Ben Warren is one of the most successful sportsmen from the Fleurieu Peninsula in the past 20 years, playing both Cricket and Football with Langhorne Creek. Warren also played 205 games in the SANFL (163 South Adelaide, 42 Norwood), kicking 414 goals. At South Adelaide, he was leading goalkicker on six occasions before ‘retiring’ at the end of the 2010 season due to a recurring hip injury and returned to Langhorne Creek in the Great Southern Football League (GSFL). That move proved fruitful as Warren captained the Hawks to the 'A' grade premiership in 2011, kicking 94 goals.

With his hip issue sorted, Ben was recruited by Norwood where he enjoyed great success, playing in the Redlegs' 2012 and 2013 premierships before taking over the reins as coach at the Parade as Norwood completed a hat trick of flags with a thrilling four-point win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in 2014. After his tenure at the Parade ended in 2016, Warren was an assistant coach at Sturt and this year he is back ‘home’ at South Adelaide. There was one more piece of on-field glory for Warren as Langhorne Creek won another GSFL premiership in 2018 with Ben playing alongside brother Nick in another ‘A’ grade flag for the Hawks.

Ben has been one of the best players in the Alexandra & Eastern Hills Cricket Association (A&EHCA) over the past 20 years, winning four A&EHCA ‘cricketer of the year’ awards along with an amazing 11 ‘AJ Potts cricketer of the year’ awards at Langhorne Creek. Along the way he has amassed a whopping 8,275 runs and 626 wickets in all competitions since the 1994/95 season. Ben was captain for three seasons from 2005/06 to 2007/08 with the highlight being the 2006/07 premiership win over Wistow. This was a second flag for Warren after earlier success in 2003/04. A third premiership was forthcoming after Langhorne Creek won a thrilling grand final against Hahndorf in 2018/19. Ben’s all-round prowess was a key in the 'Creeks' first flag in 12 years as he scored 541 runs and took 41 wickets.

How did you first get involved in Sport? 

We lived on a dairy farm at Mulgundawa on the eastern side of Langhorne Creek and I started in the mini colts (U/11) in 1988 for the Langhorne Creek Football Club (LCFC) Hawks as a six year old. Dad played over 450 games for the LCFC and my brother Nick and I always followed him to training and games, so it was ingrained in both of us. I can remember having a football in my hands every day when I was a kid. I loved Hawthorn and the Port Adelaide Magpies. I started playing cricket at the start of the 1993/94 season as an 11 year old in the U/13’s. It was a good way to be involved in our small community but I had a great love for both football and cricket from a young age.

Who have been the biggest influences on your sporting career?

No doubt as a kid it was Dad and my brother. We played backyard football or cricket every day and we watched just as much on the television. Nick and I enjoyed watching Dad play for the Hawks and we played alongside him in the mid/late 90’s with cricket. You are a product of your environment and Dad loved playing, coaching and administrating and we followed suit. I was pretty lucky John Griffen (assistant coach SAFC) pushed hard to get me to South Adelaide at the end of 2000 otherwise I probably would not have gone. It was a bridge too far for myself and family but 'Griff' made it happen with Greg Anderson for which I am very grateful. Later in my career as a player and coach Nathan Bassett, Robbie Neill and David Oatey were great influences and they have become great friends, mentors and sounding boards.

What do you enjoy about playing for Langhorne Creek?

I still love the club now as much as I did as a kid, I have never grown out of it. It's a small club built on community and good people all chipping in. We are really grateful for the facilities, oval and turf wicket we have. Since I finished football at Norwood the desire to play has waned even though I pushed through around 20 games in 2017 and 2018 to get 100 senior games for the Hawks.

I enjoy playing cricket probably more than ever. We have a good group of men that keeps me going and we have fun every week. Matty Tonkin, Nathan Wundersitz, Daniel Cleggett, Benny Mcleod, Troy Blackwell and we added Brodie O’Dea this season (2019/20) and David Mudge still plays when he can. I feel as though I can still improve with cricket, make more runs, win another premiership. We got belted early on in my senior cricket career and that still drives me.

What are some of your favourite sporting memories?

Football - playing my first A Grade game in 1997 vs Mount Compass was a great thrill. All I ever wanted to do was play for the Hawks. Nick and I were the mascots every week since we could run. We handed the jumpers out to the players and loved being involved. My first league game at South Adelaide was a great time although I probably did not deserve it at the time. The premierships with Norwood were fantastic to be a part of. Bass (Nathan Bassett) built a great team dynamic which was just as enjoyable to be a part of as winning. Coaching in 2014 was as good a feeling as I have ever had. The players were great in 2014 and we looked down the barrel early in the year but they dug deep, never waivered and we had some fun along the way.

Cricket - the premiership in 2003/04 was our first in 24 years and our recent success in the T20 format and our premiership last year was good fun. Making my first 100 at Wallaroo in 1997 was a good feeling at the time.

Who are some of your toughest opponents (Cricket & Football)?

Football - Corey Ah Chee (Port Magpies) was always difficult. He was 6'4 and athletic, never gave you much room. Steven Hall from the WWT Eagles was also difficult, especially when I was young playing key position in the early 2000’s. I was 80kg and not overly physical and they would hold and block you a lot and often at Full Forward, you were often off a standing start out of the goal square!

Cricket - Batting early on in my career, I always found Mark Stokes hard to face (Mount Barker CC), he nibbled the two piece beautifully and knocked me over caught behind most times. There was plenty of good fast bowlers throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s in the AEHCA. Eckermann, Blake, Pfitzner, Leckie and Ben Slack amongst others. I never liked facing Aaron Galvin (Woodside) and Clint Foster (Nairne) were very similiar, both sharp and nipped the ball away and their bowling lifted on you off a length on hard wicket. I could never score runs or work the ball around off them.

Bowling - Ben Judd (Wistow), Wayne Willis (Wistow) and Ben Slack (Mount Barker CC) when they were in full flight. I liked to attack the stumps and had a reasonable bouncer, so I could go for a few runs but Juddy was good off the back foot and Ben and Wayne had all the shots and were particularly strong through the leg side, so if you veered onto middle and leg stump, it was four. In the last few years, Kym Heinrich (Wistow & Nairne) and Benny Matthews (Lobethal) are both difficult to bowl too along with Mitch Weeks (Lobethal), who strikes the ball as good as any. I only bowled to Rohan Reid (Meadows) a couple times but he never looked like getting out.

You’ve achieved a great deal but are there still any aims left for you to achieve?

No individual goals, other than help the Langhorne Creek Cricket Club (LCCC) 'A' grade win week to week and make sure we leave the LCCC better than when we found it. Updating the LCCC history has been a great thrill, helping induct 17 new life members was great for our club in 2019 and we have a few other projects in the background. I would still like to win another premiership.

How did you end up back playing Footy at Langhorne Creek in 2011 and then at Norwood in 2012?

I hurt my hip in Round 16, 2008 and missed the last five or so games. It was still giving me issues in 2010 which was Ron Fuller’s first year of a five year deal. He had already indicated he wanted new players and with a hip that was giving me a lot of grief and not being able to train properly and barely getting through games, I decided to retire. The bursa in my hip went undetected despite numerous scans and finally came good in April 2011 when I was playing at LCFC. Norwood had asked if I would be interested in joining them in 2011, so when my hip was sorted I was keen to have another go in 2012.

What did you find most enjoyable and also most challenging as coach of Norwood?

Playing and coaching are completely different so it was a steep learning curve. Winning the premiership was fantastic and great all round achievement by the club, coaches and players in 2014. Working with players who are passionate about their football to be the best they can be was very rewarding and I really enjoyed running the football program.

It was always a challenging role, you never really feel settled. In 2015 we lost seven players from our 2014 premiership team and only recruited a handful but the expectation was, we would win four premierships in a row. We played some very good football in 2015 but laboured badly in the back end with injuries to our key players in Alex Georgiou, Callum Bartlett, Mick Newton, Sam Baulderstone, Matt Panos, Simon Phillips, Mat Suckling and Andrew McInnes came across (Carlton) but never played a game but we did blood some kids in Anthony Giannini, Luke Partington, Davin Ferreira, Luke Rander, Harrison Cross, Dylan Auciello, Lachie Peter, Pat Levicki and Peter Bampton got some game time. It was too much for a young group but the expectation from the board was still there to win so I was frustrated because the amount of players we had out and the lack of speed in 2015, meant we were never really going to challenge and we were bundled out in the Elimination Final. My frustrations flowed over into 2016 and the season never got going and I found myself out the door pretty quickly!

Do you think you’ll coach again?

It would be very unlikely, you never say never but I am not busting down the door to do it again. I have enjoyed being an assistant at Sturt (2017-19) and this year back at South Adelaide (2020). Our children Emmerson and Ashton are 8 and 7 and are enjoying starting their sport, so I would like to support them and still play a bit of cricket whilst I can! My wife Kelly has enjoyed seeing a lot more of me in the last four years with football not really getting in the way!

How do you see the future of sport in the Fleurieu region?

Really positive. We have seen Victor Harbor and Goolwa get grants and upgrades with their facilities, along with Myponga and Strathalbyn a few years ago. Modern coaching techniques are starting to flow through from AFL and SANFL which is positive for local football to close the gap from football at SANFL & SANFL junior level. Clearly kids have greater opportunities across a variety of activities in the 2000’s but football is still the foundation of a lot of communities. The GSFL is a great competition, one of the better ones outside the SANFL. The opportunities have never been better with the pathway the AFL/SANFL provide through to the top level.

With Cricket, the A&EHCA has been great the last 5 years with the introduction of one day cricket. No doubt it was a challenging decision for the A&EHCA to reduce it from two day cricket (which I enjoyed) but for the future of cricket in our area it was great move. T20 cricket still has a bit to go but from a LCCC point of view, we have really enjoyed and embraced it and you can see that in the results by winning 4 of the last 5 T20 cups.