Congratulations to David Pizzey who was awarded a Life Membership to YP at the AGM on the 18th of August. David Pizzey arrived at YP in 2010-11 when his son Eamon started playing junior cricket at the club. Part way through that season, after years of sailing, he decided he would return to the game at the age of 46.
On the field those years way from the game sailing do not seem to have affected his output. He has played 229 games and has achieved a lot in those games. He is one of a select few that are three time senior premiership players having won flags in the 4th X1 in 2015-16 and the 3rd X1 in 2011-12 and 2021-22. He has won the 5th X1 batting award three times and both the 3rd and 4th X1 batting awards once. He has made the most runs in a season for YP on two occasions and won the Ryder award for Most Valuable Player in the 5th X1 twice. He has made the most runs in an MCA grade on two occasions, once in the 2021-22 season where he made the most runs in B Grade, and the other time in 2016-17 where he led the aggregate in D Grade, a season he also lead the MCA across all grades for the most runs! That 2016-17 season was one for the ages for David as he also picked up the MCA D Grade batting averages, Jack Racktraw Medal and the George Molony Jnr award (Club Champion) all whilst captaining the 5th X1 to the semi finals.
David has made 4 centuries and a further 17 half centuries YP in his 4275 runs for the club, likely placing him 6th on the all time run scorers list for YP. His highest score of 165 not out was in the 5th X1 against Power House in MCA D Grade in 2016-17, a game in which he partnered his son Eamon for the 5th wicket to set the current record partnership of 147 for that team. That same season he also set the 5th X1 partnership record for the 3rd wicket of 112 with Vince Murphy against Carnegie. His third and final partnership record is the highest partnership in the club’s history FOR ANY WICKET. He and Jack Perkins put a hapless Flemington to the sword on Ryder by putting on 318 for the first wicket in 2019-20, Dave top scoring with 161 not out and Jack making 159!
Before taking up wicket keeping David took 56 wickets with the ball with his best figures being 5-46 against Barnawartha North in the the 3rd X1 in 2014-15. In the field he has taken 119 catches, completed 11 stumpings and been involved in 33 run outs.
Aside from his exploits with bat, ball and the gloves, David is a fantastic club person. David did a fantastic job in captaining the 5th X1 and 4th X1 for four seasons where he was a great influence on the next generation of YP players who were graduating from the junior program. David is extremely active socially at YP. He is a regular attendee after games to have a beer to catch up with how the rest of the club has gone on the field. He attends almost all social events, more often than not wearing a ridiculous shirt that Frankie has found for him.
A tireless worker for the YP, David is almost always there to lend a hand when something needs to be done, whether that is to lay the covers on a non-training night, “enhance” the BBQ to make it easier to use, help move in or out of the rooms at the start or end of a season, build a temporary netting arrangement to allow for more people to train at once, drop everything during the course of the day to help move a new fridge into the pavilion because the delivery people couldn’t work out how to get it in, create a duck award trophy that displays all the past winners of the award, increase the size of one of the honour boards to lengthen it’s lifespan. The list of odd jobs he does around the club is endless. In the 2019-20 season his contribution to that season, and to be honest, many seasons, saw him awarded the Tom Harrington Memorial Trophy as the Best Club Person. In collecting this award David became the only person in the club’s history to win the Jack Racstraw Medal, Club Champion and Best Club Person awards, an achievement he should be immensely proud of.
Congratulations David on your Life Membership. You are a great YP person and we hope you continue to be part of the Youlden family for many years to come.
