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"It's as close as I've come to feeling like I'd won TattsLotto," he said.

"It was a sliding doors moment, you are trying to set your club up for the next 10 years."

Well that decade passed last month with Restall racking up his 150^th grade game last week (he played two seconds matches in a disrupted 2015-16).

He has 5150 runs at 42.21 with seven tons and 27 half-centuries.

Restall is everything Arendarcikas wanted and more.

"Absolutely, apart from on the field, he represents the club the way we want it to be," Arendarcikas said proudly.

"Our motto is Facta, Non Verba (acts, not words), he's possibly the best example I've seen, he doesn't complain and not just him, his whole family, his wife Nicole has been great."

Restall debuted as a 16-year-old with New City in the mid-1990s and then spent five years at South Wagga, a season playing first grade in Hobart before a stint at the-then SS&A (now Albury).

"There's a good bunch of people and the culture is play for each other, not yourself," Restall said.

"Everyone's mates all through the grades, there's no segregation at all, I think that helps."

It's doubtful there's even been a better technique in CAW's 161-year history.

"I've spent thousands of hours with dad (Des) and my stepdad (Michael Bell)," he said.

"With dad, even until he got pretty crook near the end (Des Restall passed away in May, 2018) I was still hitting balls and he was involved at training and watching.

"I always enjoyed batting, even in the nets."

In the 2010-11 grand final, Restall's name was elevated even further.

Lavington was defending 233 and the home side was 8-181.

The visitors had a future Victoria Second XI quick in Liam Scammell and current Riverina star Ryan Brown, but Restall combined in an unbeaten 53-run stand with Wayne Hawking to post 112 not out, snapping a seven-year drought.

The next year he posted an unbeaten 131, sharing a 51-run stand for the 10^th wicket to fall only seven runs short of Wodonga's 267.

"He actually had to change the way he played, we were that far short for most of the chase," Arendarcikas said.

"He's the only guy I've seen who can slog to 'cow corner' with a high elbow still (the perfect technique) (laughs).

"He's the only cricketer I've played with that if some cricket fans heard he was batting, they would come down and watch him bat.

"They couldn't give a stuff how we were going."

And Restall's such a likeable person, even his team-mates have no dirt.

"The only thing he did wrong was he won our 200 Club (fundraiser) and wasn't there and didn't put anything over the bar (laughs)," Arendarcikas said.

Meanwhile, popular stalwart Tony Hill will play his 300^th game on Saturday.