Moment of silence: Echuca and Moama cricketers paid tributem, and bid farewell, to cricket legends Rod Marsh and Shane Warne (inset) with an improptu ceremony before Saturday’s Victoria Park final.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
Moama and Echuca cricketers made a spur of the moment decision on Saturday to honour two of Australia’s cricketing icons at the start of their John McMahon Shield (A-grade) Goulburn Murray elimination semi-final.
Former test cricket player Rod Marsh. Photo: AAP/David Mariuz
Photo by
DAVID MARIUZ
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Prior to the Victioria Park match starting all players lined up for a minute’s silence to honour Australian wicket-keeping great Rod Marsh and leg-spin legend Shane Warne.
Marsh and Warne died from heart attacks within 24 hours of one another on Friday, leaving the cricket community in shock.
Goulburn Murray cricket officials have confirmed that next week’s senior grand finals would officially recognise the pair when all players would be asked to wear black arm bands as a sign of respect.
Seventy-four-year-old Marsh suffered a heart attack in Bundaberg midweek and, after being transferred to hospital Adelaide, failed to recover.
Warne, only 52, was holidaying with friends in Ko Samui, Thailand, when he also suffered a heart attack and could not be revived by his travel companions.
In the early 1990s Warne played a match with the then Victorian Bushrangers on Victoria Park at Echuca.
Marsh and Warne span a golden cricket period for Australia, Marsh having played his first test in 1974 and 10 years later finished with 350 dismissals in his test career.
Warne made his test debut in 1992 and took more than 1000 wickets in Test matches and One-Day Internationals.
He is famously ranked number four in the Wisden Cricketers of the century, which was named in 2000, finishing behind Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Jack Hobbs.
The Victorian Government has offered the Warne family a state funeral and announced that the soon-to-be refurbished Great Southern Stand, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, would be re-named the S. K. Warne Stand.
For Bransen Gibson’s full round up of cricket turn to pages 18 and 19 of today’s Riv Sport.
