His 6-iron shot on the uphill Murray Course 17th Par 3 hole cleared the front bunkers and headed towards the back of the green where the pin was located, back on March 5 this year.
“My two playing partners landed in the bunkers and thought mine had gone over the back of the green,” the man popularly known as ‘Polly’ said.
“I didn’t think so because there were five kangaroos at the back and they didn’t move.”
When the ace was confirmed, Polly expressed his feelings which included the words “you beauty”.
He rated the achievement and feeling highly. “It was nearly as good after taking 7/34 in the grand-final against South Melbourne in 1988, at St Kilda’s Junction Oval,” Polly said.
A medium fast outswing bowler who also cut the ball beautifully on any grassed wickets, Polly played 149 senior games with the Magpies Firsts, took 279 wickets at an average of 19 runs per wicket and batting number 10 or 11, compiled 579 runs 86 innings but included a 50.
In his first stint with the Magpies, from 1971 to 1980, he bowled off 12 paces. After a three-year break, he returned to Victoria Park Collingwood in 1983, finishing in 1993 and bowling off eight steps.
“I was super fit in those days and ran 8kms three times a week,” he said.
A premiership player who played three consecutive grand-finals, he played all-up a total of 341 games, taking 780 wickets.
If it wasn’t for two bowlers in particular, Merv Hughes and Alan Hurst, Polly may have played for Victoria.
The hardest batsmen he bowled to were Graham Yallop, Jeff Moss and legendary West Indian import to North Melbourne Rohan Kanhai.
“I actually got Kanhai out. He told me it was the slowest bumper he’d ever faced!” Polly explained.
At Collingwood, Polly became familiar with ground maintenance. In 2012, he and wife Bev moved to Yarrawonga. The happy couple married on 9/9/1978 and honeymooned at Bundalong where Polly’s parents had a place.
A retired service manager with Melford Motors, Polly went to another Vic Park at Yarrawonga - the headquarters of cricket where he voluntarily assists with ground maintenance, including rolling the wicket and cutting the outfield grass.
President of Yarrawonga Mulwala Cricket Club Glenn Brear said Polly’s CV says it all. “He was an excellent district cricketer with Collingwood Magpies,” the multi-premiership president said.
“Polly was a significant club member, along with his wife Beverley – Polly is a life member at Collingwood – and he is a breath of fresh air at our club in Yarrawonga.
Sleeman is so passionate about Collingwood. “Anything in black and white is correct as far as he is concerned,” Mr Brear said.
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