GRAMPIANS Cricket Club is celebrating another PF Christie Medallist from within its ranks after Carl Joyce took home the biggest prize on offer at the Hamilton and District Cricket Association 39th Annual Christie Dinner on Wednesday night.
Joyce joins his brother, Heinrich, as the only pair of brothers to win the medal across the 45-year history of the award and is the seventh player from the Pumas to take the award home following in the footsteps of Stephen Field (95-96 and 02-03), Will McGregor (05-06), Will Collins (09-10), Heinrich Joyce (15-16 and 16-17), Jordie Withers (18-19) and Lachie Field (20-21) who have all stood atop the podium for the Pumas.
Grampians players have taken the medal home nine times and are the most awarded club in the history of the medal, with St Andrews just behind.
The 32-year-old allrounder had a major impact on the season for the Pumas, as he batted at number four this summer and either taking the new ball or as first change bowler, Joyce posted 269 runs at 44.83 per innings and took 17 wickets at 13.29 during the home and away rounds as he registered 15 votes to claim the medal by two votes from last season’s winner, Simon Close with Michael Brilley third on 11 votes.
Joyce claimed best player votes from the umpires in five rounds and recorded his tally by round 10 and had to sit back to see if the chasing pack would catch him over the final four rounds.
“I didn’t see this coming at all and to have the medal around my neck is very surreal and there were a lot of very good candidates on the leader board ahead of me who I, and many others thought would win including Simon (Close),” Joyce said.
Joyce moved to Australia in 2006 from his native South Africa along with the rest of his family, and he quickly made the district and Grampians cricket club his home, after his brother had enjoyed a six-month sojourn at the club previously.
“We arrived to live in Australia on Australia Day 2006, and I sometimes feel like my life in South Africa was a dream, and did it really happen?”, Joyce said.
“I feel very fortunate to live in a first world country and we’ve well and truly made our home here”.
“No one ever goes into a season saying, ‘I’m going to win the PF Christie’ but I started the summer really well and after the first few rounds, I started thinking that I’m a chance, but then my girlfriend moved in with me in January and that’s when my form started to wane,” he laughed.
“I thought to myself then, that Simon (Close) is making all the runs and taking a fair few wickets so I thought, ‘Oh well, that’s fine, I’m here for the team and I’m just glad I play for a really successful club”
“Club/team success is way more important but to be able to sneak over the line like a good filly starting strong and then holding on to win.”
With the weather playing a major factor in the season with three rounds of play washed out, it meant that Joyce had recorded his five best player matches by round 10 which was really five games from the first seven that he was judged as best afield to open a big lead.
Joyce sees himself as more a batting-allrounder than a bowling-allrounder which is funny as he is one of the quickest bowlers in the competition.
“I don’t know what happened to my form after Christmas as I think I started over analysing things in my head, with things like not playing as freely as normal, and thinking that I should focus more on my technique and be leaving more balls than I normally would.”
The success of older brother Heinrich was always in back of his mind though as all younger siblings strive to emulate or beat their elders.
“I think that was a bit of a sore point for me that Heinrich had won the medal twice and I hadn’t done it.” Joyce said.
“Heinrich came up to me on Saturday (after the grand final) saying, ‘what happened to you after Christmas, you had the Christie in the bag and the absolutely butchered it’, I thought Ah thanks, we’d just lost the flag and he tells me that,” Joyce laughed.
“Honestly my success in the game is a product of Heinrich’s success and as the youngest brother I had to play cricket as well as he did.”
As Joyce progressed through the grades, he then took the step to join Premier Cricket club Northcote while at university where his game progressed even further.
“I was at Northcote for a couple of years and played one game in Premier Firsts with most games in the seconds and thirds,” Joyce said.
“I want to thank my parents for all the sacrifices they made to give me the opportunities I’ve had.”
“They even put a net in the back yard with a bowling machine for us boys to practice in which helped us all so much.”
“Also, Will Collins and my teammates too,” Joyce said, “and Will has stepped up so much as captain this summer and it has rubbed off on us all.”
