CS Team of the Century | 28 years and counting: The incredible cricketing journey of Ramadan Yze

Fast forward some 28 years, and he can be found doing the exact same thing, donning the yellow and black every Saturday in the summer and terrorising the region’s top batters.

In season 2021/22, his 28th as an A-grade cricketer, Yze took 21 wickets at 14.90 to be the 12th most prolific bowler across the association — proving he certainly still has it.

Over his 365-game career, Yze has claimed a whopping 457 wickets at a remarkable average of 17.49.

To put that in perspective, the great Glenn McGrath ended his 124-match Test career with an average of 21.64.

Throw in a whopping 8316 runs with the bat at an impressive average of 29.18, and the numbers alone suggest Yze is one of the best cricketers the region has ever seen.

But we all know cricket is more than the numbers, and you will struggle to find a man who has been part of more success than Yze.

Across all grades, he has been involved in a staggering 28 premierships, and produced a plethora of epic finals performances that have seen him garner a reputation as one of the association’s greatest big-game players.

So how did this epic journey begin?

Well, like many young boys growing up, for Yze his early years were all about shadowing his father and older brothers.

“My dad and my brothers played cricket at Central Park so I just followed in their footsteps, being the youngest,” Yze said.

“Growing up around the club it was unreal, heading along to senior training as a young kid following my brothers around, I learnt so much and fell in love with the game.

“I started playing in the A-grade when I was 14 and here I am 28 years later still playing, so the club has been a massive part of my life, and to be honest, I don’t know any different than playing cricket with Central Park in the summer.”

Mixing it with the region’s top cricketers at such a young age, it was truly a sink or swim situation for Yze in the early part of his career, with those experiences paving the way for his incredible success.

“The early days were very daunting as a young kid, to be honest, playing against men, and quality men, too,” he said.

“There was a bit of lip going on in those days as well, and being the young kid you’d certainly cop it, but as I grew older I learned how to deal with it and get the best out of myself.

“Settling into A-grade cricket so early on, it really helped me become the cricketer I am today, and the rest was history.”

Solidifying his spot in the Central Park side, Yze would first taste premiership success five years into his career, playing a key role in the Tigers’ drought-breaking triumph in 1999/2000.

But it wasn’t until 2004/05 that the Central Park dynasty would truly begin, as the arrival of esteemed skipper Rohan Larkin brought about a run of glory unmatched by any other club in Cricket Shepparton history — with the club winning an astonishing seven Haisman Shield titles on the trot.

“Being a part of those sides in the early 2000s, it was just unbelievable really,” Yze said.

“We were really close-knit as a group, Larko (Rohan Larkin) came in and cleaned the club a bit, he had a direction and we all jumped on board and followed his lead.

“As a group we were all leaders and pushed each other to greater heights, training was like life or death and it’s no secret the harder you work the more success you will have.

“Those years, being part of something so special, they will be in the memory bank for ever — I played with some really great people, performed in a few grand finals and just had so much fun.”

Throughout the epic dynasty there were a plethora of incredible highlights that will forever stick in the memory for Yze.

But what was more memorable was the way his team seized the key moments that made them so great.

“There are lots of different key moments, it could only be a little thing like taking a sharp catch that changes the course of a game or taking a key wicket, there are so many moments that stick out,” he said.

“Every player, whether they won a best-on medal or not, played a hand in every premiership win.

“So while there were some incredible individual efforts that will be remembered for ever, it was those smaller moments that stick out to me.”

The Central Park-St Brendan’s winning streak would eventually come to an end in the summer of 2010-11, but with the greatness of Yze leading the charge, it wasn’t long until the Tigers were back on top.

Beginning in 2013/14, the club would win another three consecutive Haisman Shield titles, taking Yze’s tally to 11.

But his most recent premiership success, in the summer of 2015/16, would be his most treasured, as he captained the club to glory for the first time.

“It is always good when you can get back to the top, every club is coming at you, so to put together another three-peat was a result of the hard work we put in,” he said.

“To captain the winning side in that last flag was an incredible honour and something I will cherish for ever, but whether I have the title or not I’ve always just tried to be a leader at the club and help the young guys along.”

For Yze, the final chapter of his storied career is still yet to be written, as he continues to play a key role in Central Park’s A-grade side.

And having not tasted Haisman Shield premiership success in six years, he said his love for the game and the club was what kept him coming back, as he strived to get the Tigers back to the top of the mountain.

“I just love sport, I love the game,” he said.

“I’ve never known any different from a young age, and with such great support around me from my wife and three children I know they will always have my back.

“The goal for me is to help get this club back to the top; we are in a great place now, with some great players, so I just want to keep playing my role and taste another premiership.”