The St George Powerhouse

‘Powerhouse’ was a title often attributed to the St George area of Sydney as the sedate 1950s morphed into the ‘swinging 60s’.

International sports stars from St George seemed to be everywhere: Ken Rosewall (tennis), Bruce Compton (golf), Jack Brabham (motor racing), John and Ilsa Konrads (swimming), Johnny Warren (soccer), Eddie Stapleton (rugby union),. Legends all.

Topping off all these was the St George Football Club, which won an unprecedented 11 Sydney rugby league premierships in a row – in the process, producing a procession of Test stars and dominating sports media. The club were renowned for its powerful play: first, softening up the opposition then unleashing its skillful champions, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Graeme Langlands and co.

Warren Saunders’ family background was steeped in the football club. His father Frank played 102 first grade games and became a selector, and Warren had been the ballboy for Saints’ firsts for three exciting years. So when he became captain of ‘the little brother’, St George cricket club, Warren knew what had made the football club great and was determined to adopt a similar approach at the cricket club.

The cricket club did indeed play powerfully and aggressively. Warren and his opening partner Billy Watson would provide the opening batting onslaught, with Norm O’Neill, Brian Booth, Ray Flockton and co adding the finishing touches. Warren insisted on a batting declaration well before a match’s halfway mark. Although it is fair to say that batting was the first grade team’s strength, the bowling at times packed a wallop. The fast bowlers- especially John Martin, Peter Leslie and later Trevor Osborne – would soften up the opposition batsmen before spinners John O’Reilly, Kerry O’Keeffe and others would do a Gasnier and slice through the remainder.

And matching the other sports in producing international star, St George cricket club was to produce the Australian games ‘most magnetic player of the 1950s and 60s in Norm O’Neill, while another Brian Booth, who had played hockey for Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, was to have the rare honour of captaining Australian in two Ashes Test matches.

There is probably no better illustration of the depth of the talent in the St George batting of this era than a few scorecards from the Australian Day weekend of 1961.

In Adelaide in the Fourth Test against the West Indies, Norm O’Neill scored 11 and 65 on the way to 522 series at an average of 52.2. He had top-scored with 181 in the famous Tied Test in Brisbane at the start of that great series.

Meanwhile at the SCG, four other St George batsman starred for NSW against South Australia. Warren Saunders hit 78, Billy Watson scored 40, Brian Booth remained 141 not out, and Ray Flockton made 110.

Has any other cricket club in Australia reached such heights on the one weekend?

The story was originally published in John Rogers book 'Mr St George' - Warren Saunders and the culture he inspired