Local legend: Peter Whitelock led Shepparton Youth Club to seven A-grade premierships in the 1980s.
Shepparton Youth Club has forever been in the blood of Peter Whitelock.
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Following in the footsteps of his father — who played more than 400 games for the club — Whitelock grew up in and around SYC, watching the legends that came before him and dreaming of one day donning the famous blue and yellow cap at A-grade level.
That dream would become a reality for Whitelock at the ripe old age of 16, as he entered the world that is A-grade cricket a raw, but talented all-rounder.
“My father had a long and decorated career at SYC, which meant growing up I was always around the club watching him play and learning the game,” Whitelock said of his humble beginnings.
“I started going to training with Dad when I was about six years old and from that point on it was just a given I would be playing for Youth Club at some stage.
“My on-field journey began when I was 10 years old in the juniors, started in the under-15s and worked my way up to a senior debut when I was just 16 years old — and at the time playing one game was such a thrill.”
What succeeded that debut in the late 1970s was arguably the most accomplished cricket career in Shepparton Youth Club history, as Whitelock became the figurehead of one of the region’s greatest cricket dynasties.
From 1979-80 to 1989-90, SYC won an astonishing eight premierships, with Whitelock captaining the side to seven of those triumphs.
He described his early days playing at the top level and how the club built itself into a Cricket Shepparton powerhouse.
“Coming into the A-grade playing against these legends of Shepparton cricket like Colin Edwards and Des Campbell, for me as a 16-year-old facing those guys it was a great experience and one that held me in good stead,” Whitelock said.
“Playing cricket for SYC during the ’80s was such great fun, when we won our first premiership all 11 players in that side came up through our juniors, which was unheard of at that time.
“Our success as a club was built on developing that home grown talent, and we changed the way other clubs in the region went about building their teams.
“They were good sides and a lot of great players came through the club through that decade, but more importantly we had great people too.”
In action: Peter Whitelock in the latter part of his career playing for Shepparton Youth Club.
During that decade of glory, Whitelock and his teammates would experience countless moments of success that many others would see as career highlights.
Looking back on that incredible time, he said there was one particular match that stood out above all else.
“For me the first premiership in ’79-80 was the big one,” he said.
“We were a young side and the expectations probably weren’t there for the club to do as well as it did that year.
“But in the grand final we managed to post a massive total of over 500 and Katandra actually conceded defeat on the third day, and that changed the rules as to how finals would be played.
“Personally I got a hundred in that game, which added a bit of a cherry on top, and from there we were able to build an incredible decade of success.”
As a result of the SYC dynasty, Whitelock can call himself one of three players in Cricket Shepparton history to captain a team to seven A-grade premierships — alongside Central Park-St Brendan’s legend Rohan Larkin and Old Students star Dave Shaw.
“Being the captain of the side through that time, it was such an honour,” Whitelock said.
“Our side was full of great players and great people, so to have the opportunity to work with them and lead them out each week, I’ll treasure it forever.
“But at the end of the day the captain is only as good as the team and I was very fortunate to have that group of players who loved representing the club behind me.”
So how does the man himself describe his incredible cricketing feats and being shortlisted for the Cricket Shepparton Team of the Century?
Well the answer, as is his nature, was as humble as could be.
“It is a tough one to answer, but I’d probably describe myself as competitive but fair,” he said.
“Being nominated for this Team of the Century it is an absolute honour, I’ve played with and against a lot of great cricketers over the 30-plus years I’ve played.
