On the day he celebrated his long and distinguished career, Anthony Gale sent a reminder that his best may be yet to come.
Playing in his 400th first XI match for Melton, the 47-year-old produced a potentially match-winning innings.
With his side at 1-25, Gale strode to the crease in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association south-west division game against Hoppers Crossing and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon.
The Melton local fought his way to 98, narrowly missing out on the 15th triple-figure score of his career.
Lions coach Michael Alexander said the innings summed up Gale’s career.
“He batted phenomenally well,” Alexander said. “He was really watchful and respectful and took full toll when he got the opportunity.
“They bowled extremely well and we didn’t really get away until well after tea. He must have batted for 65 overs and he really ground it out … it was a fantastic innings.”
Gale made his first XI debut for Melton in the 1984-85 and has become a club stalwart. In the course of his 400 games, Gale has compiled 10,596 runs, including 14 centuries and 52 half-centuries.
“I’ve always loved cricket so I kept playing,” Gale says. “A big part of it as well has been the quality of the players I’ve been able to play with. They’re not only great cricketers but also really good people. They’re my mates and it’s great to be able to go out on a Saturday and spend six hours with them.”
While Saturday was all about celebrating his 400-game milestone, it’s team successes that Gale lists as his most cherished highlights.
He played in his first premiership in 1989 then had to wait more than 20 years to recapture the joy.
The second drought was broken in the 2008-09 season then followed three more premierships and one VSDCA championship.
“The one in ’89 was a long time ago,” he said. “I’ve still got some really close friends from that group, but it’s hard to remember the cricket.
“The last five or six years, the celebrations and all the things that come along with the team success in sport – you can’t replace that.”
With Melton in the midst of a rebuilding phase, the 2015-16 season has led to some tough losses.
Far from deterred, Gale still loves putting on the whites every Saturday. He says it’s been great to get a close look at some of the club’s rising stars who have had an impact since making their first XI debut.
“We have different challenges now,” he said. “It’s about developing the boys. At the start of the year, they probably didn’t know if they would be up to it.
“We have the inconsistencies that you associate with a young team; we’ve had some bad games. But sitting back and looking, you can tell these boys are going to be good players. That’s very satisfying.”
Gale has no plans to retire just yet and is set to play on next season.
He’s unsure whether he will continue to be in the first XI, though, with the potential for a move into a lower grade.
“Playing 400 games is not something you set out to do,” he said.
“For me it’s an indication that I’ve been lucky to stay pretty fit. Before the past two years, I reckon I missed two games in 28 years of cricket. It’s not something you set out to do, but it is a nice number.
“I will certainly play next season – I’m just not sure what grade that will be.”
