The Mitta Valley has produced few finer all-round sportsmen than Lawrence Hodgkin. In the summer months he played cricket, taking 550 wickets and scoring 30 centuries, while in winter he played football and was a member of nine flags for Mitta United and Katunga. The Border Mail's BRETT KOHLHAGEN caught up with the man nicknamed 'Flo' this week.
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BRETT KOHLHAGEN: You played in nine senior football premierships and are a member of Cricket Albury-Wodonga's Hall of Fame. Do you regard yourself as a better cricketer or footballer?
LAWRENCE HODGKIN: I never rated myself much good at either actually. I used to enjoy playing cricket more than football though. I don't really know why but I did. No one king hits you in cricket (laughs).
BK: Did you put as much effort into cricket as you did footy?
LH: I used to train twice a week in both. I'd say much the same. Footy training is harder as you have to be fitter but I'd say it was pretty similar.
BK: You have some pretty impressive stats in both sports. Are you proud of that?
LH: Not really. It went for a long time though. My first senior game of footy was in 1983 and my last one was in 2008 so that's not too bad. I think I was 43 when I gave it away. A played a few reserves games in 2009 and 2010.
BK: What made you give it away after about 500 games?
LH: I was old. In my last year of footy I started to get a bit injured with my knee. I was slowing down too. I enjoyed it though. I played cricket at Tallangatta when I was pretty old as well after I'd given it away.
BK: You were always competitive. Where does that come from?
LH: I've got five brothers. It was hard getting a meal let alone a kick in the backyard.
BK: Where did you fit in?
LH: Mary is the oldest and then there is Paddy, Michael, Mathew, myself and David is the youngest.
BK: Hectic times then?
LH: Nobody liked losing. You didn't want to let anyone down, if you did they would belt you. Mary knew she could boss us around as we weren't allowed to touch her.
BK: Where did your nickname 'Flo' come from?
LH: In my first year at Cobram High School my little brother called me Florence instead of Lawrence to a mate and just it went from there. Everyone has always called me that. To be honest I've been called a lot worse than that. Especially at home.
BK: Proudest moment in cricket?
LH: Apart from the five premierships at Eskdale and one at SS and A, probably the 335 I made against Bandiana in a Wodonga and District grand final.
BK: What number did you bat at?
LH: Number four. We made 550 and the game finished early on the third day after only 164 overs. I think they made 160. We batted for one and a half days. I think was 120 not out over night and had a bit more freedom the next day.
BK: How many times were you dropped?
LH: I was dropped in the 90s and then a couple of times in the 180s.
BK: Next highest score?
LH: I think I made 180 against the same side at Eskdale
BK: What do you remember about getting a double hat-trick against St Patrick's. The record books say your the only ABCA player to do that.
LH: Three were bowled and one was LBW. The lbw was given by Joe Wooding with the second ball. I was a bit surprised because Joe had never given an LBW in his life. It was just a fluke.
BK: You took 550 wickets and made 30 centuries, were you a better batter or bowler?
LH: I'd say bowler but any barstard could still hit me for six.
BK: Why did you go from Wodonga and District to Albury and Border?
LH: After I made the 335 I got invited down to Footscray. I went down and trained the day after we won the grand final. I was hung over and slept all the way down. I didn't want to go down to Melbourne so I thought I'd go to Wodonga. The next year I went over to SS and A because I was good mates with Mick Maddox through footy.
BK: Then you went to St Patrick's?
LH: That was a bit later on. I had three years at SS and A until we won a premiership. I went back to Eskdale for a fair while then before St Pats came and saw me because they had a heap of kids.
BK: Glad you played ABCA?
LH: Yeah, just to say I've done it.
BK: How did the competitions compare?
LH: Some of the best sides I played in where at Eskdale. We had some pretty good sides when we were up and going. Steve Paton was good, Nigel Watts was a good keeper-batsman, Gordon Lewicki and Andrew Lowcock were good kids and Cec Watson could play as well. There was a stage when I thought Wodonga and District was stronger because ABCA only had 5 sides at one stage and Wodonga and District had 12 or 13.
BK: Eskdale went into recess for a while didn't it?
LH: It did. A few of us like Steve Paton and myself finished at the same time around 2002 or 2003. We had young kids so we started up the under 12s on a Friday night and it went from there. We then had a B grade and A grade as they came through.
BK: St Kilda footballer Ben Paton was one of those kids
LH: He could bat. I remember he played in an under-16 premiership one morning and then another flag in the afternoon. He was a good cricketer.
BK: Best bowler you faced?
LH: The bowling machine. They all got me out over the years. Some of the hardest bowlers I faced where the worst bowlers. They would bowl beam balls one ball and then somewhere else the next. They didn't know where the ball was going and neither did I.
BK: Best bat?
LH: One bloke took us apart at Eskdale one day playing for Wodonga Demons. I can't remember his name. He came out at number eight and made about 160 not out. Shit he did the ball well. I don't think he made another run after that. It's funny what can happen on a given day.
BK: Getting on to the footy, Hugh Giltrap recently told me you were the toughest player he'd seen pound for pound at Mitta. That's a fair rap.
LH: He's full of shit (laughs). I was pretty light weight though, probably 75kg back then.
BK: How old were you when you made your senior debut?
LH: I was 17 at Katunga from memory. I played thirds for Mitta and then we went down there when Dad bought a dairy farm. I came back here a few years later after playing for Katunga and Katamatite.
BK: What was it like playing with the big boys at Mitta as a kid?
LH: A lot of them were my brothers. The five of us played for Mitta in the 1987 losing grand final side against Wodonga Demons. That's why we got beaten probably. It wasn't actually because we got cheated.
BK: I can't remember five brothers playing in a grand final around here before.
LH: It was good. I had someone to protect me. The year before we won the premiership but only four of us played in the flag.
BK: What been the secret to club's phenomenal success over the years?
LH: Just the mateship I think. We used to back each other up. Everyone being related probably helped as well (laughs). Having some pretty hard footballers helped as well with players like Hughie and Andrew O'Connell who would run through a brick wall. Plus they were as dumb as dog sh.. so they didn't know any better.
BK: What position did you play most of your football?
LH: I started as a forward, then went to the centre and finished in the backline. If you talk to some of my teammates they say I never had an opponent. I liked to run off rather than stick close to them.
BK: Any suspensions?
LH: I only got rubbed out for one week and it wasn't me. It was by brother.
BK: Biggest rivalry?
LH: Wodonga Demons. We hated them until they went to the Ovens and Murray in the late 1980s. My nephew Jarrod (Hodgkin) coaches them now.
BK: You did a bit of coaching didn't you?
LH: In 2000 I coached the seniors. We finished third I think but went out in straight sets after getting a few injuries late. My father-in-law (Michael Duncan) sacked me the next year and put Adam Vardy in.
BK: That's a bit harsh
LH: I got him back. I took over as president in 2002 and sacked him.