I’m lucky enough to have played a few years with Gary Bensley at Epping after he finished his grade career. Gary’s batting, bowling, fielding and captaincy were second to none. His competitiveness was there to see and whenever a game was on the line he could always make that difference. I also learnt that dropping a catch of Gary’s bowling wasn’t a good thing, especially if he was driving you home after cricket.
Jack Moran who was my 2nd Grade Captain at ND’s was a relatively quiet character but taught me to never give my wicket away cheaply and to think about your shot selection. By looking at him you knew whether you had done well or not – he didn’t need to say anything. Watching him work hard in the tough times with the bat created the respect he had from his team.