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2 years ago
Shane Lee
Shane Lee
Founder
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
39 Likes
10 Followers



Don Bradman once said Bob Radford, the former CEO of NSW Cricket, was the best sporting administrator before lunch!

It is well documented that Mr Radford was a superb sporting executive and also loved a little more than a tipple of alcohol.

Bob was the CEO at NSW Cricket when I was first selected in the NSW State squad when I was 18. It was legendary that his ability to consume alcohol over lunch and remember every business detail was uncanny. He was direct, unique and hard working. He also could tear shreds off people for underperforming. He demanded excellence.

I remember being summoned to his office for the first time at Cricket NSW to be greeted with the following;

“Welcome! Do you like beer?

“Yes, Mr Radford.”

“Good - You will go a long way here. Let’s go to lunch, my shout.”

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/538/shane-lee/blog/1049/you-say-tomato-bob-says-bloody-mary
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2 years ago
Dean Magee
Dean Magee
Business Development Manager
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
13 Likes
0 Followers



My best Grade team - Dean Magee 1989 - 2012

I’ve been really enjoying reading former Sydney Grade players pick their best teams so I thought, why not, it can’t be that difficult to pick my best team.

Wow, it was a lot tougher than I originally thought it would be.

See in my playing days at Bankstown and Fairfield, I was fortunate to play with probably the two best bowling attacks at one time or another.

At Bankstown we had Wayne Holdsworth, Scot Thompson, Nathan Bracken, David Freedman, Ken Hall and then at Fairfield we had Don Nash, Doug Bollinger, Grant Lambert, Jason Krejza and Anthony Clark.

To clarify I played at Bankstown from 1989 to 1999. Fairfield 2000 to 2004 and then back to Bankstown from 2005 to 2012.

Well here goes, my Best grade team from players I played with, in batting order:

1. Corey Richards – Bankstown. Genius player, best batsman I have played with

2. Grant Lambert – Fairfield. All round machine

3. Kevin Roberts – Bankstown and Captain. Robocop, scored some amazing 100’s

4. Ben Rohrer – Fairfield. Fantastic player & created run outs in the field that others couldn’t

5. Shane Deitz – Bankstown and Wicket keeper. Great keeper, loved the short ball.

6. Scott Thompson – Bankstown. Best competitor you could ever play with, could bowl like the wind on his day & hit the ball as hard as anyone.

7. Jason Krejza – Fairfield. To this day, I have never seen a finger spinner get as much turn as Jason. Good with the stick also.

8. Don Nash – Fairfield. None better at swinging them both ways & was handy with the bat.

9. David Freedman – Bankstown. Can’t leave Fred out, fantastic bowler & great competitor.

10. Wayne Holdsworth – Bankstown. Easy selection.

11. Doug Bollinger – Fairfield. Came from nowhere and ruled the world for a time. Great competitor.

12th man - Brett Van Deinsen - Bankstown. Just couldn’t find a spot, but if someone was injured, he could bat, bowl, field, so pretty decent replacement.

Coach – Steve Small - Bankstown

Manager – Ken Hall - Bankstown

Scorer – Arty Cooper - Bankstown

It was tough to leave out Nathan Bracken, David Kelley, Paul Maraziotis, Sean Pope, Dean Waugh, Anthony Clark but you can only play with 11.

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2 years ago
Dean Magee
Dean Magee
Business Development Manager
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
13 Likes
0 Followers



My Grand Final nightmare

In season 2006/07 Bankstown beat Randwick in the One Day competition Grand Final and as we were well placed in the overall competition the thought of wining the double was quite exciting.

It became even more so when we beat a star studded Sydney University team in the semi-final to advance to the big show. The Sydney University team included Stuey MacGill, Ed Cowan, Greg Mail, and Mark Cameron just to name a few. So we were pretty excited to win and we, well I did, wanted to celebrate.

Our grand final opponents was to be Fairfield, my old team and where many were and still are some of my best mates. Grant Lambert (Lambo) Dougy Bollinger, Anthony Clark, Benny Rohrer….. you beauty, this is going to be a cracking grand final.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/366/dean-magee/blog/1048/my-grand-final-nightmare
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2 years ago
Peter Procopis
Peter Procopis
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
27 Likes
5 Followers



A fundamental skill for any batter is the art of concentration

Faster improvement- why wait?

“Oh, mate, talk about frustrating… he threw it away again. Looked great for 80 minutes…then, all of a sudden, he ran at the leggie like a madman and tried to hit him into the next suburb. Missed it by a foot. Another big score gone begging. Bloody young guys…just don’t want it enough.”

I bet many of you have heard something like this from a Coach, official or senior player over the years- probably on multiple occasions. It’s the classic lament about the inability of promising youngsters to convert 20s and 30s into 70s and 100s. This age-old phenomenon is very frustrating not only for those watching young batsmen’s often chaotic downfalls, but also the youngsters themselves. They’re usually at a loss when asked what, if anything, triggered the brain explosion.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/946/peter-procopis/blog/1047/a-fundamental-skill-for-any-batter-is-the-art-of-concentration
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2 years ago
B3 Cricket
B3 Cricket
Cricket Coach
Nottingham, United Kingdom
13 Likes
6 Followers



Cricket Bat making uncovered: The narrow bat trick

Things to watch out for before you buy your next cricket bat.

Cricket bat makers use various techniques to make full profile, lightweight cricket bats.

In this video, B3’s Managing Director, Michael Blatherwick, explains how some manufacturers make narrow, skinny bats giving the impression of a bigger, fuller profile bat at a light weight below 2Ib 10oz.

A full width adult cricket bat should be 108mm wide (at the front and back of the bat). However, some manufacturers are making adult bats as narrow as 100mm!
Each millimetre shaved off the edge of a cricket bat saves approximately ¾ of an ounce in weight and makes the edges of the cricket bat look much bigger.
IS THIS ACCEPTABLE ... IT IS IF YOU KNOW ABOUT IT!
This practice is acceptable if you are aware of what you are buying and it’s your choice. Not so fine if you think you are purchasing a full width bat.
Other common practices to save weight include:

• Using super dry willow at less than the recommended moisture content. This makes cricket bats brittle and subject to more damage.

• Pressing lightly to leave the bat looking bigger.

• Making the shoulders and toes super skinny to save weight.

• Using light skinny handles without twine to save weight.

Watch the Video -
https://youtu.be/w0zK2Xc37eE
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2 years ago
Tony Hargreaves
Tony Hargreaves
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1 Likes
0 Followers



Richmond Cricket Club v Melbourne Cricket Club semi-final at Punt Road March 1976

There have been few more intense, dramatic, or competitive Melbourne club cricket finals than the District (now Premier) Cricket Semi-Final played between Richmond and Melbourne at the Punt Road Oval in 1976.

Richmond had finished the 1975-76 season well clear on top of the Ladder and had only to avoid defeat to progress to the Grand Final.

A draw - or a tie - was sufficient.

But Melbourne had no choice, it HAD to win!

The four innings’ Semi-Final, played over three days, came down to the last ball of the match - in near darkness at the Punt Road Oval - with Richmond needing only a single to tie the game and to progress to the Grand Final.

At 6:50pm on the third day, Richmond’s (and Australian Test team) number 11, Jim Higgs, was run out by centimetres - scampering for the equalising run which would have seen his team through.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/861/tony-hargreaves/blog/1046/richmond-cricket-club-v-melbourne-cricket-club-semi-final-at-punt-road-march-1976
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2 years ago
Ian Gill
Ian Gill
Cricket Coach
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1 Likes
0 Followers



After a coaching career spanning well over 40 years, I am often asked to name the best cricketers that I have coached.

A very difficult decision after spending many years of coaching cricket with CNSW Youth Squads, NSW Junior Cricket Union, Westfields Sports High School, Bankstown DCC, Bankstown District Cricket Association, Camden District Cricket Association and a number of junior Clubs, There are so many cricketers worthy of note, that I thought it would be easier to select a side made up of those cricketers that I coached in their junior years, who then went on to further their careers, subsequently progressing to play cricket at a FIRST Class level.

So here goes (and my apologies to any player/s that I may have overlooked);

STEVE WAUGH (Bankstown DCC and DCA), MARK WAUGH (Bankstown DCC and DCA), USMAN KHAWAJA (Westfields SHS), WAYNE HOLDSWORTH (Bankstown DCC), PHIL JACQUES (CNSW Youth Squads), NATHAN BRACKEN (NSWJCU and BDCC), JOSH LALOR (Westfields SHS), SIMON KEEN (Bankstown DCC and Westfields SHS), SCOTT THOMPSON (Bankstown DCC and DCA), DANIEL SAMS (Bankstown DCC), DAVID FREEDMAN (Bankstown DCA) SHANE DEITZ (Bankstown DCC).

Other players considered for selection: MITCHELL CLAYDON (Westfields SHS), SCOTT HOOKEY (Bankstown DCC), GRAEME RUMMANS (NSWJCU), SCOTT PRESTWIDGE (Bankstown DCC and DCA), DEAN WAUGH (Bankstown DCC), VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (Bankstown DCC), DANIEL SOLWAY (Bankstown DCC), GRANT RODEN (Bankstown DCC), HANNAH DARLINGTON (Westfields SHS), KATE WAETFORD (WSHS).

As I stated, there are a whole lot of players from over my coaching years who I would consider selecting in "Best Of" teams, but the task would be an endless one, and I wouldn't want to disappoint any of the huge list of fine young cricketers that I was able to assist during their junior careers.

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2 years ago
Ken Piesse
Ken Piesse
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
8 Likes
0 Followers



Even Wisden was aghast, cricket’s bible rating it a ‘bombshell’ – among the biggest in history. Knight-to-be Ian Botham called it ‘illogical, pathetic and diabolical’. Others were less compassionate. An Australian playing for England? Surely not! Melbourne roof tiler Darren Pattinson walked into the breakfast room at England’s Leeds hotel and introduced himself to his captain, Michael Vaughan. They’d never met. He was as stunned as everyone else.

It was match morning at Headingley and Pattinson, 28, was on standby after just five games with Victoria and six with Nottinghamshire.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/572/ken-piesse/blog/1044/fifteen-minutes-of-fame-australias-70-one-test-wonders-by-ken-piesse
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2 years ago
Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
0 Likes
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Extract from My family's Keeper

NSW Shield Squad Training

Well I couldn’t just stand around like a shag on a rock, so I took myself over to Phil Emery and asked if he needed some catches. He did, and that was the beginning of an invaluable 12 months that basically formed the next stage of my apprenticeship.

I didn’t do much catching myself with him – I was there to throw and hit endless balls to help him in his preparation. But by doing that I got an outstanding education. We built a good relationship and he answered countless questions. A lot of it was technical. He would tell me to hit balls to him in certain ways to certain spots. When we took a break I’d ask him why he’d made those choices, what he was working on. I’d also draw on his huge match experience, asking him, “What happens when it kicks out of the rough, or when it’s keeping low? Where do you stand?” He’d come back from playing a Shield game and we’d talk specifics about the wicket: “Perth bounces a lot these days, so what you need to do is…”or “The SCG turns big on the last day so the things to remember are…”I absorbed it all and stored it away in my mental encyclopedia.

Emmers also taught me a huge amount about the mental side of the game and about earning the right to play. He spoke a lot about what playing for NSW meant, about the proud tradition encapsulated in the Baggy Blue and what it signified to play for the most successful side in the world at the state/province/county level. I understood. The cap demanded success of those who wore it: they were the best in the game and as a kid coming through the ranks you had to earn the right to be around them.

Click to buy -
https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460752494/my-familys-keeper
/

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2 years ago
Adrian Tucker
Adrian Tucker
Business Development Manager
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
5 Likes
0 Followers



My best Grade team - Adrian Tucker 1986-2006

My First Grade career lasted over 20 years and covered three clubs – Balmain, Adelaide and Eastern Suburbs (formerly Waverley).

Here's my best grade team of players I played with, in batting order:

1. David Warner (Easts) - Batted mostly at 6 in my time playing with him, but I get to choose the order so he opens

2. Brad Haddin ( Easts) - It’s quite a luxury having a keeper that can bat anywhere in the order, especially given the all-rounders I have in the team. By the way he also keeps.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/528/adrian-tucker/blog/1042/my-best-grade-team-adrian-tucker-1986-2006
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2 years ago
Bob Wilson
Bob Wilson
Forster, New South Wales, Australia
3 Likes
0 Followers



In 1980 Waverley District Cricket Club now Eastern Suburbs held their Presentation Night on a Friday before they flew to Cootamundra early on the Saturday morning.

The team led by Tony Greig all assembled at the Flight Facilities Reception Area before boarding the plane.

We were called onto our flight and walked onto the tarmac only to see our plane with an image of Norman Gunston on the tail. Well this was going to be interesting.

It was a different type of flight as most people stood around on the plane drinking a few beers and nothing much changed when we landed. We did sit down as soon as we landed for safety reasons!!

There was one hostess who was also the mechanic and baggage person.

As the game was on the Sunday we had an option of going shooting, golf or to the pub in the afternoon. We also attended the Cootamundra Presentation night on Saturday night so it had been a big couple of nights.

On Sunday we played for the O’Farrell Cup with Waverley making 166, the top scorers being Mick Suttor 38, Peter Carlisle 30 and Dick Rowland 31 not out while the locals were dismissed for 93, the wicket-takers being Tony Greig 3-16 and David Hourn 3-38.

Several after match refreshments were again consumed before we headed to the airport to board our flight back home on the Norman Gunston airplane.

The plane was delayed as several players were late leaving the bar but we finally made it back to Sydney.

Not many went to work on the Monday. Other players on that memorable trip were Dennis Hourn, Lenny Richardson, Dave Gibson, Rod Foord and Andrew Crawford to name a few.

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