HE may have made his name as a champion race horse trainer, but Symon Wilde has another impressive sporting prowess to his name.
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Wilde has made an impact on the cricket field, helping guide the Purnim A grade team to the Grassmere Cricket Association Twenty20 title.
Last Saturday at Wangoom, Purnim and Panmure fought out on intense battle in the Twenty20 final.
I managed to get onto one, it was the biggest fluke of all time, I was just in the right place at the right time.
- Symon Wilde
Panmure batted first and made 9-135 and had Purnim in real trouble at 2-6 in reply.
An 83-run third wicket partnership between Bernie Harris and Thomas Smith got Purnim back in the game.
As Wilde and his teammates looked on from the sidelines, the man better known for getting a horse primed for the big moment, was about to step up for his time in the spotlight.
With six balls of the match remaining, Purnim still needed eight runs with Stephen McGrath and Wilde at the crease. While Wilde is used to the high pressure environment of big race meetings, his preparation for his cricketing moment of truth was less thorough.
“I love playing cricket, it is a good release from racing,” Wilde said.
“I didn’t play cricket as kid but I played a couple of seasons in England when I was working over there in my early 20s. I then didn’t play for a long time before going out to Purnim four years ago. One of the things about cricket is you get to play with blokes of all ages, it’s a great cross-section. I let them know on Thursday nights when I am available to play, this year I have played in all grades.”
Wilde had not played A grade since November and as the last over went on, the pressure rose with five needed with two balls to go.
“My thought at the time was that I needed to find the boundary,” Wilde said.
“I manged to get onto one, it was the biggest fluke of all time, I was just in the right place at the right time.”
The one he got onto was a hook shot that sailed over the boundary for six to give Purnim a thrilling victory.
“I was pretty happy to get the win, it is great for the club,” Wilde said.
“I was really pumped for the boys, especially Tom and Bernie who had batted so well to get us out of trouble.”
It was one of the few weekend’s in his sporting career that results on the race track were overshadowed by deeds with his cricket whites on. On Sunday, Wilde’s 36th birthday, he had runners at the Koroit Cup meeting and while he didn’t get a winner, it was a memorable day.
“It was a terrific day, I caught up with a few of the blokes from Purnim. The six just made it over the line but by the end of races it had cleared the Wangoom Road,” Wilde said with a laugh.
