User talk:BigMervBoy

The Toombul Faithful
The Toombul Faithful, known simply as The Faithful, is the supporters club's of the Toombul District Cricket Club, based in Nundah, Brisbane, Australia. Their home ground is Oxenham Park, which is nicknamed The Junkyard or simply The Yard by members of The Faithful.

History
The section of supporters known as The Faithful have been around for 15 years, but it is unclear when the name, The Faithful, was incorporated. The group consists primarily of current and ex Toombul players, associated friends and local drunks.

The Faithful's activity closely correlates with the success of the cricket club which they play for and support. The Toombul District Cricket Club has won a vast number of 1st to 5th Grade Premierships in it's history, 17 in 1st Grade, but has not won a 1st Grade title since 1991/92. The level of support from The Faithful has risen every year since the last 1st Grade premiership, with the name, The Toombul Faithful, referring to the supporters undying faith in the club to win more premierships.

Support
The Toombul Faithful supports any team playing for Toombul in the XXXX Gold Brisbane Grade Cricket competition. As well as this, The Faithful have been known to support the Queensland Bulls, the Australian Cricket team, and the Queensland Maroons.

As The Faithful is made up primarily of current players, it is mainly in finals that The Faithful get up to their famous large numbers. Some of the most famous outings for The Faithful were for the 4th Grade semi-final 2008, the 1st Grade one-day semi-final 2009 and the one-day final 2009, which saw their numbers swell to well over 200.

The Faithful is unique as it is one of the most die-hard supporters clubs in Brisbane. At matches they sing songs, chants and have music played on everything from trumpets to harmonicas to banjos to PA systems. Many of the songs are re-worded from English football chants, as many of The Faithful members have spent time playing cricket in England, and brought the songs back with them.

Heckling
The Faithful are legendary in their heckling of the opposition. As with any supporters club, The Faithful lets the opposition know they are there, and it is always comical. The Faithful also heckle at major sporting events, particularly the 1st day of the 'Gabba Test in Brisbane.

Associations
The Toombul Faithful is loosley associated with The Walsden Barmy Army, supporters of Walsden Cricket Club, Walsden, Yorkshire, England. However, The Faithful tend to be more boisterous, drink much more, and generally carry on more than the tame Barmy Army.

The Faithful wear the colours red and blue, the Toombul club colours, and red shirts are seen at any Faithful outing.

They also associate with the two local pubs in Nundah Town, The Prince of Wales Hotel and The Royal English Hotel. Members often refer to being 'at the POW' or 'up the Royal'.

The song Shimmer by Fuel is regarded as a Faithful anthem. If The Faithful are in a pub, Shimmer is always requested, usually by the members yelling 'Shimmer' until it get's played.

Rivalries
As with any sports club, the cricket club has rivalries with various other teams in their competition. The Faithful view any other team with disdain, but especially Redlands CC and Sandgate-Redcliffe CC. Northern Suburbs CC is only 1km down the road from Toombul, and the local derby between the two clubs is always fiercly contested. The Faithful do not have rivalries with supporters from any other club, as none of the other clubs have any supporters.

Future
The future for The Toombul Faithful looks bright. With 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and various other grades at Toombul being in contention for finals spots for the 2009/2010 season, it looks like being a big season for The Faithful.