Plays of the past

It was the first time Johnston had been in the prizemoney for two years, with the change in training focused on power and strength.

The winner of the gift ran the 130 yards in 11.8 seconds, the fastest gift in more than a decade.

Johnston had been considering retirement from professional foot running prior to his results in Wangaratta.

1980

Former Kyabram great Peter Lyon launched his pre-season campaign at Tongala, with the ambition of repeating what he achieved with the Bombers — breaking a 17-year premiership drought in 1975.

Thirty-five players turned out for the opening night of training, which was — according to many — the best-ever result for a summer session.

Kyabram rover Peter Warburton had been appointed assistant coach to Lyon and was awaiting a clearance from the Bombers. Former star Graham Nunn was another to attract attention at the session, as he hadn’t played the previous season.

• Trudi Laidlaw, 12, was Kyabram’s star at a regional swim carnival, winning three gold medals.

She won the 100m freestyle, the 100m backstroke and the 50m butterfly events and was about to embark on a Victorian Country Championships carnival campaign.

Joanne Sinnott, 10, was the only other member of the Kyabram club to qualify for the championships.

1990

Wayne Leppard, a renowned sportsmen across several disciplines, received a life membership of the Kyabram Squash Club.

A stalwart of the club for 20 years and a winner of several club championships, he was celebrating the announcement with his children Kristen and Matthew.

The trio had just been involved in another sport, swimming, where they competed at a Rochester carnival with tremendous results.

All three won their respective freestyle age divisions, Wayne in the over-40s category.

• Kyabram cricketer Matt McMaster Smith was named captain of the Victorian Country Cricket League’s Kleenex Super Team, which was due to play the Australian Under 19 side at Mooroopna in a 50-over match.

The team was chosen from all Victorian teams that competed in the recent state-wide Under 21 country competition, and it was McMaster-Smith’s second year in the team.

McMaster-Smith made 276 runs in seven visits to the crease, at an average of 45.92.

• Lancaster cricket parents John and Glenda Elliott were celebrating the success of sons, 16-year-old Justin and 18-year-old Matthew, who were both state representatives.

Justin had just scored his maiden century for Fire Brigade, against Lancaster-Wyuna, becoming the youngest player to score a century at the top level in the Kyabram association.

Matthew was also 16 when he hit his first century for Victoria’s under-17 team in the national titles.

Justin had just scored 200 runs and completed 16 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in the Dowling Shield playing for Collingwood.

2000

Nathalia cricket stars David Earl and Byron Smith were the toast of the Kyabram District Cricket Association after the team won the Division One final at Bendigo Country Week.

They had an opening stand of 139 to single-handedly cover arch enemy Shepparton’s total of 138.

Kyabram also won Division Two in 1998 and was runner-up at the carnival the previous year.

Skipper of the team was Jon Varcoe and after left-arm paceman Andrew Sierakowski injured his shoulder and it was left up to Bendigo carnival debutante Rowan Hutchinson to work his magic. In an eight-over stint he took 4-17. Peter Watt also took four wickets.

• Another set of Kyabram cricket young guns, Paul Newman and Blake Campbell, were set to become rivals when a Victorian under-18 country side was due to tackle a Victorian Institute of Sport team.

Newman had just struck a blazing 90 in a trial match to win his place in the Victorian country team, while Campbell was named in the VIS team at the behest of a state selector.

Campbell, at the time playing with Tongala, was considered one of the hottest young pace bowling talents of recent years.

Newman’s innings in the trial game included a typical haul of eight boundaries and five sixes.