By Tyler Lewis
It’s been a busy fortnight for talented local sportsman Ryan Quirk.
Not only has Quirk been announced as the new Turf 1 captain of reigning premier Springvale South, he has also put pen to paper at Narre Warren, returning to the club after three seasons at West Gippsland side Bunyip.
The accumulative opening bat has become the first player in Springvale South Cricket Club history to follow in their father’s footsteps and captain the Turf 1 side.
And while Ryan vividly remembers his dad – and now president – Jason captaining the Bloods, he was new to the feat when the club announced his appointment on social media.
“I actually wasn’t aware of it either until I saw it on our Facebook page,” he said.
“It’s a massive honour, I have been at that club since before I could remember, when I started walking I was walking around at that club watching the old man.
“When they asked me to do it, it was a given to say yes straight away, it’s been something I have always wanted to do.
“It was a no brainer… but to hear we’re the first father-son captaincy in Turf 1, it was massive.”
There are few things the captain of a reigning premier would have to complain about, but culture certainly isn’t on the list.
“I think you can ask any of the boys and they’d say last year was the most fun they’d had on a cricket field ever, we get along like a house on fire,” Quirk said.
“We’re all really close and I suppose having success last year has made it a really exciting time for the club.
“We’re all pretty young and I think we have a lot of boys with a lot of years left, the thought of captaining a very similar group for years to come is something very exciting.”
As for why he has decided to return to Narre Warren, Quirk admitted he wanted to be involved in the Magpies most recent bout of premiership success.
“I have a lot of really close mates at Narre and seeing a lot of the joy and happiness on my mate’s faces was something I wanted to be a part of again,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I was stoked for them, but in the back of my mind I was watching them and wishing I was there with them and enjoying that (grand final win) with them.
“Hopefully we can get back there and I can win with my mates with my again.
“The history is very rich at Narre, the premiership success; it’s no small feat putting on that jumper, making your debut for that club is a massive thing.
“The players, your Michael Collins, Karem Baskaya… and probably my brother Dylan, they’ve created a rich history of premiership success with plenty of other players.
“I think any of the boys could tell you that putting on that jumper and representing that club is just a massive thing.”
Quirk will captain his first match this Saturday when the Bloods host arch-nemesis Buckley Ridges.
