While she was leading her team in preparation for the 1956 championships – hosted in Adelaide – Dot Hosking also served as the national carnival treasurer.
Being the first in anything can bring with it an intoxicating pleasure.
Such was the experience offered to South Australia’s first state team in 1948. This was a representative team that would play an exhibition series against Victoria in Adelaide.
Dot Hosking was named in that team. She was a reliable No. 4 batter.
The following year, Dot Hosking was aboard the train that left the Adelaide Railway Station on 17 March 1949. This was the first official SA State team to contest the Australian Championships.
Unsurprisingly, SA which was still in its development infancy, lost all its minor round games but defeated Qld to bring home the Minor Championship.
From there, Dot Hosking was selected for the State team for eight consecutive years, elected vice captain in 1951 and then captain from 1955-56. The captaincy was then handed to the compelling leadership of a young star, Rosemary Adey.
Under Dot Hosking’s leadership and along with tangible improvements in coaching, playing surfaces and equipment, and overall knowledge of the game, SA was showing a demonstrable lift in skill and subsequent success at the Australian carnivals during the 1950s.
Privilege and pleasure would have been the emotions when Dot Hosking stepped forward to receive the Gilleys Shield in 1956, the first national triumph since SA formed its first team in 1948.
What is astounding, however, is that while she was leading her peers in preparation for games at the 1956 championships – hosted in Adelaide – Dot Hosking also served as the Australian Carnival Treasurer.
And further to that, even during her playing years, Dot Hosking lent her leadership ideas and support to the State association, as assistant secretary in 1951/52 and a member of the Governing Association in 1953/54. And still while playing, she served on the grading, match program and permit committees.
