Rohan Reid has been the best cricketer in the Hills Cricket Association (HCA) this century and quite possibly, the best ever in the long history of the HCA. His statistics for his beloved Meadows Cricket Club are quite frankly, hard to believe! Reid has made 13,077 runs (39 x 100’s, 74 x 50’s) and taken 425 wickets (17 x 5-wicket/inns) for the Bulldogs in ‘A’ grade competition since making his debut as a 14-year old. He has also made over 1,500 runs for the HCA in Meyer Shield competition plus he has been a South Australia Country Representative on five occasions and a regular in the Fleurieu & Districts teams in the annual SACA Country Carnival.

Team success has always been the main focus for Reid and Meadows has had plenty of that winning an amazing 12 premierships in the past 15 seasons. The Bulldogs have also won three SA Country T20 Championships at the Adelaide Oval. In representative cricket, Reid has been involved in 10 Meyer Shield winning HCA teams (seven as Captain) and two SACA Country Carnival winning sides with Fleurieu & Districts.

It’s a real ‘family affair’ for the Reid’s at Meadows with brother Haydn a very successful ‘keeper/batsman, Father, David was a long time Bulldogs player while Mum, Val is the ‘A’ grade scorer as well as looking after the Grandchildren on game day! Despite playing 20 years of ‘A’ grade cricket, it appears there’s plenty more runs and wickets left in Rohan Reid! 

How did you first get involved in Cricket?

It all started watching the old man (David) play on Saturday's and in the backyard with my brother (Haydn). I debuted at 8 playing under 13’s (no helmets back than either) and by then it was just what the family did on the weekend. My brother and I would play in the morning and watch dad in the afternoon until I was able to play my first senior game at 12 and then ‘A’ Grade at 14. 

Who have been the biggest influences on your Cricket career?

If Dad and Haydn didn’t play when I was growing up I might not have played cricket at all. Through representative cricket you meet some wise heads. Travis Bahr (player) and Jeff Vaughan (SA Country Coach) were two that taught me an enormous amount about the mental and strategic side of cricket.

What do you enjoy most about playing for Meadows?

Family and friends. The majority of our senior group has played cricket together since we were kids. Now our kids play together on Saturday afternoon. We have a very tight group on and off the field and we have a lot of fun.

What are some of your favourite sporting memories?

I have been extremely lucky to grow up with a group of mates that love playing cricket and that has seen us enjoy a massive amount of success on the Football (2 ‘A’ Grade Premierships) and Cricket field (12 ‘A’ Grade Premierships) at Meadows. This has flowed onto representative cricket with a core group of us playing representative cricket together. I would rank premierships above all individual accolades or awards but above all the premierships is the mates (family) I have made and continue to make, and the memories we have made on and off the field.

Who are/have been some of your toughest opponents?

I think of my cricket differently than most and I hate losing. So my HCA toughest opponents are/have been guys that were good enough to beat you by themselves regardless of how well you as a team played. Two guys that come to mind with the bat are Ben Kemp and Dylan Brown. They certainly went about it differently, but on their day are unstoppable but also good to watch. Ryan Hunter as an all-round threat with the bat, ball and in the field is another tough opponent.

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

At 35 I have dialled down any personal goals and it's now about handing control over to, and teaching the younger players at Meadows and at Representative level whilst still winning premierships. I will continue to play cricket until I no longer care if I win or lose.

You’ve been a strong advocate for Meyer Shield* competition. Where does this drive come from?

Ultimately I want to win, but I also enjoy the challenge of playing competitive cricket against the best players, where you arrive at the game not knowing if you are going to win and when it comes down to the last five overs of a game and it's in the balance. I would love to play against the best cricketers in our zone every week if there was a way.

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

To be honest, I think sport is dying across the board. I’m scared for the future of all sports, everyone is time poor now, whether through work or other commitments. Sport used to be the number one priority placed above all other things on the weekend. It now sits at second or third priority for most and I fear it will keep slipping down the list. However, I will be doing my best for as long as I can to keep Meadows Cricket Club going on field and off field.