On Sunday, the player who is arguably Singleton’s best known cricketer of the past fifty years will pull his creams on for the very last time.

Gordon Whatham retired from competitive cricket about ten years ago but has still regularly played in social games since then.

After suggesting that this year’s Australia Day game, where he again captained the ‘People’s XI’, would be his final game, a plan evolved to get together some of his old mates, opponents and team mates for one last game.That game is to be played at Howe Park on Sunday with the first ball due to be bowled at 10.30am.

Gordon’s team will span the fifty odd years of his involvement while the opposition will be a team of youngsters most of whom were in this year’s Singleton junior rep teams.

Most of them will also have a link to Gordon, with grandfathers, fathers and uncles having played with or against the guest of honour.

Junior cricket as we know it was first played in Singleton in 1956 when a group of school teachers organised a competition.

Gordon took part in that competition and later in the season played for High School (a team of teachers and pupils) playing in the B grade competition usually batting at ten or eleven.

He was soon playing A grade, Junior John Bull Shield in 1958/9 and the following year made his debut in the senior Shield side.

Higher representative honours soon followed and in 1966 went on an Emu Club world tour, the following season he scored close on a thousand runs in local cricket. During the mid seventies early eighties he captained Singleton’s John Bull Shield side to seven titles in eleven years.

Since retiring from competitive cricket he has been a regular member of the Mayor’s team to play against the Army and has captained the ‘People’ in the Australia Day games.

Several Golden Oldies tournaments in various parts of the world have been a welcome break for both himself and his wife Jan, allowing them to get away from the grind of farm work for a while.