Clark family compiles history of Border Morning Mail cricket club

Such a motivation led two sons to start compiling a history of one particular Albury-Wodonga club significant both to their own family and this newspaper.

The Mail was a minor grade team in the Albury and Border Cricket Association in the 1950s and '60s, taking its name from The Border Morning Mail as most of its players worked there.

Jim Clark, now 96 and living in Queensland, was a top order batsman in the line-up while he worked as a sports reporter and later chief of staff from the late 1940s to 1970.

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His older son John also played a few seasons while younger son Peter remembers "being a substitute fielder quite often because you wouldn't always get the 11 players to arrive".

The latter said documenting the Mail team's fortune aimed to provide enjoyment and information to his relatives as well as other past players and their families.

Mr Clark's own recollections have been valuable, as have an Albury cricket history by the late Joe Wooding and old newspaper articles on microfilm.

"Interestingly there is reference, occasionally, to training, though I can never remember it being very serious," Peter Clark said.

"Maybe before a finals game they may have had a few practice runs.

"A lot of the time they just went from Saturday to Saturday."

Despite this laid-back approach, the Mail side, made up of reporters, printers and sometimes friends of employees, often held its own.

"As far as we can work out, they won two premierships, '63-'64 in C grade and then '67-'68 when they played in the sub-district grade," Peter said.

"They certainly weren't easybeats, from my memory, and looking at some the old scores, they seem to have done pretty well."

The Clarks hope any former players, opponents or family members might contact them with their stories or any memorabilia from that time.

More an anecdotal than analytical history, the family project seeks to capture the flavour of cricket of that period, both on the field and during the refreshments breaks.

"Certainly going out to places such as Jindera and Burrumbuttock were very popular because their hospitality was wonderful," Peter said.

Anyone able to help with old photos, memorabilia, club records and memories can contact Peter Clark (p.s.clark@bigpond.com or 0422 642 055) or John Clark (clark.j1951@gmail.com or 0401 794 064).

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