Future heroes - Penrith Cricket Club 1992 - 93

The story of how Paul Goldsmith came to play at Penrith on the advice of his schoolteacher Dean Lane has been recorded elsewhere. Paul’s side of the story should be told, too. “At the net trials my most vivid memory is of not being able to lay bat on ball, and thinking, a) I’m never going to get picked; but b), if given the chance I’ll get better. Some would say I never did! In preparation for my start in Grade I headed off to a well-known cricket warehouse at Northmead and kitted myself out from head to toe. As a bowler with limited batting ability I went for the bottom-of-the-range Norstar pads and thigh pad. My enthusiasm for the brand was short-lived—I soon realised I was someone who used his pads more than his bat, and that I should invest in pads offering much more protection—something a bit pricier.” Paul Goldsmith made three runs on debut. Of more consequence was his bowling, which his first captain Matt Langdon recorded thus: “Took Waverley apart in the first game and we never saw him again.” To everyone in the Club he became known as ‘Goldie’. He would bowl about 23700 balls and take an astonishing 500-plus wickets.

Also recorded elsewhere is Paul Maraziotis’ arrival at the Club as a young boy ‘with potential’. As his cricket blossomed so did a sort of package-deal; in tow was his enthusiastic, extroverted father Arthur, who loved nothing more than to sit in a chair, under the old oak tree at the corner of Station and Jamieson, where he would offer support to the First Grade, and, to other spectators. A seat at Arthur’s table became a Club tradition. Ray Hudswell remembers: “Losing the old oak tree at the southern end of Howell Oval was a true tragedy. I recall it being an incredibly beautiful tree with ample shade from the Western Sydney summer sun. It became a regular lunch spot for those who followed Penrith through the 80s and into the 90s. When it was damaged beyond repair by a freak windstorm in the early 90s Howell Oval lost something quite unique. Arthur’s lunches were huge affairs and went for hours. The menu ranged from seafood, to Arthur’s beautiful Greek salads, barbecued lamb and all washed down with a fine red or white. To this day I can close my eyes and smell the magnificent aromas of Arthur’s cooking and remember the joy of friends finding special times watching our great game.” The cricketing son knew how to cook up his own storm. One of Paul’s captains Tim Sullivan thought him “the best young talent I saw. Fabulous footwork, spanking on drive which he played better than anyone I’d seen because he opened his front shoulder to hit it straight and with the full face of the bat.”

Dale Turner, Stuart Karpinnen and Steve Nikitaris were ‘imports’. Those who recall the Club’s first First-Grade Premierships will understand the philosophy: if the local talent needs a balance-boost then try outsourcing. So, this trio came from Campbelltown (Turner, an ‘offie’ all-rounder and sensational fieldsman), Canberra (Karpinnen, right-arm fast bowler, could bat, and an athletic boundary rider) and Wests (Nikitaris, left-arm fast bowler). They would instantly be part of a First Grade team that made it to successive Semi-finals.

Happy days! Clockwise from top left, Paul Goldsmith, Dale Turner and Paul Maraziotis, a trio of talent in a ‘revived’ First Grade that had discovered a spirit which hadn’t been around for seasons.