Pat and David make their mark for the Valley

Pat Taylor and David Lubansky might be at different ends of their journey at Moonee Valley, but that didn’t stop them jointly celebrating milestones together.
Pat brought up his 200^th game in the Sixths match against Craigieburn on February 11, and in the same match David played his 50 ^th for the Valley – across both seniors and juniors. It was an ironic milestone for Pat – as Craigieburn was also the opposition when he played in his only Valley premiership.
At right: Little bats, big milestones: Pat Taylor (far right) and David Lubansky played in the same game to reach their milestones.
David first played senior cricket last season when he was still in our Under 12s, and has played every grade from the Thirds down. And his career’s still in its beginning.
Pat first played for the Valley in 2008/09, and had a short sojourn away in 2018/19 and 2019/20, while still racking up Sunday games. Along the journey Pat has amassed 927 runs and taken 203 wickets, so he's more than held his spot.
He's four times taken five wickets in an innings, with a best of 7/43 against Merlynston Hadfield in the Sixths in 2010/11.
He was a key part of the Sixths premiership in 2013/14, and his two fours in three balls brought up the winning runs when Craigieburn brought their spinner on - bowling right into Pat's zone.
Pat has always had Moonee Valley in his heart, and both son Nick (65 games) and daughter Jesse (30 games) have played with us. And now grandsons Jackson and Blake are running around in the juniors. Pat has coached or co-coached junior teams over more than half of the seasons he's been here, and this season is coaching our Under 12s.
Pat has had a few injuries and niggles over the past couple of seasons, but says he intends to keep playing as long as his body holds up.