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Who was the most talented player you played with who never got the opportunity to play test cricket for their country?
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Responses
My late brother Bill Hutchinson. World tours with The Emus. Strode through the long room at Lords. Passed away at age 74. Excellent fast bowler. 🏏
Greg Geise
An explosive batsman, very handy medium pacer and great fielder. Would be a sensation in short form game.
Greg my pick by the length of the straight.
There were many growing up and playing grade cricket in Sydney in the 70’s.
There are 4 that stood out.
Ray Phillips who moved to Qld.
Kim Foster who moved to the USA and now in Caves Creek AZ.
Greg Hartshorne now in Port Macquarie.
Finally Marty Bedcober who sadly passed playing cricket in Brisbane.
Western Suburbs player No 440 Malcolm Grave was an extremely good batsman who if he continued playing Cricket would have attained higher honours.
Not someone I played with but working at Qld Cricket when he was a junior coming through, Chris Hartley and from playing days and sticking with the wicketkeeper theme, Peter Anderson.
Explosive talent Scott Hookey closely followed by Greg Douglas, Dougo was such a talented ball striker
Peter Clifford. First Australian under 19 skipper and brilliant batter for both NSW and Queensland. And Ron Crippin was another who should have worn the Baggy Green. He would have been a sensation in T20 cricket.
Playing for Central Cumberland District Cricket Club, I was lucky enough to play with a few Test cricketers, Richie Benaud, his brother John, Doug Walters and Greg Matthews. A couple of players who had great ability were Rod "Budgie" Tucker, a talented all round cricketer, excellent middle order batsman, aggressive medium pace bowler and wonderful fielder who would make an excellent limited overs player. He ended up moving to Tasmania and captaining that state in the Sheffield Shield.
Also Bobby Atken, a talented off spin bowler who took over a thousand wickets in the Sydney grade competition. I remember fielding at slip when Bobby Aitken was bowling to Bobby Simpson. Simmo was beaten by a lovely Aitken delivery and he turned to the keeper and myself and said "If Aitken had a brain he would play for Australia". That was Bobby Aitken's problem he could be a difficult character to deal with.
Geoff Parker , for memory by the age of 17 had debuted for Victoria and played VFL for Essendon. Cracking bloke to boot.
C Killen was a gun also , scary memories of facing you in Prospect Nets and WACA Nets !
Batting it would be Wayne Seabrook (Balmain DCC), he was a lovely striker of the ball and so very competitive
Bowling it would be Stephen James (Balmain DCC, St. Albans CC & Drummoyne High). I played with Steve in juniors and at school as well, you were always in the game either keeping or at 1st slip. I recall him taking 7/8 & 8/9 in the one school 1st Grade match and most of the 17 runs scored off him were edges on either side of the wicket
Playing in the nursery that was Campbelltown in the 1980s, there was a 14-year-old prodigious talent by the name of Michael Vance (Roger). He was equally adept batting left- and right-handed and timed the ball like a Casio watch. He once hit me over cover at Bradbury Oval into the famous creek where Fred Fisher (a mad rooter) was believed to lie in rest. Local folklore says the Red King landed where Fred lay and reignited his spirit, thus resulting in the first ever cancellation of the Fishers Ghost Festival (FGF). No idea whatever happened to Roger, but someone once told me he became a European arthouse soft porn film star and now lives in Norway and sells vapes to underage Norwegian school kids.***My memory sometimes fails me due to many balls I was supposed to catch at short leg actually hitting me in my unhelmeted head, so as a result of the numerous head knocks, I don't know whether the above actually happened or was in fact part of a concussion.
Definitely Neil Maxwell. Very quick bowler in his day. Good bat at ND’s and probably the most competitive guy in all sports I’ve ever known
I think the best player I played with not to play Test cricket was Rod Bower from NSW -had power, all the shots, back foot was amazing .
Great team man and fun to play with .
Top tourist off the field
Don Nash by a country mile, daylight to 2nd & I personally played with & against some of the best players of the last 30yrs.
Don Nash by a country mile. I have faced Shoaib, Waqar, Binga, Tait, Bollinger and none of them gave me the fear and the feeling of incompetence that I experienced facing Nashy from the age of 14. I used 2lb 4oz bats because of my experiences with him. He had the best outswinger, slow ball and bouncer I ever experienced plus an action that made it really hard to pick the ball up. Being at the non strikers end or fielding at slip, I have never seen so many high quality batsman that went on to domestic and international success be completely embarrassed. One experience stood out. The annual schoolboys v NSW 19's at Hurstville oval. I was 15 playing for schoolboys and we were 4 for 0 and I was at the non strikers for all of it. Thornley was still taking his bat back when his stumps were scattered. The first ball I faced pitched short of a length, went over my head and landed on the bike track crashing into the sightscreen. If Nashy had Bingers fitness he would have taken 500 test wickets.
Mark O’Neill by the length of the straight. So much time, balance and poise, every shot in the book; and could also bowl great leggies (won us a 1st grade final with them, let alone many Sheffield games), fielded beautifully, told great stories, and coached (for many international teams). Made a heap of tons on the trot for NSW and almost picked for Australia. Would have scored plenty. And would certainly be in today’s team!!!!
some player Dennis
Mr Geise, agree 100% played against him early in my career, and then again 15 years later in Newcastle, still so much time, great player