By Jonty Ralphsmith
Four senior premierships, life membership of his home club and player-of-the-match in the Victorian Big Bash T20 competition all sit handsomely on Cranbourne milestone man Cam Kelly’s cricketing resume.
The all-rounder brought up the 250-game milestone in the Eagles’ two-wicket loss to Parkfield on Saturday, just the fifth player in the club’s history to reach that number.
Those around the club know him as the selfless social glue who has been an engineer in connecting all generations to the club’s salient principles.
Selflessly sacrificing the central role he was playing as captain of Turf 2 reserves strong season in 2022-23 to add batting depth to the seniors was a recent example of team-first attitude.
“Cam is arguably Cranbourne’s most decorated player,” First XI skipper and fellow veteran Clinton Ayres said.
“He’s a loyal clubman and great teammate.”
Kelly has been a malleable member of the First XI line-up across the years, his all-round skillset enabling him to fill several roles.
Following a left rotator cuff injury in Cranbourne’s 2015-16 grand final victory, batting has taken increasing precedent.
While frustrated with his inability to make a score, never passing 51 despite only once failing to make 20, Kelly’s form with the blade this season has been significant in his team’s finals push.
“I’m batting as well as I feel like I ever have,” he said.
“It’s come about because of opportunity and my mindset is a bit better out in the middle – I’m willing to wait for the right ball rather than trying to create something.
“I try to bat the same way no matter where I bat – if I get a ball in my area, I’m still going to try and hit it but opening gives me a bit more time.”
While Kelly will start and finish his career as a batter-first, his weapon for much of his senior career has been his left-arm swing bowling.
It was his composure with the ball which guided Cranbourne to the Victorian Big Bash T20 premiership at the MCG, Kelly taking two key wickets in an economical spell to set the grand final up.
“It was a bit surreal,” he said of playing on the MCG.
“There were only a couple of hundred watching from each club so it was quite quiet – when someone middled it, there was a real echo.
“It was great to be part of.”
Cranbourne summiting that apex was part of a strong era for the club, which climbed from Turf 4 in 2007-08 to winning the Turf 1 premiership in 2015-16.
Now back in Turf 2, Kelly is confident the elusive premiership is just around the corner.
“This year’s been quite promising – the culture’s excellent, everyone gets along, it’s a really happy change room and there’s quite a bit of depth coming through in the lower grades,” he said.
CAM KELLY’S CAREER STATISTICS
– 250 games
– 4 premierships
– 3157 runs
– 256 wickets
– 107 catches
– 9 50s
– 2 Hat-tricks
– DDCA Turf 2 Bowling Average award 2012-13
– Cranbourne Cricket Club Turf 1 Bowling Average award 2014-15
