The 1980s, arguably, represented a golden era of the NWTCA/CNW competition, with the Team of the Decade for the 1980s including some of the competitions most outstanding players.
Assisted by great conditions to ply their trade in, batsmen of the ilk of Trevor Docking, Les Allen, Danny Buckingham, Gary Goodman and Greg Blair were able to fill their boots with a mountain of runs as teams had to regularly score over 250 to just be in with a chance of victory. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the bowlers, as quality bowlers, such as David Mullett, Mick O’Shea and Brett Lee, were still able to regularly strike.
The decade also saw the emergence of some of the North-West Coast’s finest all-rounders, including Peter Mancell, Lynton Rowlands and Chris Dell, all of whom went on to represent Tasmania.
During the decade, the competition included eight clubs in A Grade, however at the end of the decade the competition finished with the six clubs that we currently have, as: Penguin (left at the end of the 1981-82 season); East Devonport (joined in 1983-84 and left at the end of the 1988-89 season); and the 1989-90 season saw Yeoman and Burnie combine to form Burnie-Yeoman CC.
Yeoman and Burnie, as individual clubs, had plenty of success during the 1980s, winning four and two premierships respectively, highlighted by a run of three-straight for Yeoman between 1982-1984.
Devonport celebrated three flags, and Sheffield broke a 31-year drought to win it's second flag in what was the final game for club legend Baden Sharman.
The 1980s Team of the Decade features six players who have been inducted into the NWTCA/CNW Hall of Fame, with Trevor Docking and Les Allen selected for their second Team of the Decade.
TEAM OF THE DECADE – 1981-82 to 1989-90
TREVOR DOCKING (Yeoman): 8 full seasons, 6103 runs @ 61.03; LES ALLEN (Burnie/Wynyard): 10 full seasons, 5622 runs @ 44.98; GREG BLAIR (Wynyard/Ulverstone/Sheffield): 7 full seasons, 4033 runs @ 46.36; KEVIN PEARCE (Devonport): 10 full seasons, 4991 runs @ 36.69; DANNY BUCKINGHAM (Yeoman/East Devonport/Burnie Yeoman): 10 full seasons, 4275 runs @ 49.14; GARY GOODMAN (Devonport): 5 full seasons, 2577 runs @ 52.59; LYNTON ROWLANDS (Ulverstone): 8 full seasons, 3485 runs @ 35.56, 150 wickets @ 24.81; PETER MANCELL (Wynyard/Burnie/Burnie Yeoman): 10 full seasons, 3642 runs @ 33.11, 209 wickets @ 23.67; CHRIS DELL (Devonport): 8 full seasons, 2208 runs @ 27.26, 231 wickets @ 18.71; DAVID MULLETT (Devonport): 10 full seasons, 2254 runs @ 20.68, 240 wickets @ 16.33; MICK O’SHEA (Yeoman/Burnie Yeoman): 9 full seasons, 279 wickets @ 16.96; 12th Man - BRETT LEE (Wynyard): 9 full seasons, 269 wickets @ 22.23.
