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2 years ago
Kevin Pike
Kevin Pike
Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia
6 Likes
4 Followers



When it comes to inter-state sporting rivalry, nothing whets the appetite of sporting enthusiasts more than NSW against Queensland!

In 2002 Kevin Pike recalls being at the Gabba Test (Hayden’s Test) and running into an old school mate, Geoff Gallagher, who played with the Queensland Cricketers Club. Queensland Cricketers Club, I knew, played their season as a Veterans Touring side and soon after with Geoff’s introduction I met the famous Lew Cooper, manager of QCC. Lew was a gentleman of cricket and a great raconteur and after several telephone calls between us we set up the annual clashes between Armidale Golden Oldies and QCC with the first match played at Federation Park, Tenterfield on 9th March 2002.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/443/kevin-pike/blog/1027/cooper-finlay-veterans-cricket-ndash-state-of-origin
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2 years ago
Evan Bancroft
Evan Bancroft
Business Owner
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
9 Likes
0 Followers



If you drive past Bottomley Park near Easts Rugby Club in East Brisbane these days you will see a tiny little brick building opposite the Norman Park train station with a few cricket nets and some large gum trees. It was once the home of the Eastern Suburbs District Cricket Club.

The clubhouse was known as the “Crab Pot” as once you got in you couldn’t get out!

It was a fantastic joint and loved by Easties all opposition players and the umpires as well. It was the good old days when after matches meant having a beer with the opponents.

It was actually the unofficial umpire’s clubhouse. Popular umpire Mel Johnson played for Easts before becoming one of our greatest ever test umpires and he may well have started the tradition.

Umpires like Peter Parker, Merv Musch and the late, great Jimmy Taylor could be found there on most summer Saturday evenings.

The most popular opposition player was former Queensland fast bowler “Wild Bill” Albury who lived only a couple of hundred yards away but played for Wynnum-Manly. What fantastic company he was.

The clubhouse was very modest with a few uncomfortable chairs and a pool table which was used more as a bed than a pool table.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/233/evan-bancroft/blog/1026/the-story-of-the-crab-pot
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2 years ago
Sekhar Sridhar
Sekhar Sridhar
Marketing Professional
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
10 Likes
0 Followers



As a cricket fan growing up in India, one of my dreams was to set foot at least once into all the top cricket stadiums in the world and watch cricket matches. The Melbourne Cricket Ground was right at the top of this list and on the day I landed in Australia in 2020, I clicked a pic of one of the light towers from Wellington Parade, where my bus had made a stopover, while envisioning myself as experiencing the MCG in all possible ways. To this day, I have had the dream come true in different forms - spectator at Boxing Day Tests, T20 World Cup games, state one-day games, an Australia A game, AFL games, visitor to the sports museum, hospitality worker in the Members Stand, Cricket Australia employee, etc. to name a few.

As a 'step' to the next level, on June 4, I will be climbing 7300 stairs at the G as part of the Stadium Stomp HQ stairclimbing event. Last year, I volunteered at this event while this time I am going to challenge myself to climb 4-5 times as many stairs as I did at the Australia108 building earlier this month.

I will also be fundraising for Black Dog Institute in support of their incredible work towards mental health. If you would like to donate, head to the link in the first comment. Thanks in advance for all your encouragement and support 🙂

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2 years ago
Brett Lack
Brett Lack
Business Owner
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
2 Likes
0 Followers



I joined Fairfield Liverpool at the start of the 1988/89 season after short stints at Petersham Marrickville CC and Parramatta DCC and have seen the club grow immensely from their first season in 1985/86.
There have been many great cricketers and premierships along the way.
Here is my all-time best Fairfield Liverpool cricket team from players I had the good fortune to play with

1. Grant Lambert

350 games, 12,572 runs and 681 wickets

2. Garry Baldwin

148 games, 4,915 runs and 155 wickets

3. Steve B Smith

71 games, 3,483 runs

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/170/brett-lack/blog/1025/brett-lack-my-best-ever-fairfield-liverpool-cricket-team
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2 years ago
Cricket Unfiltered Podcast
Cricket Unfiltered Podcast
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
4 Likes
0 Followers



Menners is joined by former Australian opening batter Phil Jaques. Phil Jaques finished his career with an impressive 47.47 test average and with three test centuries to his name, all while battling names such as Mathew Hayden and Simon Katich to make the Australian test team list.

Adding to his catalogue, Jaques played 200 first-class games for NSW and County cricket in which he scored 16,035 runs at an average of 48.29.

In today's Menners Masterclass episode, Menners talks to Phil about his International playing career, injury setbacks, his time coaching the NSW Blues and departure from the role last year.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/974/cricket-unfiltered-podcast/blog/1024/menners-masterclass-phil-jaques
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2 years ago
Edmund Zelma
Edmund Zelma
Business and Research Analyst
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
5 Likes
1 Followers



I can’t quite put my finger on how I came to love cricket. Growing up in Enmore a predominantly Portuguese community, cricket wasn’t the main game. Dad would tell me that I used to like bowling to the painted stumps on a wall in Enmore High. My sisters would say that my love of the game drove them nuts, I would bounce a ball all day and hit things, anything. We had a prolific grapefruit tree in the back yard, and I once managed to hook an unripened grapefruit right off the tree through the very large lounge room window with a broom stick. I broke a lot of windows and learned to replace them sometimes managing to do so without mum and dad noticing. Having spent a big chunk of life on a cricket field, I don’t have a lot of handyman skills but replace a window yes, I can do that.

My favourite players growing up were Dean Jones and Allan Border. Deano’s 210 in Madras just about says everything about Australian cricket. I absolutely loved the Test matches against the West Indies. I remember feeling so nervous for the Australian batsmen as they would go out to bat and would ride their innings with them.

I loved all aspects of the game, bowling, batting, and fielding. I was a small kid, so as the other kids around me grew and I didn’t, my bowling seemed a bit pedestrian. Small kids can bat though, and I took to being a gritty opening batsman modelled on Geoff Marsh and David Boon. For most of my early playing days I was an opening batsman, handy with the ball but not overly penetrative. I played in the local Gladesville District, we were a tiny association, and my memory of those representative junior days were one of defeat, probably compounded by being the captain for most of those matches.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/914/edmund-zelma/blog/1020/ed-zelma-hit-the-wicket-keeper-gloves-hard-all-day
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2 years ago
Mark Ray
Mark Ray
Cricket Coach
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
2 Likes
0 Followers



Brian Riley the spectator

Village Green. The first grade final UNSW against Northern Districts in 80-81. I'm in the slips next to Jungle (Jim Robson), as always, when I look to the eastern side of the ground and see a couple of blokes settling down on the grass, an esky between them. It's Brian Riley, the captain of Petersham in the 76-77 final - a legendary sledger.

'Jungle, look who's just arrived,' I say. Naturally Jungle didn't have a clue as he was half-blind back then.

'It's Riles. This'll be interesting.'

Soon after we get a wicket and out comes ND's captain, the former Test player Ross Edwards. Ross had said in the press at the start of the season that a lot of ordinary players were making 500 runs a season and he'd be disappointed if he didn't make 700.

His tally to that day was about 380. I brought Henry (Geoff Lawson) straight on from the racecourse end and as he marked out his run, that familiar voice rang out.

'Hey Rosco, how's that 700 lookin'? Only 320 to go.'

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2 years ago
Peter Langston
Peter Langston
Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
36 Likes
4 Followers



Neville Holstein: now there was a fine sportsman. He was an exceptional tennis player who used to volley a ball 200 times against the uneven slatted walls of the shed down there at Bridlevale in the steep valleys to the north of Nowendoc. 200 times without missing before he would come in for his dinner after finishing his chores.

He once took a phone call from Richie Benaud, in the early 60's, on the party line at the house, asking him to come to Sydney to play for Cumberland but he preferred to stay on the farm.

The stories about Joe are legend. He and his sister once held every tennis title and the mixed doubles of every town in the New England North West. I watched him play in the village championships at Nowendoc in 1981. He stood on the baseline hitting volleys from a school teacher from the big smoke, playing but not toying with his opponent and just enjoying the fresh air and having a hit ... until his wife Jean told him it was time to get home to milk the cows. He won the next two sets 6-0 in twenty minutes.

I played cricket with Joe in Qld Country Week in Brisbane for the Wheaton's XI. An old fellow cornered me at South's home ground while we were batting and told me the story of Wheaton's chasing down "300 and a bit, a while back, after being 9-80 odd". Exact measurements don't seem so important by the time you are too old to take out the drinks. Batting 3 on that day, Joe was joined at the wicket by his brother-in-law who batted 11 because it was his calling. When the brother-in-law off-glanced the winning runs past slips despairing hand, Joe was already 200.

Laconic, quiet and incapable of giving offence, Joe was like a lot of bush sportsmen in his day and yet, being so much better than most wasn't as important as being on the field and enjoying a yarn. You'd never know anything about Joe Holstein's achievements from talking to him. If you wanted to know what he had done, you asked Jean. She kept extensive scrap books. If you wanted to know what he could do, you watched.

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2 years ago
Adams Cricket Academy
Adams Cricket Academy
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
6 Likes
7 Followers

Adams Cricket Academy India Tour 2023
Adams Cricket Academy is delighted to announce the upcoming cricket tour designed for budding cricketers aged 13 and under. Scheduled from September 25th to October 5th, 2023, this tour promises a transformative experience that blends skill enhancement with cultural understanding.
Note: Registration for under 15 and under 17 teams is now closed as all spots have been filled. We are currently accepting registrations for players and teams aged 13 and under only.
A Unique Development Opportunity
This tour offers an unrivalled platform for young cricketers to expand their skills and experience playing in diverse conditions. India, with its rich cricketing culture and unwavering passion for the sport, presents the ideal learning environment for our young players.
Participants will have the chance to train and play matches in Delhi against some of India's burgeoning talent. This exposure will stimulate the players to stretch their abilities, adjust their game strategy, and deepen their comprehension of cricket in different contexts.
Beyond Cricket: Cultural Enrichment
An integral part of the vision for our tour is to immerse players in varied cultures and experiences. Hence, beyond the cricket field, the participants will engage in enriching cultural activities.
With planned visits to significant landmarks, including the Taj Mahal and bustling local markets, players will experience India's vibrant heritage firsthand. This cultural immersion is designed to broaden the horizons of our young players and foster a deeper understanding of global cultures.
Adams Cricket Academy is welcoming registrations for the India Tour 2023 from both teams and individual players aged 13 and under.
The Adams Cricket Academy India Tour 2023 isn't merely a cricket tour, but a holistic experience curated to shape our young cricketers into adaptable players and well-rounded individuals.
For more detailed information about the tour, click here -
https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/814/adams-cricket-academy/blog/991/experience-cricket-in-india-adams-cricket-academy
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