Hayden Goulstone – A Spirited Off-spinner
Parramatta District Cricket Club | September 15, 2025
Hayden Goulstone is a spirited young spinner, still developing his trade with the bulk of his cricket lying ahead of him, but he has already joined a select band of Parramatta District Cricket Club off-spinners who played important roles in helping the club to win the coveted NSW Premier Cricket’s First Grade Premiership - former Test bowler W.P. ‘Old Bill’ Howell (1899/00), State player W.H. ‘Young Bill’ Howell (1932/33), the club’s highest wicket-taker Bobby Aitken (1964/65) and Hayden Goulstone (2022/23 & 2024/25).
With ‘ball in hand’ the tallish, sinewy off-spinner is a gritty competitor confident in his ability to bowl long economic spells. Hayden plays an important role in Parramatta’s game plans, he often performs the ‘old style’ stock bowler role with his tight, probing offies securing one end, which enables his skipper Nick Bertus to rest and rotate his young group pace bowlers at the other end.
Hayden joined the Parramatta ranks through the A.W. Green Shield in 2015/16 and showed promise with a forceful 66 not out against Gordon to help Parra break a 14 loss losing streak in the A.W.G. In the 2016/17 A.W.G. season his batting took centre stage when struck 316 runs @ 39.50 (50* v. Mosman, 61 v. UNSW, 56 v. Blacktown) -this won him the Harold Goodwin Batting Award. Although primarily viewed as a batsman at this stage he also snared 7 wickets @ 18.86.
Goulstone also shone in the Poidevin-Gray Shield, from 2017/18 to 2021/22, becoming one of Parramatta’s best-performed all-rounders in this highly regarded competition – capturing 50 wickets @ 17.14 (B.B. – 6/10 v. Sydney University) and compiling 551 runs @ 18.37 (H.S. – 64). His efforts resulted in winning the following P.G. awards: Lou Benaud Bowling Award – 2017/18, 2020/21, 2021/22 and the Les Pye All-rounder Award in 2019/20.
He commenced his formal NSW Premier Cricket career in 2016/17 in Fourth grade but started to ‘make his mark’ in 2017/18, primarily regarded as a batsman and part-time bowler, with some sparking batting performances in Third grade registering 244 runs @ 81.33 (H.S. – 100 v. Penrith, 75* v. Wests) and this form earned him a stint in Second grade, however an injured shoulder denied him a chance to play in the Third grade Finals.
After playing two games in 2018/19 in Third grade, a positive 57 against North Sydney and 6/23 against Randwick-Petersham (a sign of his improving bowling) Hayden was promoted to Second Grade where he remained to season’s end.
Hayden debuted and played a few matches in First grade in 2019/20. The following season (2020/21) saw him a fulltime member of the First grade team and in the process, he transformed into its main spinner, in all formats he captured 28 wickets @ 34.10 (B.B. – 4/92, 3/9) and showed hints of his handy batting ability with 135 runs @ 19.29 (H.S. – 34*).
It all came together for him in 2022/23; it proved to be a landmark season for the vastly improved spinner.
His bowling was one of the driving forces behind Parramatta’s brilliant rise from mid-field at the halfway point in the season to snatch the Belvidere Cup at the finish. In that competition he bagged a splendid 38 wickets @ 17.71, this showcased his growth as reliable and wicket-taking slow bowler – his top haul was 6/50 v. Mosman, but it was an awesome 5/26 in the Semi-Final against the strong Randwick-Petersham team that left lasting memories and lifted Parramatta into the Grand Final against the powerful Sydney University.
2022/23 was a golden summer for Hayden, it witnessed him come of age as First grade cricketer, win a much sought after Premiership ring, join Ryan Hackney as winners of the Cumberland Medal and solidify his lower-order batting with 274 runs @ 27.40 (H.S. – 38).
The next milestone in Hayden’s career came in 2024/25, where despite a severe injury and resultant operation in the pre-season, to his bowling hand, and a mid-season start, with a couple of warmup games in Second grade, he was back in First grade to assist the Two-Blues towards winning yet another First grade Premiership (Belvidere Cup). In the injury restricted season, he claimed 15 wickets @ 30.25 (B.B. – 6/26 v. Blacktown), but his season’s highlight was saved for the Grand Final against Fairfield, where Parramatta was looking shaky at 5/196 and Hayden batted splendidly with the rampaging Andrew Calvert to forge a wonderful 6th wicket partnership of 124 runs, that was eventually instrumental in Parramatta taking out the title – his contribution was 49 and this illustrated his untapped potential to become a genuine First grade all-rounder in future seasons.
By – Tom Wood – Parramatta District Cricket Club Historian
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