History made: Bill ‘Jasper’ Jones and team manager Bert Lightfoot after Shepparton’s Melbourne Country Week Provincial premiership win in 1955.
To celebrate its centenary, Cricket Shepparton will be immortalising its greats by selecting a Team of the Century at an event in November.
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The shortlist — consisting of 30 members — recognises those past and present that have had a large impact on the game of cricket both in the region and beyond.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, The News will run special feature pieces on all 30 players, before the release of a commemorative magazine on November 25.
The name Bill ‘Jasper’ Jones carries with it a special weight in Shepparton cricketing circles.
The legendary left-handed bat is widely regarded as one of the best cricketers to grace Shepparton Cricket Association, having played an incredible 24 achievement-laden years at Footballers, while captaining the association to Melbourne Country Week Provincial premiership glory in 1955.
But this is only a brief snapshot into Jones’ astonishing career.
A Violet Town local, Jones was raised by his grandparents and attended Caniambo State School, beginning his cricket career at the age of 16.
After struggling for a game at Caniambo, Jones made the switch to Tamleigh North Cricket Club in Shepparton Cricket Association, before finding a spot in Footballers’ A-grade side in 1940.
A supreme 147-run grand final knock in his debut season at Footballers would somehow not be enough for victory, as his side fell by 19 runs to Old Students.
The 1940 grand final would be the last before World War II.
Jones joined the army in 1941 and was stationed at Bonegilla, near Albury, before being sent to North Queensland.
From there, he was shipped off to serve in Bougainville where he guarded a prisoner of war camp until 1945.
In 1946, Jones returned to Australia and was quickly back doing what he loved.
He would captain Footballers to a premiership in 1946 in what would be the start of a remarkable run of success that would span the next 20 years.
Jones captained Footballers to 19 grand finals in his time at the club, winning on eight occasions.
Like grandfather, like grandson: Bill Jones and grandson Shane Collins, from Numurkah, who played for a number of years in the Victorian Cricket Association.
His dazzling performances with the blade at club level would earn a spot in Shepparton’s Country Week team from 1947-1966, taking over from Bert Lightfoot as captain in 1953.
In 1954 Jones captained his side to its first Country Week decider and despite falling to Wangaratta, Shepparton was promoted to the Provincial division in 1955.
Mixing it with some of the best in Victorian cricket at the time, a victory over Geelong on the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground would seize the attention of cricket pundits across the country.
That year, alongside vice-captain Norm McArthur, team manager Lightfoot and a Shepparton side littered with stars of old, Jones led his side to its first Country Week success — a Provincial premiership in 1955.
It would be the club’s only Country Week premiership until a team led by Ian Sartori won a second title 40 years later in 1995.
In his 23 years at Footballers, Jones scored countless runs and took hundreds of wickets, but no SCA records exist before the 1954-55 season.
He won the Orm Clark bowling average in the 1954-55 season and the batting average in 1960-61, ’62-63 and ’65-66.
Jones was never far from the history books and in 1962 he forged what many would describe as his most memorable achievement of them all.
Jones captained Victoria Country against a touring England side at Deakin Reserve and a cheering crowd of 6000 descended on Deakin to witness their local heroes go up against England’s best.
A blistering knock of 39 not-out, including seven fours, was almost enough to secure the Country XI what would have been a famous win.
Nonetheless Jones’ innings and leadership put Shepparton cricket firmly in the spotlight.
Ten years later Jones was named a life member of Shepparton Cricket Association and served on the executive as grade secretary for several years.
He became Country Week selector for more than 15 years and also served as a Goulburn-Murray region selector.
He was never far from the game and served as curator for his favourite ground, Deakin Reserve, for decades after his retirement in the 1965-66 season.
Jones passed away in 2005, aged 85.
Beyond cricket, Jones lived an extraordinary life as a greyhound trainer, keen footballer and Australian Army serviceman.
For this he will be remembered by many and, for his cricket, he is immortalised as one of the greatest to play the game in the region.
