Greatest Of All Time - Anthony Sams - wicketkeeper batter extraordinaire
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | June 19, 2025
Anthony Sams is the greatest wicketkeeper / batter to have played Sydney 1st Grade Cricket. He completed the 2024-25 season with a playing career record of 556 wicketkeeper dismissals and 9,229 runs, of which 546 and 8,620 respectively, were achieved with Randwick Petersham. No other player has completed more wicketkeeping dismissals since the Sydney 1st Grade competition commenced in 1893-94–131 years ago.
Anthony began the 2024-25 season full of expectation as he had completed 516 wicketkeeping dismissals since he made his 1st Grade debut in 2006-07. That figure was in range of the record of 542 set by St George’s Ernie Laidler at the end of the 1957-58 season. His third catch in the round 13 match against University of NSW enabled him to equal the record while his single catch in the next game, a limited overs competition semi-final against Gordon at Coogee, took him to 543 and a new record. Anthony achieved his record, ’keeping in 332 matches with Laidler playing in 362.
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With 35 dismissals by the end of the season, Sams had a tally of 551 dismissals–well past the old mark. That figure was increased by another five when it was discovered that statistics arising from a Twenty20 “exhibition” tournament in 2008-09 when he played with Bankstown, were also to be included. Anthony had taken five catches in that tournament, and while that decision by the Sydney Cricket Association committee some seasons after the event, was a controversial one, it took his dismissals tally to 556. That figure comprises 10 with Bankstown and 546 with Randwick Petersham.
Sams has also taken more catches behind the stumps than anyone else. His 556 dismissals comprise 495 catches and 61 stumpings. Ernie Laidler’s previous record of 542 was markedly different, with 295 catches but a massive 247 stumpings. A search of other leading wicketkeeper records through Cricket NSW, show Nigel Taylor with 465 dismissals (417caught / 48 stumped), Jay Lenton 457 (384 caught / 73 stumped, Daniel Rixon 447 (363 caught / 84 stumped) and Alan Campbell 419 (385 caught / 34 stumped).
Apart from his outstanding wicketkeeping talent, Anthony Sams is a brilliant batter. His 9,229 runs were scored across 364 1st Grade matches at an average of 29.11 with 14 centuries and 46 half-centuries. Of those figures, he has played 327 matches with Randwick Petersham, scoring 8,620 at 30.57 with 13 centuries and 43 half-centuries. His highest score is 152*made against Fairfield-Liverpool at Coogee in a limited overs match in 2016-17, a season in which he scored 1,062 runs.
A famous dismissal: Anthony Sams stumps former Australian captain Steve Smith (Sutherland) at Coogee Oval in 2018-19
This season, the 36-year-old right-hander showed he had lost none of his ability with the bat by knocking up 752 runs with eight half-centuries. Playing University of NSW at David Phillips Memorial Oval, he belted 50* off just 23 balls hitting six boundaries and three sixes. In the round 15 match against St George at Hurstville Oval, the first of his two sixes gave him 100 in Belvidere Cup with the club. Overall, he has a club record of 138 sixes.
An important statistic in supporting Anthony Sams as the greatest wicketkeeper / batter to play Sydney 1st Grade cricket is the number of runs scored in matches where he was the wicketkeeper. In 37 1st Grade games he played with Bankstown before joining Randwick Petersham in 2010-11, he kept in just two games making 61 runs. With Randwick Petersham, he has kept wickets in every one of his 327 matches. This gives him a total of 8,681 runs from 329 matches where he wore the gloves behind the stumps. If wicketkeeping dismissals were classified as wickets in determining the status of all-rounders in Sydney 1st Grade, with 8,621 runs and 556 dismissals, Anthony Sams would be close to the top 20.
In his 15 seasons with Randwick Petersham, Anthony Sams has been the ultimate clubman. He has been instrumental in the team taking out the 1st Grade Belvidere Cup competition; the Limited Overs competition three times; the Twenty20 competition five times and the Club Championship. He captained the team for two seasons between 2017-2019, held the post of Club Captain; conducted many pre-season fitness programs; participated in junior coaching as well as being a valued mentor to many developing cricketers.
Records and statistics are not part of Anthony Sams’ motivation. He requires little incentive to turn out for the club and perform. His record of 327 matches is testimony to that. But with the prospect of a career tally of 10,000 runs and 600 wicketkeeping dismissals a real possibility, it could be a target too good to pass up. Those club supporters who have followed his career with great interest and enjoyment, certainly hope so.
The outstanding performance by Anthony Sams to break a wicketkeeping record which has stood for more than half a century was formally recognised by Cricket NSW, when a presentation was made to him by the Chairman of the Sydney Cricket Association, Graham Gorrie, at the NSW Premier Cricket Awards night on 2 May 2025.
Lyall Gardner, Randwick Petersham Historian
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