CS Team of the Century | Barry ‘Basher’ Baldi: A leader on and off the field

“I didn’t play as much as I wanted to,” Baldi said.

Breaking on to the scene as captain of the St Colman’s under-15s side in 1959, the youngster would soon move to St Brendan’s before settling at Footballers where his uncle Johnny Baldi played.

Playing alongside and against a number of Shepparton cricket legends he looked up to, Baldi shone from a young age, playing his first Country Week at just 16 years old.

“I was only a kid,” he recalled.

“The first year I went to Country Week in Bendigo, Eddie and Marg Hyde said Mum wouldn’t let me go unless they looked after me.

“It was just a good time and going to Country Week with all these guys.”

A handy footballer, Baldi won his first of three premierships for Shepparton as a 17-year-old under Tom Hafey in 1963, before moving overseas.

Spending 10 years abroad — besides a short spell back home — Baldi played at the Springs Cricket Club in South Africa, also plying his trade for Moorooka in Queensland upon his return to Australia.

Moving back to South Africa for two years, Baldi returned to Shepparton in 1979 and would soon lead Karramomus to its maiden premiership.

“That was a good few years,” he recalled.

“I didn’t really miss the cricket until I started playing again.

“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’ve got to get home and play cricket’ but once I started going with Karramomus to Mildura and getting to know all the guys again I was keen.”

Deciding to make the move to Karramomus after spending time playing for the Karramomus Cavaliers in the Mildura Willowfest, Baldi captained the side to its first A-grade premiership in 1983.

Taking a talented side all the way to the title, Baldi remembered introducing extra fitness work in order to get the side fit on the field.

“They hated it but that was the year we won the flag,” he said.

Remembered by many for his leadership, a former teammate once recalled “feeling like we were six foot tall” when entering the field with Baldi at the helm.

“I was a good captain, I knew that,” he said.

“I’d just try and lead by example really, if we were having a bit of a torrid time I’d always try and put myself in.

“I wouldn’t make people do stuff that I wouldn’t do myself, so I would maybe go and bat if the wicket was playing up or something like that.”

Baldi still feels the impacts of this attitude to this day, putting his body on the line — and injuring his knee — after fielding in close during a semi-final against Old Students.

“That was the year we won the flag so maybe it was worth it,” he joked.

Representing Shepparton in a “little Ashes” of sorts in England, Baldi played a number of games for the association abroad — including against Shepparton, UK.

“That was good, we went for six weeks,” he said.

“We played quite a few games and the last game of the tour was against Shepparton.

“The red carpet came out, a lot of good cricketers from Melbourne were there as well.

“It was a highlight, playing cricket in England.”