Over 22 years ago, Chrissy Ponting stepped out onto the netball courts at Rumbalara Football Netball Club. Last weekend, she became the first netballer to reach 300 games in the history of the club.
At 32, Chrissy has made her way through the Rumbalara pathway joining the F grade (equivalent to 11/U’s today) back in 1998.
Now, as a registered nurse and mother, Ponting has capped 115 games in B grade and 95 in A grade, while also taking out B Grade’s Best & Fairest in 2015.
Ahead of her 300th game, Ponting received a wealth of acknowledgement from her club and the community of Shepparton.
“I received a lot of support from Rumbalara. There were a lot of flowers and coverage on social media, which made the day a bit more nerve racking,” Ponting said.
“It really was a great game on the weekend and such an amazing atmosphere. We’ve only had a couple of wins this season, so to get a win on Saturday in my 300th game was really special.
“Our club President came down to the game and gave a pretty long speech before we started [laughs]…and the two teams lined up to do a guard of honour, and a few of us who had milestone games got to run through.”
President, Tui Crumpen describes Ponting as not only a star netballer, but even more so an incredible woman. Having been around the club for a significant amount of years, she has spent time coaching the 13/U’s, providing great leadership on and off the court.
She has now turned her focus to captaining her own netball team and playing for the women’s football team.
In all her 22 years at the club, not once has she won a premiership. Yet, her loyalty to the club is undeniable, having only ever played netball at Rumbalara.
“I’ve been playing netball now for 22 years. When I first started, one of my friends was playing for Rumbalara, and my sister and I just decided to join her.
“I’ve been there ever since and have never thought about moving.”
When asked about her love for the game, Ponting immediately highlights her teammates.
“I really enjoy just getting out there and playing as a team. I’ve made lifelong friends at the club and it’s great to be able to play netball with them year after year.”
“I now have my daughter out there playing netball as well, which makes it even better.”
While Ponting has never won a premiership, we have no doubt she will add to her milestone tally over the next few seasons to come.
