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Gerry Fitzpatrick - Obituary

Gerry Fitzpatrick - Obituary

Ivan Ninkovic20 May 2019 - 11:24
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by Daniel Whiting

It is with great sadness to all at Southgate Adelaide Cricket Club that Gerry Fitzpatrick passed away this morning. A Vice President of the club, a captain and an instrumental part of the reason why the Adelaide were successful in the 1990’s.

Gerry was an all round sportsman. A good footballer and a lifelong fan of Newcastle United, he had also played rugby union at a top level in the days when the game was amateur. It was cricket though, which was his big passion. Under his tutelage, he guided many of us still involved with the club today.

A native of County Durham, Gerry joined Southgate Adelaide in the early 70’s, after moving to London to work as a teacher. He walked straight into one of the best sides ever in Adelaide history. With no leagues back then, it is hard to gauge how good a team they actually were but from speaking with those who were around at the time, they were arguably one of the strongest ever in the club’s 150 year history.

Gerry then captained numerous sides including the first eleven. A hard, no nonsense captain, he was instrumental in growing the club and making sure that the youngsters showed the right attitude. Gerry hated losing, it was an affront to him and his side! He always led from the front.

Through the late 1980’s, Southgate Adelaide CC were in trouble. In 1989, a number of players had departed the club having not paid their annual subscriptions. There were three senior members that held the club together at this point and they were all formative in the success of the club less than a decade later; Derrick Worth, Andy Britton and Gerry Fitzpatrick. Gerry showed loyalty when the club needed it most and without this trinity, there would be no club today.

In the early 90’s Gerry was behind the formation of our Sunday 3rd XI. With John Morris, this group of individuals would play cricket and then were the life and soul of the Adelaide bar on a Sunday evening, as laughter would boom out from the likes of Gerry, Robert Clegg, Vic Flack, John Morris, Harry Lucas and a host of others. A pint of bitter and a cigarette were constant companions before a curry at Mr Khan’s in Arnos Grove would conclude their evening.

However, it was soon that Gerry was captaining the Sunday 1st XI, playing sides in the Premier and Division One. Regularly, we would take on the likes of Southgate, Welwyn Garden City, Old Albanians or Broxbourne. Adelaide would hold our own against these teams, North London lads fused with hard Durham grit. Woe betide us, if we turned up with a hangover on a Sunday – Gerry would make you work harder. Cricket was never a laugh; the laughter could wait until you were in the bar. The word ‘friendly’ didn’t matter – when you stepped on the pitch, you were there to win. Cricket as it should be played.

It wasn’t just hardness though that Gerry specialised in. There was a caring side to him, a nurturing side and one that came from his being a teacher. A host to our Australian contingent in the 90’s, his sons Matt and Danny came into the first team at the age of 16. Gerry’s legacy had not only added a steel to our first eleven but two of his five children were at the heart of our success. Gerry’s spirit was integral to our rise from Division Three to Division One during this period. Even now, his son Andrew is at the heart of the committee, whilst daughters Ellie and Rachel have been always supportive and good friends of the club.

When Gerry stopped playing, he would turn up regularly to watch the club that he had served so loyally over the years. Perched on Southgate’s sightscreen, you’d see him discussing the game that he loved, watching the club that he loved.

The news today, whilst not coming as a complete shock, has still saddened all of us at Gerry’s cricket club that he served so loyally over the last forty years.

Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

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