Featured Brave
Again we'll step up a grade for the next Featured Brave. This time we have this seasons captain of the 2nd's...
Ben Davenport
Years at Baden Powell:
33 years
Nickname
Sport, Davy, Honk
Occupation
Education
Previous Clubs
Don’t believe in them.
Games Played
350 odd
Batting
My description - An elegant stroke maker with the temperament to bat for long periods.
Others descriptions - A dour player with no shots who is unable to hit 6’s.
Batting Average
If only MyCricket had come in earlier and reflected the peak of my career it would be nudging 50. MyCricket says 34.77.
Highest Score
171 not out v Langwarrin on Overport No.1. And a special shout out to Neil Franks for declaring with 8 overs to go on Day 1 – much appreciated!
Bowling Style
I havent rolled the arm over for the best part of 20 years. But back in the day there were only two Shane Warne’s – Shane and myself.
Bowling Average
Around 15.
Best Bowling
8/31 including hatrick. Best in 1’s 4/25 v Mornington 89/90.
Your role in the team
My role is multi-faceted. In the field my role is that of a statue. With the bat my role is that of a rock.
Club Awards
Should be named after me!
Memory of your 1st Game
My first game in the 1’s was as a leg spinner in 88/89. Sitting on the sidelines waiting to head out to bowl and one of the great blokes from that era, Simon Prendergast, says to me if you get Stella Jackson (the Pines superstar and now BP Junior Coach) out I’ll buy you a slab. As a teenager of the 80’s no greater incentive could have been placed on offer. Third ball I managed to bowl him around his legs. It was all a blur from there.
Career highlights
So many highlights with so many great people:
Captaining a 3rd XI flag with some of the club greats including Rex Kyte.
Being a part of the Sub District flag after the club had been through a really difficult period.
Winning the Jack Peacock Cup.
And it’s hard to go past coaching the club to the State T20 Championship at the MCG. Pretty confident I’ll maintain my 100% coaching record at that venue.
Off the ground – its the characters Berg, Norris, JD, ….and so on. The friends, the functions, the memories – I bleed red and white!
Being made a life member hold pride of place in anything I’ve achieved at Baden Powell.
Funniest memory at the club
Several of them:
In a serious moment asking each player what they were going to bring to the team for the game that day. I get to Rex Kyte who simply says “crème de la crème” everyone just burst out laughing. For those curious it translates to “the best person”.
Trent Verhagen – his willingness to earn a dollar through unconventional means is legendary – from 5 minutes in the freezer, to facing an over against a brand new pill whilst standing there with no pads or equipment, to streaking across Somerville’s ground during a Semi Final, the list goes on and on.
Thursday night sessions prior to Flannies at the Brave Cave.
Rex Kyte deciding to add value to the Adam Gilchrist signed cricket bat that was to be auctioned by co-signing it.
Standing alongside Sammy Mullavey in the cordon for 6 hours of a Saturday waiting for him to take breath. But no. Just flat out chat/sledging at its finest.