A cut shot to match it with Victor Trumper:Mooroopna's Greg Luscombe was a legend with bat in hand.
To celebrate its centenary, Cricket Shepparton will be immortalising its greats by selecting a Team of the Century at an event in November.
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The shortlist — consisting of 30 members — recognises those past and present that have had a large impact on the game of cricket both in the region and beyond.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, The News will run special feature pieces on all 30 players, before the release of a commemorative magazine on November 25.
To quote English batsman Jack Hobbs who was speaking about legendary Australian cricketer Victor Trumper, "He is the most perfect batsman in his scoring methods I have ever seen".
This quote would be the best to sum up Mooroopna legend Greg Luscombe's illustrious resume, which makes him a shoo-in for the Cricket Shepparton Team of the Century 30-player shortlist.
The Luscombe name is the Rosberg of Mooroopna — with Luscombe’s father and grandfather legends in their own right at the Cats.
"Both were keen sportsmen when growing up and I think my father's insight helped me grow as a cricketer," Luscombe, 60, said.
Luscombe’s career started at Mooroopna playing under-13s in the late ’70s, where he developed a technique that would hold firm at senior level.
"Started playing at Mooroopna in the under-13s and from there played under-15s where I would hang around and hold up an end which was able to stand up to the pressure of senior cricket," Luscombe said.
He would rise through the ranks to A-grade, where he would make runs for fun.
With early adulthood creeping up, Luscombe went to Melbourne to follow his passion in accounting, where he played and studied at Melbourne University.
Luscombe played a handful of second-XI and first-XI matches for Melbourne University during the early 1980s.
He said "nothing notable happened in those games from what I can recall".
But with his accounting degree finished, he returned to Mooroopna, where he worked the books and bat in tandem.
"Came back to the country with the young family and settled back with family," Luscombe said.
In the 1988-89 season Luscombe kicked off with a 150 not out, which was topped only a few seasons later with a 155 not out in the 1991-1992 season.
The 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons were the Cats' most successful seasons for Luscombe, where he led the A-grade side to two premierships and followed up by winning the 1995-96 season.
"We had a fair bit of success during the ’90s, which I am proud of being part of," he said.
Luscombe’s batting feats was Victor Trumper-esk with one century every season from 1988-89 to 1994-95 with an overall career batting average of 32.98, spanning 30 years of cricket for Mooroopna.
"Pleased to be part of it; I just really enjoyed batting and scoring big scores," he said.
Even though Luscombe’s career was legendary, one blemish in his career was missing out on the three-peat in the 1993-94 season.
He can recall the shock semi-final loss to the Kialla, where he thought he made a match-winning hundred on the first day.
"I made 100 on the first day, which was very memorable, but the next day while defending the total, we dropped 10 catches in a row, and the other side went on to win; that is one day that sticks in my mind," he said.
Luscombe would continue into the late 2000s and early 2010s, where the runs wouldn't dry up, but a back injury would halt any chance of furthering his career in A-grade.
"I injured my back around the 2000 mark and it started to play-up with my batting, so I decided to drop down and teach younger ones in the lower grades," Luscombe said.
As of the 2002-03 season, the Luscombe name is synonymous with the best-on-ground medal for each year's grand final and he remains humble, with his name being part of the biggest day in Cricket Shepparton.
Great honour: Numurkah's Shaun Downie with his premiership medallion and Greg Luscombe Medal - which was named after Luscombe in 2002-03.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
"It was a great surprise to be named for the best-on-ground medal and it is a great honour," he said.
Looking over Luscombe's career, it is no wonder he is a candidate for the Team of the Century and when asked how he would like to be reflected on, it was a modest response.
“Partly because of the team, which had much success, and ultimately, it was group success that gives you most success in cricket, but also there is much luck along the way,” Luscombe said.
“It was a shock to be chosen; it is challenging to compare eras as there are many great cricketers, and I am very pleased to be in the top 30.”
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