Ray Hall

Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | June 24, 2025

Ray Hall was a relative late-comer to Petersham-Marrickville, joining the club just prior to his 28th birthday. He had previously played with Cumberland and Auburn Shires. A tall, lanky right-hander he had the build for a fast bowler but his skill was in the delivery of off-spin, where his height gave him the benefit of extra bounce. And despite his late arrival on the scene with Petes, when he retired 11 years later at age 40, he did so with the impressive record of 324 wickets across three grades. He was no slouch with the bat either, as his 1,914 runs confirms.

Raymond James Hall was born at Lidcombe on 25 October 1939. He completed his schooling at Marist Brothers, Lidcombe and joined the Bankstown club subsequently moving to Cumberland where he played for three seasons leading up to his 21st birthday. In those days, he was a pace bowler and made his 1st Grade debut. And while he felt his role in using the new ball was principally to take the shine off for the champion spin bowler Richie Benaud, the 19-year-old had a starring role against North Sydney in 1958-59. taking 5-26 at Parramatta. Included in that tally he had Rex Donovan, a Norths icon with over 6,000 career runs, caught for a duck.

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Two seasons later, with 479 runs and 31 wickets under his belt, Hall decided to give away Grade Cricket with Cumberland and joined Auburn in the Shires competition. Ray played there for seven years, briefly opening the bowling before switching to off-spin. He was quite a star with Auburn, scoring 2,278 runs including four centuries while taking 215 wickets. He spent his winters playing baseball with the Marrickville club and prior to the 1967-68 season, his team-mate, Col Blackman, suggested that he return to Grade and play with Petersham-Marrickville. Ray heeded the advice and as they say in the good books, the rest is history.

Hall played his first season with Petes in 2nd Grade with moderate success, taking just 15 wickets while making 214 runs. Figures of 4-56 against St George and 49 with the bat playing Randwick, were his best performances. With limited opportunities to display his wares in a powerful bowling line-up, the off-spinner started the following season in 3rd Grade. He was an instant hit, bowling his side to victory over Mosman at Petersham Oval taking 7-52 in their total of just 88 chasing 281. Four matches later, Hall was again the difference between the teams, defending 120 to have North Sydney out for 115 with a 5-46 performance.

Selectors resisted the temptation to immediately promote him and by season’s end in just 11 matches, the wily spinner had taken 57 wickets from 205 overs at 10.5. That performance was second only to Clem Baldwin who recorded 59 at 15.3 two seasons earlier in 1966-67 from 292 overs in 15 matches. And while Ray added hauls of 6-32 against Balmain and 6-46 playing Western Suburbs to an impressive swag, he saved his most important effort for the Grand Final against Manly, where he took 5-49 to bowl Petes to its third 3rd Grade premiership. Hall did not play 3rd Grade again until eight seasons later in 1976-77, when he was the spin-bowling spearhead with 39 wickets in a season when the side defeated Randwick at Marrickville Oval to take the premiership.

Sandwiched between those premierships, Hall was a regular in 2nd Grade, although in 1969-70, he played 16 matches in 1st Grade, being used sparingly. In the six seasons between 1970-71 and 1975-76, Ray took most wickets in 2nd Grade four times, while he finished second on the other two occasions. His nine seasons in 2s brought him 247 wickets at the excellent average of just 19.73 off a huge 1,453 overs. In 1973-74 he bowled a marathon 275 overs in taking 52 wickets, a personal best in that grade.

Ray’s finest figures in his Petersham-Marrickville career came in 1973-74 when he produced the club’s greatest-ever 2nd Grade bowling performance—9-86—one of the few in the club to achieve a “nine for”. It was the first match of the season playing Northern District at Marrickville Oval. Pete’s knocked up 6-230 with Noel Hughes making 68. But day two belonged to Ray Hall. From a massive 31 overs, he dismissed nine of the 10 bats with Arthur Elvy taking the other wicket to have the visitors out for 198.

Ray showed he had a liking for Northern District 2nd Grade batsmen, as the following season in a near re-play, he took 7-56 at Petersham to again dismiss them well short of a healthy target. Petes won, 7-251 declared to 188. And NDs was not the only opponent he took a regular “bagful” against, as his former club Cumberland was on the receiving end of 6-50 and 6-60 efforts in 1971-72 and 1975-76 respectively.

In 1977-78 at age 38, Ray took over the 3rd Grade captaincy. His experience, along with that of his long-term playing partner Max Benjamin, was invaluable to the many youngsters he had in the side. And while his two previous seasons in 3s had resulted in premierships, Ray was unable to pull off the “hat-trick” with the side playing well, but finishing in the second half of the field. And while that turned out to be Ray’s final season, among many legacies he left, the number of youngsters who won promotion under his care and direction that season, emphasised his value as a player, clubman and mentor.

Ray Hall retired with 324 wickets for Petersham-Marrickville at just 19.66 each. He was most effective in 2nd Grade with 247 while he took 58 in 3s and 19 in 38 1st Grade matches. With the bat he made 1,914 with 375 in 3rd Grade in 1968-69 his best. He also hit his highest score that season, smacking 79 in a huge total of 344 against St George at Petersham Oval. He also had a safe pair of hands holding 57 catches. A dedicated clubman, Ray served on the Petersham-Marrickville committee for seven years.

Lyall Gardner OAM, Randwick Petersham Historian

BeaconPoint Club Clips - The Role of a Club Coach with Michael Haire from Randwick Petersham Cricket Club