Toasting Russell’s farewell from Cooma cricket

By Gus Underwood

Mar 28, 2023

Welcome to the Russell Barrett Bar: Mitch, Steve, Russell, Liam and Drew Barrett at the Cooma Cricket Club presentation evening where the Russell Barrett Bar was unveiled.

Russell Barrett is about to cut his official ties with the Cooma Cricket Club after 37 years, but the club has ensured he will never be forgotten.

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At the club’s recent awards night it unveiled the Russell Barrett Bar in its clubrooms to acknowledge his long and dedicated service to the club.

‘‘I had about even time behind the bar and in front of it over the years,’’ Russell said, chuckling.

Russell said the club’s gesture was an honour he greatly appreciated and he had loved every minute of his time with the country club which has survived for 126 years.

‘‘I was asked by (the late) Mick Fry to help sub field one day in 1985 and I’ve been there ever since,’’ said Russell, who is in the process of leaving Kyabram to move to Bendigo where three of his children live.

During his time with Cooma he has had two stints as president totalling 14 years and has also been its secretary.

He and another club stalwart Ray Muller have been the club curators for the last 10 years.

Let’s drink to that: The new Russell Barrett Bar at the Cooma clubrooms.

Russell played tennis before becoming involved with the Cooma Cricket Club where he was an A-grade player for eight years, in a period when the club finished runners-up four times in the former Kyabram District Cricket Association.

The only premiership win he savoured in his long playing career was in his final year as a player in the early 2000s with the club’s C-grade side.

Russell got to be on the ground with his three sons in a game at Rochester just a few years ago.

‘‘I was scoring at the time and we were a player short so I sub fielded so there were four Barretts on the field at one stage.’’