JESSE ADAMS will always be remembered as Allansford Cricket Club’s 13th man.
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Adams, a valued Gator, Warrnambool Seahawks and Allansford Cats member, passed away earlier this week after a battle with Prader-Willi Syndrome.
He started with both the Allansford cricket and football clubs when he was about 12, stretching his involvement to 27 years. He was the number-one ticket holder for the Seahawks’ basketball team for around 10 years in the 2000s.
In 2014 he received an outstanding volunteer award from Cricket Australia.
Through his lengthy connection to the Allansford Cricket Club he acquired the nickname Flipper to which he will be fondly remembered by former Gators captain-coach Kyall Timms.
“Everyone knew Jesse or ‘Flipper’ as he liked to be called, and everyone knew him as he would be there rain, hail or shine,” he said.
“Obviously he was the scorer for a while and that was the focal point of a cricket game as everyone goes there and looks at the scoreboard and says hello to Flipper and he was always so responsive with everyone.
“People would ask him how the game was going and he was pretty honest, he would tell you if it's going well or not and if it wasn't going well he would tell you.
Timms, a 10-year player at Uebergang Oval, noticed Adams as soon as he entered the club.
“As soon as I started at the club you could see the rapport he had with the blokes and the love and admiration he had from all the players and the people at the club,” he said.
“That was reciprocated straight back at him, he is a heart and soul sort of bloke.”
Timms said Adams was their 13th man and that “he was like the furniture of club” because of his constant commitment to the club and that he would be there for the everyone when they needed him.
“If we were ever looking for inspiration and after games we would get him out and talk,” he said.
“When he stopped scoring, we gave him the job of collecting the statistics about our key performance indicators for our batting and bowling and after every game we would go up to him and ask him how we went and he would say how we did.
“Right up until he couldn't come to the cricket anymore, he was always our 13th man. He was always there and he was always a part of it.”
Saturday is set to be a very emotional day for Allansford, with the club organising to hold a minute’s silence before the commencement of the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association’s deciding two-dayer.
Grand final opponent Russells Creek was happy to oblige.
Timms said that Adams “would be there with them” on Saturday.
“No doubt he will be sitting there watching us and we will feel that he is there with us,” he said.
“His mum and his brother will be part of the ceremony and he used to wear the Allansford hat day and night and that will be there with us too.”
Timms also said that the game meant so much more to the Gators.
“It's really turned the game up a notch, especially for myself as I've been under an injury cloud and I was 50/50 about playing. When this happened, it sort of put life in perspective,” he said.
“The three premierships I was involved with when I was captain-coach, ‘Flipper’ was front and centre and he has all my premiership medallions.
“I gave them straight to him and a few of the other boys did too, so I don't know how many he has at home.
“It will be emotional, but we had a chat last night and we are going to try and channel that in a positive way and use it to reinforce the values he stood for.
“We are going to try to move mountains to make it happen, we are going to do everything in our power to give him the send off he deserves and win another premiership.”