THEY have been playing together for more than two decades, and for Queanbeyan cricketers James Martin, 62, and Ron McGlashan, 60, it's the camaraderie and mateship that keeps them coming back each and every summer as a Bluebag.
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"I've always been drawn to cricket," Mr Martin said.
"Even as a young kid, I have always enjoyed the team aspect, the mateship, and the social side of it."
Mr McGlashan agreed, particularly after being an avid tennis player and having only begun his cricketing career at the age of 35.
"The team environment alone had me. Because tennis is a lonely game, you're more or less just playing on your own all the time. I still play, but it's not like cricket," he said.
"I've been lucky to play in good teams and the harmony has always been in it. A lot of teams don't gel and they experience conflict, but I have been lucky."
The talented duo have been playing for the Queanbeyan Bluebags since the 1992/1993 season and have racked up some impressive statistics along the way, with Mr Martin being the number one leading wicket taker in Queanbeyan cricketing history, and Mr McGlashan only a few spots behind in third place.
"That's all as a result of longevity," Mr MacGlashan said with a laugh.
"Queanbeyan cricket has the special culture to allow that. It's a really friendly club."
The game is an important aspect of both men's lives and Mr Martin - who took three wickets for a minor seven runs last weekend - has just returned from a successful tour of England where he represented the Australian Over 60s squad as baggy green number 61.
"It was a fantastic tour," he said.
"The Australian side beat England for the first time, we beat Wales and then won the series. They were just a great bunch of guys."
Mr Martin hasn't missed a season since he began playing for the Bluebags and said that he had not missed a single game in that time due to injury. Acknowledging the sheer longevity of their careers, the men encouraged younger players to know their bodies and to correctly warm up and cool down after play.
"I don't drink and neither does Ron, but sometimes for the guys it is straight off the pitch and into the pub," Mr Martin said.
"There is no warm down, and you have got to stretch. If young blokes don't do it, they will end up with the problems that we have now."
