At a well attended 60th Anniversary Reunion Dinner, former players of the Waratahs Cricket Club represented all eras of the club's life, except the most recent. Among the guests were champion bowler Tom Cooke, batting tyro of the sixties Bill Thompson and Milton Milligan, a member of the 1952-53 side which was the first Waratahs team to win a premiership. Milton relived that epic final in which Waratahs were dismissed for a second innings 27 but still won the game outright thanks to a remarkable bowling performance from midium pacer Don Paul, who too 13-38 on the second day to spearhead the win.
Brian Connolly (1970-71 to early 1980's) spoke warmly of his memories of mates and larikans he had played with and Andrew Davis delivered the keynote address on the right of passage to manhood being so brilliantly catered for under the stewardship of the men of Waratahs.
Life Members Syd Philp and Graham Johnson presented commemorative club caps to all players presented.
A culmination of the evening was the anouncement of the Waratahs First XI - the best of the best - which had been determined through the voting of thirty players, iccluding opposition players.
The Waratahs First XI is, in batting order: 1. Alan Gray, 2. Bill Thompson, 3. Michael Connolly, 4. Graham Johnson (Capt), 5. Bede Ryan, 6. Graham Frost, 7. Terry Betts, 8. Brian Joice, 9. Andrew McNeill, 10. Tom Cooke (vc), 11. Joe Harrison, 12. Tim Muldoon.
Throughout the evening, players records were displayed on the screen, as well as photographs from the past and photographs from the cricket match played earlier that day against The Golden Oldies.
It was a magnificent evening and the highlight of several events held over the weekend of celebration,
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what a quality first XI!
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