Deniliquin Pastoral Times

Memorial for Clark

Clubs start new shield game

-

The Deniliquin Wanderers and MoamaEchuc­a Border Raiders will pay tribute to beloved club member and mate Clark Jones in the inaugural Clark Jones Memorial Shield game tomorrow.

Clark, who has played for both sides, died on November 16 last year, aged 27.

The match will be used as a pre-season tune-up match with the sides joining forces for the 2017 Bendigo Amateur Soccer League season.

It will be held at Rotary Park, Deniliquin from 11.30am.

‘‘Clark’s skill was something that you noticed straight away,’’ Wanderers president Mathew Crothers said.

‘‘His determinat­ion to get the ball was second to none. I remember he just had so much fun out on the soccer pitch.

‘‘After the game was great too. Clark always hung around for drinks and a chat and is dearly missed by us all.

‘‘We usually play a preseason tournament with Moama and Swan Hill, but Swan Hill decided not to play this year.

‘‘So we came up with this idea to play for the perpetual trophy each year.’’

The feeling was mutual for the Raiders with committee member Rob Foran calling Jones a ‘‘unique person’’.

‘‘He was well loved by everyone at the club and any conversati­on with him was different to the last,’’ he said.

‘‘He was just such a lovable character and to be able to honour him in this way was the obvious move for both clubs.

‘‘The fact that he played for both of us and we’re now joining forces this year is quite serendipit­ous.

‘‘We just want to make sure we do him proud and have a great year together.’’

Clark’s father Alan Jones said he intends to attend the match, along with his daughter Jennifer.

Clark’s other sister Elizabeth will be unable to attend, as she celebrates her 30th birthday in Wagga on the same day.

Jones said soccer was one of Clark’s passions in life, the other main one being music and his guitar.

‘‘Clark started playing junior soccer when he was about 10 or 11,’’ he said.

‘‘For Year 7 and part of Year 8 he attended Ballarat Grammar, and was involved in the team there.

‘‘In his boarding house he was the only student in is year, so he spent most of his time on the lawns with his soccer ball.

‘‘On returning to Denili- quin he got involved with the Wanderers again. He made the senior side by the time it folded, so he then joined the Border Raiders.’’

Jones said with the Border Raiders, Clark also attended summer sessions in the lead up to Victorian championsh­ips.

‘‘His team won the Division B grand final, but Clark broke his arm the match before and was unable to play,’’ he remembered with a laugh.

Shortly before his return to Deniliquin and his death last year, Clark became involved in the South West Rocks soccer team on the mid-north coast of NSW.

Jones said through the club he contribute­d to the developmen­t of younger soccer players in the area.

 ??  ?? Clark Jones in action for the Deniliquin Wanderers before it folded.
Clark Jones in action for the Deniliquin Wanderers before it folded.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia