As a child, Paul Reiffel lived locally in Mt Waverley and attended the Essex Heights Primary School next door to the Ashwood Cricket Club.

In 1976, at the ripe old age of 10, he joined the Ashwood U14s (there were no U12s at the time). His initiation was harsh, he played three games in that 1976/77 season for no wickets and no runs (2 ducks).

The following season we had enough players for an U12 team and the now 11 year old Paul started to come into his own, winning both the batting and bowling averages for his team. By 13 he was playing senior 4^th XI, in an era, shall we say, less progressive than it is now. By the age of 14 he had made his 1^st XI debut. 

His last year at Ashwood was 1981/82 when he played both 1st XI and U16s. That year in the U16s he made 493 runs at 70 with two centuries and it was clear his cricketing future was destined for far more prestigious competitions than the ESCA. The following year he went to Richmond and we knew we were never getting him back.

Paul’s father, Ron, was also a junior coach at Ashwood, was chairman of selectors in 1981/82 and won the Alan Hargrave Memorial Shield for Best Clubman in 1980/81.