Craig Dawson Awarded Life Membership

Everyone who plays P3 and now P4’s knows Craig.  He’s been a regular fixture of Bloomfield and the club cricket scene for nearly 20 years.  He joined Bloomfield in the 2007/8 season with a strong background in Indoor Cricket and, while we didn’t hold it against him, some time with Palmy. 

From the outset Craig proved to be a fantastic teammate and a great addition to the club.  He came into what was at the time a very strong side with a solid playing XI, that team would win the P3 championship twice over the next 3 seasons.  That did mean he struggled to earn a regular spot, which was hard for him at times because as he does now, he was always wanting to bowl more overs.

Surprisingly enough, Craig did not catch this

One thing that stood out that first season was his constant willingness to contribute on and off the field, his positive attitude, dedication to training and willingness to help others. He won the Players Player trophy that first season in one of the most one-sided votes I can remember.  I never told him but from memory every player in the club voted for him. 

Craig and Jamboy

Craig’s dedication – he was pretty much always the first to arrive and last to leave the nets – meant that we couldn’t deny him a regular spot; that and he was constantly rolling his arm over and making noises in my direction, so he was hard to ignore.  In the end he went very quickly from a 3rd/4th change bowler, to 2nd, to 1st and then the guy you chucked the ball to when you needed that wicket and to turn the game in your favour.  In 2010/11 his bowling was pivotal to Bloomfield winning the P3 title and he also picked up his 2nd Players Player award – I think he’s now won it more than any other club member. 

Unlike the rest of us he’s also managed to get better with age his bowling improving every season. Along the way he’s picked up the Club bowling prize multiple times, become just the 2nd Bloomfield member to take more than 200 wickets, once hit a 6 in a pre-season, opened the batting once, got adopted by Jed and the Old Boys fan club, and made some questionable facial hair decisions.  But simply put Bloomfield wouldn’t have been Bloomfield without Creaky and I count myself lucky I was able to Captain him and play alongside him for so long.

– John Murrie (Life Member)

Honouring a Club Legend

Following on from John Murrie’s words, Craig has stepped up in recent years as a leader at Bloomfield — from captaining one of our P4 sides to serving on the commitee, he continues to go above and beyond for the club.

His dedication over 261 games in almost 20 years speaks volumes about his character and love for the game.

We’re proud to recognise his incredible contribution to Bloomfield Cricket Club by awarding him a Life Membership.

Congratulations, Craig — and thank you for everything.