The Taringa Rovers Cricket Club was formed in 1960 and has fielded teams in the Queensland Sub-District Cricket Association, a regionally based competition that features teams from throughout South-East Queensland, since the 1960/61 season. At the time of formation of the cricket club, Jack Speare, who along with Ernie Dixon founded the Taringa Rovers Soccer Football Club in 1949, was President of the Soccer club. As a number of footballers, including Jack’s son John Speare (then Secretary of the Soccer club) were also playing cricket in the summer months, mainly with Indooroopilly Districts at Moore Park, it seemed a good idea for Taringa Rovers to provide for both soccer and cricket.
The Soccer Club is one of the oldest soccer clubs in Brisbane and began with one Junior team calling themselves Taringa ‘Rovers’ because they had no fixed ground on which to play. At the time of establishment of Taringa Rovers, the only park available on which the boys could play was Moore Park, behind Indooroopilly State School. It was six years before the Club entered into a joint agreement with Western Suburbs Soccer Football Club to share a lease at it’s current home, the Indooroopilly Recreation Reserve – or just “The Rec” for short. 25 years later, on 31st May 1980, “The Rec” was re-named to “Jack Speare Park” in honour of the club’s founder. Today, both the Cricket and Soccer clubs are still based and play their home matches at Jack Speare Park.
The inaugural meeting of the Cricket Club was held at the Fisher residence at Moggill Road, Indooroopilly. Those in attendance were Trevor and Barry Dixon, Terry Savage, John Speare (all Taringa footballers) and John Fisher.
The inaugural side of the 1960/61 season was captained by John Speare and although a new club, it was graded straight into A1 Grade due to the number of players that were already playing in that Grade. The first fixture was a home game against Indooroopilly, but because the rejuvenated pitch at “The Rec” was not quite ready, it was played at Toowong Memorial Park. The members of the team for the inaugural 1960/61 season were:
Dick Balcomb, Frank Beaverson, Norm Fryer, Ray Fryer, Warren Chambers, Harold Dellit, Charlie Dinsdale, Clive Dinsdale, Barry Dixon, Trevor Dixon, John Fisher, Peter Hodge, Les O’Sullivan, John Russell, Terry Savage, John Speare and Jack Speare.
History shows however, that this was not the first Taringa cricket side to play at “The Rec” as it was known then. Along with others, Jack Speare helped lay the first turf wicket in the 1920’s and played in the original Taringa side that used the oval. Cricket ceased with the advent of World War II but after the war ended in 1945, the team briefly re-formed for two seasons before disbanding.
In the club’s second season of 1961/62, a 2nd XI team was entered in the QSDCA and played in C1 Grade until the club’s 3rd XI team was formed in 1966/67 which initially played in C3 Grade. Four teams were entered in the 2002/03 season (A1, B1, B3 and C3 Grades) before the club reverted back to fielding three teams the following season and now currently has two teams. With the exception of the inaugural 1960/61 season, the Taringa Rovers has always had multiple teams in the Sub District competition.
Since its inception, the cricket club has been tremendously successful and the players who have taken the field for Taringa Rovers have built up an enviable history. The club’s first premiership came in just its second season, 1961/62 in A1 Grade, after which it continued on with this early success, with the 1st XI winning an astonishing 9 premierships in 10 seasons in A1 Grade between the 1963/64 and 1972/73 seasons. During this time, John Speare captained the club to a record 5 premierships in his eight seasons as 1st XI captain, before handing over to Terry Savage in 1968/69, who captained the 1st XI to a further 3 premierships in his three seasons as captain. Col Nevill then took over as club captain for the 1971/72 season and captained the 1st XI to another 2 premierships in his first two seasons.
The club has since continued on to have won a total of 34 premierships (Senior and Junior teams), including 28 Queensland Sub District Cricket Association Premierships and a record 16 premierships in A1 Grade.
From its inauspicious beginning the club has grown as a result of years of fund raising and hard work by volunteers to a position where the club can now boast some of the finest facilities offered by any sporting club or code at our home ground – Jack Speare Park at Indooroopilly. The facilities include a licensed Clubhouse with function room, bar area, gymnasium and meeting rooms; two senior and one junior Soccer field, a canteen, four dressing rooms and three turf cricket pitches.