Sport
6 December, 2025
Out of retirement with big impact
WHEN Mark ‘Macca’ Lamprell last took to the cricket field for Kingower, Julia Gillard was Australia’s prime minister, Barack Obama was in the White House and London played host to the Olympic Games.
Way back in 2012, Lamprell pulled the pin on a celebrated career with the Gower, family commitments making it impossible for him to play on.
His retirement came after taking 342 wickets, making almost 4500 runs with five centuries, and taking 73 catches,
Now you can add four wickets to that total, with Lamprell returning to the club in an hour of need.
Down five senior players for Saturday’s match with the Bridgewater Bulls, Kingower made yet another appeal to Macca to reverse his retirement – and this time circumstances made his second coming possible.
Along with another club legend Brett Wilson, who had not played for three years as he battled serious illness, Lamprell pulled on the whites for at least one more time.
Asked to bowl with the Bulls 5-77, Lamprell took a wicket with his third ball. In his next over he claimed another scalp with his second ball, the Bulls’ equal highest scorer in Nic Naughton, thanks to a ripping catch by Wilson.
Lamprell’s third over saw another wicket with his fourth delivery, and in his fourth and final over, Alex Abate took a fine diving catch in the gully, giving Lamprell a wicket in every over he bowled, and playing a huge part in knocking over Bridgey for 101.
He could have taken five wickets if not for dropping a return catch.
Wilson didn’t get to bowl as the wickets tumbled, but his career is also a notable one, with almost 200 wickets for the club – he says 198, the Kingower official stats say 185, but who’s arguing.
Lamprell, 46, and Wilson, 41, played alongside junior stars Ryder Smith and Matilda Rose in a team that spanned generations.
“I had a ball,” Lamprell said after play, having collected 4-12 – and notably shortening his run up in the latter stages of his spell.
“But I don’t know how I’ll be tomorrow.” In encouraging news for Kingower – club stalwart Ben Rose said Lamprell’s absence was “not for lack of trying” to lure him back over the past 13 years – Macca said he was prepared to fill in again if the team was short of players.
Friday night’s rain came at the right time for the Gower, but not at the right time for local farmer Wilson, who ordinarily would have been driving the header on Saturday.
He too is happy to be asked to play if the team is short-handed.
“If they need someone, and I’m not working on the farm, I’d rather see them able to have a run at the cricket.”
Both Lamprell and Wilson have children playing in the junior grade with Kingower.
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