Leonie Harper with Midland Guildford Cricket Club president John Gartrell. Picture: Peter Markham

Historic cricket medal is given a new home

The club said while the gifting of a 124-year-old medal may seem like a small gesture, it was important in preserving the clubs history.
March 14, 2024
Gera Kazakov

THE Midland Guildford Cricket Club has been reminded about the achievements of some of the clubs past players in a unique way after an more than 100-year-old medal was returned to the club.

The medal was returned by Leonie Harper, who found the 124-year-old medal – awarded to her grandmother’s brother George Tyson Miller during the 1899-1900 season – while going through the estate of a deceased relative in the Guildford area.

She then contacted the club and returned it at the end of February, with club president John Gartrell extremely happy to have it returned.

“It might only seem like a small thing, but it’s important to preserve the history of the club,” he said.

The medal itself is a Guildford Cricket Club medal, a club which little is known about.

It predates the formation of the Midland Guildford Cricket Club by only a few years – the earliest Midland team, Midland Junction, would be admitted into the Western Australian Cricket Association premier competition in 1902.

The current Midland Guildford Cricket Club was formed in the post-WWI reconstruction period, with the club adding Guildford to the name in the 1918-19 season due to the spike in playing numbers from the suburb.

Mrs Harper’s grandfather, Harcourt Harper, was an inaugural member of the Midland Guildford club, with his photo also displayed in the clubrooms.

He played A grade cricket for Midland Guildford and was a five-time winner of the club champion award.

The club plans to display the medal for future generations to appreciate.

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