Picture: THOMAS MILES
CRICKET grounds around the Limestone Coast will miss a familiar face next summer, after Penola stalwart George Kidman has called stumps on his decorated full-time playing career.
The decision to take a step back arrived after Kidman enjoyed one of his most successful campaigns as a player.
The all-rounder claimed his fifth Bill Whitty medal after compiling 168 runs and 16 wickets in eight matches to tie the best and fairest vote count with joint-winner Richard Crute.
Despite the recent success, Kidman said he made up his mind during some tough stints in the field, but will remain an active member in the cricket community.
“As a committed week-to-week player, I feel my time has come,” he said.
“A couple times out in the field this summer I found myself questioning if I still had the drive to be doing it.
“I have always looked to be really competitive, but sometimes it has been hard to get the diesel engine ticking over again.
“But retirement is probably a word that does not exist in country sport because whenever the team is short I will be coming to help out.”
Since Kidman returned to the Limestone Coast from Adelaide, he has become a vital part of Penola’s cricket community.
After a successful period playing cricket for Old Scotch in the Adelaide turf competition and hockey around Australia and the world, Kidman took over the Eagles’ captaincy in 2006-07.
However, results did not come straight off the bat and looking back at his early years at McCorquindale Park, Kidman said he struggled to adapt from city to country cricket.
“It was a massive learning curve because I was used to an environment where you had good numbers and you trained hard,” he said.
“There were issues with guys wanting to try their best and I probably have some regrets around that time being a little bit full on.
“It probably took me a couple of years to transition into this environment where we had to make sure the game was fun and we were able to have some success.”
A big turning point was one of Kidman’s top highlights – a Penola Cricket Club tour of Hong Kong.
The short one-week holiday to the Asian metropolis saw 16 Eagles enjoy an unforgettable pre-season for the upcoming 2011-12 summer of cricket.
Although one of the two games against local sides were abandoned due to a monsoon, Kidman believed the team-bonding exercise was a significant moment and planted the seeds for the club’s future success.
“I would not underestimate how big of an impact that trip had on the club over the next few seasons,” he said.
“Five players got passports for the first time, so it got some of the young guys thinking the world is out there.
“It was done in September and I remember the B Grade making the grand final that season, so it gelled everyone together.
“We had a great win at the Kowloon Cricket Club, which was one of the great highlights of our cricket careers.
“The venue was just magnificent, there were 12 staff working on the ground when we got there.
“We won the toss, batted and made 200-plus and I remember Jason Jackson making 50-odd saying he is the best ever international cricketer for Penola.
“We eventually won the game, defending the score in the final over.
“We should maybe think of a 10-year reunion tour.”
Only a few years after that trip, the Eagles found themselves fighting for premierships and in 2017-18 they lifted the Barber Shield for the first time in 28 years.
Kidman said that occasion was the proudest moment of his career.
“When you get that absolute ecstasy of something like winning a premiership with your friends, they are the legacies that live with you,” he said.
“Jase Bateman did a fantastic job as captain, the young guys did well and the whole of Penola basically turned up to support us as well.
“That victory at Frew Park in March 2018 was probably the highlight of my sporting life.”
On the field, Kidman became a vital member of Penola’s side with five Barber Shield centuries and a hat-trick with the ball.
However, he has also made a significant impact to the game off the field, being on the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association executive committee for close to a decade.
Kidman said his time at board level has also been a rewarding challenge, but he is not sure what the future holds.
“I think being on the executive committee has been a natural progression for me,” he said.
“It has been a big learning curve as we have gone along, but there has been a great team.
“This year was my third being the president, so it is probably nearly someone else’s turn.
“I would love to come back into club land with Penola to help with the oval and pitch, so we will see what happens.”
After 14 seasons of on-field action, Kidman’s absence leaves a major hole in the Limestone Coast’s cricket landscape.
He said he will miss moments inside the dressing room more than on the pitch.
“There will be some sadness,” he said.
“I would not miss the nerves before going into bat or entering a bowling spell, but it is the little things that you miss like being part of the inner sanctum and sharing jokes with your friends.
“It has been a lot of fun.”
