of the Barrier team in the South Australian Country Association’s Country Cricket Championships when they started coming down 1974, often opening the batting and the bowling, and having faced the first ball by a Barrier batsman in the tournament.
Played at at level for more than a decade, Delbridge was a member of both the breakthrough title in 1978 and again in 1982, and in both those Harry Meyer Cup winning tournaments, Delbridge was selected in the Team of the Year.
“We placed a lot of emphasis on fielding at the SACA tournament in Adelaide,” he said.
“In 1982 campaign we were undefeated and back in ‘78 Ian Fillery from South won the batting trophy and I collected the bowling award.”
Delbridge collected 22 scalps across 1978 SACA Country Cricket Cup campaign, and his 8-33 in a match in 1982 is still the best figures by Barrier cricketer at the carnival.
Amongst a mountain of accolades Delbridge was Barrier Cricketer of the Year on four occasions, making 5466 runs and taking 756 wickets for West.
He was also club secretary for another 15 years.
“I played in the first A Grade cricket match at Alma Oval and first A grade football in the late 1960s,” Delbridge said.
“I gave footy aways in the early 1970s. The ‘71 grand final was a final game against Jeff Potter’s Central’s team.
“An ankle injury forced me to focus on cricket.
“Primarily from a football perspective I played as a backman.
“Also played night cricket socially but competitively at The Tramway and next to Turf Oval (now called Norm Fox Oval).
“We moved to Adelaide in 2000 and John Lynch gave me a phone call, asked me if I would be interested in coached at West Torrens, starting in the summer of 2000-01.
“There were lots of positions I held across the next 14 summer; club development coach, assistant coach, club secretary, chairman of selectors, and West Torrens delegate to the SACA.
“The pinnacle of time at the Eagles was the SACA A Grade flag in 2006-07, the clubs first title at this level in 45 years.”
Off the pitch, Geoff and Sue Delbridge were married on April 7, 1973.
They have two children Melanie and Nathan and four grandchildren Emily, Josh, Lincoln and Damon.
Delbridge still keeps his hand in currently still mentoring with West Torrens players and coaches.
