| Questions and Answers

2 years ago

Heidi Cheadle

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

5 Likes
0 Followers

The stumping that always makes me mile was one I took when I was keeping up to Em Leys who bowled these beautiful left armers that would drift across batters. It darted through a little wider and the batter went out and took her back foot with her just enough and it was clean, quick and soooooo satisfying.

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2 years ago

Darren Smith

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

10 Likes
0 Followers

Recently, I was asked to present a cricket trophy back in Gilgandra (60km north of Dubbo) in honour and behalf of my dad, Ross ‘Chicka’ Smith. Driving five and a half hours to Gilgandra from Sydney I recalled some amazing moments my father was involved with. Like playing against the Poms for Orana region.

Dad was an opening bowler who swung the ball both ways and deceived many a batsman with his off paced balls and guile. So much so, that at the age of 10 I witnessed Dad taking 10 wickets in an innings.
I was perplexed going to the scorer and seeing his 10 for 29 in the book. I couldn't wait to go home and let mum know after witnessing this mighty feat.

When I told mum, she said, "Oh that's the third time he has done that. Oh, yes he took a 10 for 36 and another 10 for 26." I was staggered.

Three lots of 10 wickets in one innings. The nearest I’ve ever been was 6 for 23.

But Dad's achievements moved a little 10-year-old to play cricket and have that determination to go all the way. Needless to say, I thank Dad for his example and many of the young boys at the time in Gilgandra came up to me and said how much dad inspired them to bowl and bat.

Some of those boys were involved with Gilgandra (a town of only 3000 people) winning the regional championships in NSW in 2023 for the first time.

Role models are hard to find these days, make sure you cherish those moments.

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2 years ago

Dennis Hourn

Sydney, Australia

38 Likes
2 Followers

In 1975 one of the greatest ever rugby league teams took the field on Saturday 20th of September in the Grand Final Eastern Suburbs v St George. Easts won that game 38 nil in a record-breaking performance.

September 1975 was a momentous time for the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club as it had secured the services of the England cricket captain Tony Greig for 1975/76 season. Easts had gone 30 years without a first grade premiership and hopes were really high that Tony could reinvigorate the club.

The first game of the season was to be played against St George at Waverley Oval on Saturday the 27th of September.

One of the Eastern Suburbs players was John Rheinberger who the previous week had been plucked out of obscurity by coach Jack Gibson to play in the centres in the rugby league grand final.

Was St George to be humiliated two weeks in a row?

The previous day it had rained heavily and in this era of uncovered wickets we turned up to the ground to be confronted with a traditional Australian "sticky". Tony Greig had initially thought there was no way we could play and after the pitch inspection he came into the dressing room and said he'd never seen a wicket like it. "It was like glue" he said.

Tony lost the toss and the St George captain sent the Eastern Suburbs side in. What happened next was indeed a debacle but not what the Eastern Suburbs cricket officials had hoped for. This time the shoe was on the other foot and the Eastern Suburbs side were dismissed by St. George for a paltry 33. A disastrous start to the season.

In the crowd was none other than a very interested Jack Gibson.

What is not generally known about Jack is that he was a very handy cricketer and played four seasons with the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club.

Anyway after being dismissed for 33 we were all sitting rather disconsolately in the dressing room when big Jack lumbers in and in typical laconic style doesn't say much to the team but did manage to blurt out:

" We scored 5 more than you last week"

With that cutting comment Jack exited the dressing room leaving us all even more crestfallen. We went on to lose this game outright.

Maybe Jack's comment worked for us because the good news was that after losing our first two games Easts went on to win the premiership that year due in no small part to the outstanding performance of one Tony Greig who took 75 wickets and scored more than 500 runs that season.

Two Easts premiership teams within months. Doesn't get much better.

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2 years ago

UTS North Sydney District Cricket Club

Sydney, Australia

12 Likes
19 Followers

Welcome back Nic Bills

A huge day for the UTS North Sydney Bears as we welcome Nic Bills back to the club as our First Grade skipper!
Nic needs no introduction, being one of the most successful players in NSW Premier Cricket, with 490 First Grade wickets to his name. The first 172 of these were for the Bears over five seasons after receiving cap number 615 in 2009-10, including in our Limited Overs Premiership-winning side in 2012-13, and he was a shoe-in when we selected our Team of the Decade in 2020.
Since leaving the Bears in 2014, Nic has played for Manly, Mosman and Sydney, winning a Club Championship and First Grade Premierships in all three formats. His 409 wickets for all clubs in the 2010s was the highest tally of all players and earned Nic a coveted spot in the Sydney Cricket Association Team of the Decade.
We're thrilled to see Nic return home to the Bears and can't wait to see what our First-Grade side achieves under his leadership.

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2 years ago

Stuart Wickman

Teacher

Middlesex, London, United Kingdom

9 Likes
0 Followers

I’m the coach of an under 16 school team and would like to get some advice about the best way to break down the team chasing say 100 runs to win a one-day game with 15 overs to go in the innings. The players seem to get caught wanting to play big shots and we often fall 30 or 40 runs short. Any help would be great

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2 years ago

Peter Lovitt

Managing Director

Sydney, Australia

11 Likes
14 Followers

On behalf of Driver Avenue Group I’d like to congratulate to Ross Pawson on being signed to a a full time Cricket NSW contract following the announcement of the 23/24 NSW Blues Squad this morning.
Ross has dominated NSW Premier Grade Cricket for multiple seasons with his side Northern Districts & has been justly rewarded for his consistent wicket taking.
Well done Ross!

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2 years ago

David Dillon

Accountant

Sydney, Australia

28 Likes
1 Followers

The funniest thing on the cricket field is unfortunately for me, it’s at my expense. First game of the season Centennials v Rugby Union in about 1994/95 in Bathurst.
We were 0-112, Kevin Geyer and I both on 50 plus. Kevin whacked one back at me, and the ball collected me on the arse as I tried to swerve away it knocked me off my feet. The ball ricochet back to the bowler and I was run out before I could get to my feet. Kev got a beautiful ton that day.

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2 years ago

Tim Sullivan

13 Likes
0 Followers

First year in Penrith 4ths, we had a dashing (i.e., crazy) opener Kevin Buick. He would smash anything he could reach. He was a tiler and used to pick me up before I had a car in his battered Holden station wagon, with all his tools and crap in the back.

I’d arrive at the game with brick dust, grout and concrete in my eyes, nose, ears, pockets—everywhere.

Kev’s at short leg. A ball gets punched at him. He grabs at it, knocks it up over his head, walks on the ball as he turns around, has the presence of mind to do a backward roll and pick up the ball as he falls. Springs to his feet and throws it straight into the ground in front of him. In disgust, kicks the ball into a gap, and the batsman who has been standing in his crease watching, takes a single. Kev is crestfallen. The bowler, Jon Llewellyn, says ‘Well done mate—a lesser man would have panicked’.

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2 years ago

Steven Doig

London, United Kingdom

22 Likes
1 Followers

In any sport, there are many participants who have enough talent to compete with and against the future stars of their chosen game. I was lucky enough to play with or against this lot. Not all household names but for those in the know, undoubtedly talented players. Who wins this game and can you name a more talented bunch?

Australians

Jeremy Bray
Richard Chee Quee
Corey Richards
Shane Lee
Scott Hookey
Shane Deitz
Dave Colley
Trent Johnston
Brett Lee
Paul Sutherland
Stuart MacGill

Rest of the World

Chris Gladwin (England)
Giles Ecclestone (England)
Rob Leiper (England)
Alvin Kallicharran (West Indies)
Nayan Mongia (India)
Neil Barry (West Indies)
Robert Dalrymple (South Africa)
Bob Taylor (England)
Jamie Porter (England)
Peter Delroy Thompson (West Indies)
David Lawrence (England)

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2 years ago

Greg Hartshorne

Cricket Coach

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

24 Likes
1 Followers

The three best fast bowlers I played against.
Jeff Thomson was most lethal I have ever seen, but the day I played him he was injured but still quick enough for me. Steve Bernard was a great bowler and best bowler at the tail I have even seen. However, the three I found the most difficult to play were
Phil Alley came from like 15 feet and I really struggled to handle the bounce
Dave Colley made me look silly with his late swing. One day at Mosman Oval he hit me in the ribs so many times I could hardly breathe that night. After the game he politely suggested I stick to the middle order.
Andy Roberts bowled to me in a state cup game. I was going OK until I hit a beautiful cover drive for 4. I didn’t see the next one as it whistled past my nose. He grinned at me and I realised I was in a different league
I must add Dave Chardon although I didn’t play against him. He was the ultimate swing bowler and should have had a much better go at first class.

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2 years ago

Tim Ebbeck

Company Director

Central Coast, NSW, Australia

43 Likes
11 Followers

As a wicket keeper my favourite moments were ones of pure joy when my feet were moving, my hands were soft, my talk was positive, and my mates were working hard and together.
My favourite story was in the 1986/87 grand final against Campbelltown and we were turning the game around with our bowling and fielding. English Test cricketer Derek Pringle came to the crease and Steve Whitfield was bowling. Earlier that season, Whit had twice got Derek out caught behind with his wonderful arm ball. I waited for Derek to settle down and take guard and then stood up and said to Whit “Whit, he’s here, remember THE ball?” Whit looked down the wicket and nodded.
As Whit was just about to start his approach I stood up again and said “Whit, remember precisely where that ball needs to go?” Whit acknowledged me again.
That wonderful umpire, Dick French, put his arm out and said “Timmy, that’s enough.” I smiled at Dick with that charming smile most people never acknowledged and went back in my stance. Whit pitched the ball precisely on off stump and the arm ball took the edge. Derek was 3 golden ducks from a Whitfield arm ball caught Ebbeck in the one season. Brilliant.

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2 years ago

Craig Dodson

Business Advisor

Melbourne, Australia

18 Likes
1 Followers

The light bulb moment occurred at 2.00am on Day 2 of the Second Test of the 2019 Ashes Series. Staying up to the wee hours watching the pulsating cricket on offer, I realised how much I missed the game and came up with an idea…
Ten games for ten different clubs across Australia during the 2019/20 season. I climbed into bed at the end of play (3.00am local time) and tapped Mrs D on the shoulder to tell her my brilliant idea. Not particularly thrilled at being woken at such an hour, she simply replied, ‘You’re having a mid-life-crisis, go to sleep.’
Looking back, I think it was just my way of clinging onto that boyish dream of playing cricket - the thrill of hitting one in the middle; the adulation of ten teammates slapping you on the back after taking a wicket; a cold beer in the sheds after taking 2/72 off 28 overs, figures that can only excite an off-spinner.
At 41, life was great – beautiful wife, gorgeous kids, steady job, nice house etc. With all that, there was something nagging at me. A desire to have one last crack at doing something I used to love.
It would be too self-indulgent to make this just about me. I went through a very rough patch with depression in my early 30s. In a short period of time I lost my job and then broke up with my partner. It seemed like the end of the world.
I shut myself off. Life was excruciating for a period of six months. I was going nowhere fast.
Over the course of time, and with the help of many important people I recovered.
Life is now great, however, I have never forgotten those dark days, so it was a natural consequence to want to support a mental health charity.
If I couldn’t convince ten clubs across Australia to give up a playing sport to a balding 41-year-old cricketer well past his prime, then the project would be over before it started.
Having played cricket for twenty years, I had a great network of mates spread across the country could ask a favour and hopefully turn out for their clubs.
Every club I approached said yes. All up, it was about 10,000 kilometres of travel to navigate Australia via planes, trains and automobiles!
Over the next 6 months the games ticked by and it was the ultimate cricketing and lifetime adventure. With the exception of getting married and having kids it was the best thing I have ever done. In total, we raised $9,000 for mental health.
I will be forever grateful that I had a crack at this great cricketing adventure.

I also wrote a book – A View of Australia from Fine Leg

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2 years ago

CricConnect Stories

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

191 Likes
257 Followers

Which cricket club in Australia has had the most number of Australian Test wicket keepers play grade cricket at their club?

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2 years ago

Richard Stobo

Teacher

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

9 Likes
0 Followers

Gordon were playing Randwick at Coogee. Our opening bowler, Mark Aldridge (‘Needle’) was bowling to the great Richard Chee Quee. Needle had a short run but could bowl a really nasty short ball, and he did clean-up one or two blokes over the years. On this day, he sent one whistling past Cheek’s helmet. Needle followed through and had a word to Cheeks – I was at fine-leg and couldn’t hear it (I could never really understand what Needle was talking about at the best of times) but I got the gist that he didn’t rate Cheeks. I’m pretty sure that’s how Cheeks heard it as well.

What Cheeks did next was magnificent. He spun round to the stand and called for his white floppy hat. We had to wait while someone ran it out, and then ran Cheek’s helmet off. Needle was steaming by this time, and charged in to bowl another bouncer – of course – which Cheeks smashed out of the ground near the pavilion. Brilliant.

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2 years ago

Simon Taufel

Business Coach

Central Coast, NSW, Australia

37 Likes
13 Followers

The advice I would offer an aspiring young umpire is to be patient.
Do the apprenticeship and umpire as many matches as you can. Find a good coach and mentor. Make as many mistakes as you can at the lowest levels and learn quickly (from others). Never worry about matches you should be umpiring, just umpire that match in front of you the best you can and let the selectors take care of everything else. Focus on your game and what you can do – above all, enjoy it or find something else to be passionate about.

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2 years ago

Adrian Butler

8 Likes
0 Followers

Australia v West Indies Melbourne Cricket Ground December 31, 1951 to January 3, 1952

John Goddard Captain of West Indies won the toss and decided to bat and batting number 3 Frank Worrell with 108 was the major contributor to the score of 272. The “Three W’s” Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott from Barbados were ranked with the best batsmen in the World. Keith Miller was amongst the wickets with 5 for 60.

Australia struggled making 216, the highlight being a partnership of 124 between Neil Harvey 83 and Keith Miller 47. During this partnership an intriguing battle took place with the West Indies spin twins Alf Valentine left arm and the mystery spinner Sonny Ramadhin right arm.

In their second innings West Indies were held to 203 with Stollmeyer 54 and Christiani 52 being the main contributors. The wickets were shared by Ray Lindwall 3, Miller and Bill Johnston 2 each.

Australia were set 260 to win and again the spinners were on top with Valentine 5 and Ramadhin 3 wickets. They didn’t have express fast bowlers in those days. Lindsay Hassett held the innings together for 5 hours making 102. With the score 9 for 222, number 11 Bill Johnston joined his Richmond team mate Doug Ring requiring 38 runs to win.

The next 35 minutes had the crowd on the edge of their seats watching an amazing and exciting finish to the match. Doug Ring was a more than capable lower order batsman who liked to chance his arm with lusty blows over the infield. Bill Johnston, despite leading the batting averages on a tour of England, was regarded as a bunny. They soon had the West Indies in panic mode with dropped catches, misfields and mid pitch conferences involving a number of their players. However to no avail as the last pair held their nerve, with Johnston turning a ball to fine leg for the winning run for victory by one wicket.

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2 years ago

Tim Ebbeck

Company Director

Central Coast, NSW, Australia

43 Likes
11 Followers

I was a wicket keeper and loved being in the action all the time. I wrote an overview on my LinkedIn profile a few years ago which described how what I learned as a wicket-keeper shaped me in my business career:

“For years I was the wicket keeper in a cricket team , a role that shapes how the team performs. It taught me the virtue of humility, the importance of teamwork and reliability, and the value that comes from instinct.
The wicket keeper is many things: the enforcer who takes the game to the competition, the elite fielder who’s able to convert half-chances into chances, and a safe set of hands who has the experience to be in the right place at the right time.
Like any successful person, a good wicket keeper is consistent day in and day out. He is never off duty mentally or physically.
What I learned behind the stumps shaped my approach to leadership.”

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2 years ago

Dale McInerney

Student

Auckland, New Zealand

2 Likes
0 Followers

As a wicket keeper it was mentioned last season I was standing too far back to the fast and medium pace bowlers. Is there a guide to where I should be standing?

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2 years ago

Michael Blatherwick

Managing Director

Hucknall, United Kingdom

15 Likes
0 Followers

B3 Cricket - revolutionary cricket bat manufacturer
I’ve worked in the business IT industry all my life and sold a business in 2011. My close friend Russ Evans worked at Gunn and Moore for more than 20 years. He approached me in 2012 to see if I would be interested in helping him launch B3 Cricket and explained the USP’s.

Russ knew I was a cricket badger and wouldn’t be able to resist! The concept was unique; the advanced manufacturing process allows us to give amateur players the same choice and quality as a top pro cricketer. There’s loads of stuff on our website and You Tube channel which shows how we do this, if anyone is interested. Just search B3 Cricket.

We can make a bat from the finest hand-picked English willow to a player’s exact specification and ship it anywhere in the world within a couple of weeks.

In 2014, Russ became a first-class umpire and was living his dream running B3 and umpiring around the UK. Tragically, in 2017, Russ died suddenly after developing problems while undergoing a routine medical procedure.

I like to think we have done Russ proud. I think we are one of the best in the business in terms of choice, quality of products and after sales service. Everyone at B3 is cricket mad, we live and breathe it and hopefully that comes through in what we do.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/472/b3-cricket

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2 years ago

SKY Cricket

Cricket Coach

Colombo, Sri Lanka

2 Likes
0 Followers

SKY Cricket Sri Lanka organize T20 & T10 women's cricket league in Sri Lanka from 2nd to 13th August 2023 . It is a great chance for women cricketers to showcase their talents in an overseas. This year we have 8 teams participation including overseas teams. You get minimum 7 matches ( warmup match , 3 -T20 / 3- T10 ) . If qualified for knock outs it will be more with attractive champions , runner-up , individual cash price with trophies. As a token of appreciation to women's cricket its free registration for overseas teams and ground logistics sponsored by SKY cricket Club.
We have discounted special tour packages design and contact us soon for special early bird offer .
skycricketsrilanka@gmail.com
0094766375178

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Which cricket club in Australia has had the most number of Australian Test wicket keepers play grade cricket at their club?

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As a wicket keeper it was mentioned last season I was standing too far back to the fast and medium pace bowlers. Is there a guide to where I should be standing?

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Which cricket club in Australia has had the most number of Australian Test wicket keepers play grade cricket at their club?

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As a wicket keeper it was mentioned last season I was standing too far back to the fast and medium pace bowlers. Is there a guide to where I should be standing?

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