The club had fewer more dedicated members in his era, for he made many outstanding contributions throughout the 1960s and '70s, both on and off the field.

Born in Wales, Geoff lived in Sydney after migrating and was initially active in soccer.

By 1963-64 he was in Nowra, and playing second grade cricket with Nowra, he took about 30 wickets with a best of 5/47 against Wandandian.

The following summer he became a regular in first grade, and for more than a decade was a valued member of the attack, his in-swingers taking many important wickets.

Geoff played in three successive grand finals for premierships in 1965-66 and 1967-68, and in the second of those winning seasons he returned figures of 2/25 and 6/46 in the semi-final victory over Ex-Servicemen.

Health issues sometimes prevented him from bowling long spells, but that did not reduce his effectiveness.

On 15 occasions he took five or more wickets in an innings, with the 11 in first grade including seven-wicket bags against Ulladulla United in 1969-70, and against Nowra Warriors in 1971-72.

A spell of 6/18 against Ex-Servicemen on the Nowra Showground in 1968-69 gave him great pleasure, for it included a hat trick.

After the first victim had been trapped lbw, he scattered the stumps with his next two deliveries.

Available statistics show that he took around 280 wickets with Nowra, the majority coming in first grade.

He was also a regular member of the senior representative team for five years, a highlight being when he made the initial breakthrough which led to Shoalhaven scoring a rare victory over old rival Illawarra.

Apart from enjoying his games and the camaraderie offered by the team, Geoff was willing to accept office to keep the club running smoothly.

He was club president for seven years out of eight from 1964-65, and later did an eighth term; while he also had the post of secretary in 1976-77.

Being club president led to him acting as delegate to the SDCA and after being a vice- president four times, he became association secretary in 1971-72.

During his five years in that role, he displayed the same dedication in looking at the overall welfare of the sport, and often represented Shoalhaven at the next level, into the '80s.

When his playing days were over, he officiated for some years as an umpire and had the respect of the players.

Perhaps belatedly, he received life membership of his club in 1989-90.

Geoff was one of the special guests when Nowra celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2005 with his wife Jan.

Their younger son, David continued the family tradition in the sport with a successful junior career that brought four premierships.