Royal, who will be 60 in a fortnight, grew up at Boorcan and started playing with Glenormiston in the 1963-64 season.

“I suppose you’ve got to take up a sport and cricket was mine,” the hairdresser said yesterday after being presented with the life membership on Monday night.

“I was a bit surprised to get the life membership, I must have been the only one who did not know about it. I’ve been around cricket for a long time. It’s a great game and I still enjoy it enormously.”

Royal was a player and office bearer with Boorcan Cricket Club from 1971, when the club was reformed, until 2000.

He was a member of Boorcan’s first premiership in 1975-76 as well as playing in a further five premierships.

The right-hand bat and opening bowler won the Hampden Cricket Association cricketer of the year award in seven consecutive seasons in the 1970s.

The part-time leg-spinner also represented the Hampden association at Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne County Week competitions and was a team manager on several campaigns. Royal has also been coach/manager of the Boorcan colts cricketers as well as selector/manager of association colts Country Week teams to Horsham and Warrnambool.

He was elected onto the original South West Cricket Association executive which was formed after a merger of the Mount Emu Creek, Western Plains/Mininera and Timboon /Stoneyford associations in 1996. He also served as junior vice-president until 2005.

On retiring as a player he turned to umpiring and is now president of the South West Cricket Umpires Association.

He said the highlight of his cricket involvement was taking out premierships.

“Winning grand finals is hard to beat and making 140 in a grand final, all those type of things and just being part of it,” he said.

Royal said he was fortunate to be able to contribute throughout a game, whether as a right-hand bat, right-arm opening bowler or coming back on as a leg-spinner.

“I don’t know how fit I am but I’m active. I enjoy the umpiring and the merger of the associations was a good merger. It had to happen and it’s been good for cricket,” he said.