WHEN it comes to cricket in the Wimmera, Darren Chesterfield has pretty much done everything you could hope for – and then some.
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Chesterfield has been involved with Horsham Cricket Association and, at club level, with Horsham Saints for 10 years.
“I gave up playing cricket for a while and never used to play in Horsham,” he said.
“Then my kids started playing.
“I decided to lose some weight and played with the Horsham Saints for a few years.”
Chesterfield played in C Grade for the Saints, before turning his attention to other facets of cricket.
He coached an under-16 side for about four years and also had the chance to play cricket with his two children.
“I played cricket with my daughter and son, which was a really good experience,” he said. “They got to see what sort of a cricketer their dad really was. I was always telling them how good I was, so they saw that I was exaggerating a bit.”
One day changed Chesterfield’s view of his role with cricket.
“There was a reasonably big incident at a game of cricket,” he said.
“There was a bit of fighting and I didn’t want to see that in cricket here. So, I decided I would give my time in cricket as an umpire.”
Chesterfield has been an umpire now for six seasons.
“Umpiring is really good fun. Once you take away the fact that you stand in the same spot for five or six hours a day. But you get the best view of the cricket,” he said.
Alongside umpiring, coaching and playing, Chesterfield has been on the board of the Horsham Cricket Association.
“I’ve been on the board for maybe eight or nine years,” he said. “I started off as junior cricket co-ordinator. I set about trying to get junior coaching week a bit more organised and getting people enjoying coming to Horsham, and I think succeeded in that.”
He is currently the secretary and has been doing that for the past five years.
His passion for the game and to improve cricket in the region simply continues to grow.
“Cricket is the best game in the world by far,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re tall, small, fast, slow, anyone can play cricket. Everyone has different skills, there is always something for you to do.”
Chesterfield said the key to his cricketing success and longevity in Horsham is down to the support of his family, and especially his wife.
“My wife Louise has always been really supportive of me playing cricket,” he said.
“When our two kids were playing she was always there. She has been critical in me playing cricket and without her support I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”