| Questions and Answers

last year

Jason Swift

Cricket Coach

Hove, England, United Kingdom

2 Likes
0 Followers

My best grade team – Jason Swift 1989 to 2004

I made by first grade debut for Hawkesbury Cricket Club during the 1989-90 season and played with the club for 8 seasons before I moved to Canberra and played for Queanbeyan Cricket Club for 4 seasons. I moved back to Sydney for the 2001-02 and played for Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club until I moved to the U.K after the 2003-04 season.

I was very lucky to play with a lot of good players and selecting my best grade team wasn’t easy but it brought back a lot of great memories.

Here’s my team.

1. James Marshall (Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club)

Played Test cricket for New Zealand. Well organised, paced his innings beautifully. Top quality opener.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/1310/jason-swift/blog/1920/my-best-grade-team-jason-swift-1989-to-2004

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last year

Peter Langston

Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia

36 Likes
4 Followers

The Veterans

I watched some old men run today

I saw them chase the ball

Send one down at their best speed and

shout and laugh and call

“Yes” then “no” then

“shit, sorry mate,

the spirit is willing but

the legs aren’t great … and

if I go too fast I’ll fall.”

Not one tried to pretend at youth

(a lost cause at this stage)

but gee it was great to see them play

and not concede to age

Those with lids of thinning grey

might once have had thick mops

but a carpark with some empty space

is better than vacant lots

and it’s better to comb than shave.

The batsmen aimed some lusty blows

one bowler was seen to sweat

A steady pursuit of a well struck ball

is as fast as a bloke can get

The Captain stode to the crease

to set a good example

A mighty swing … but they caught the thing

and he left, without a sample

and his bird is quacking yet.

Some moved with surprising stealth

as they ran up to the wickets

or timed the ball with life-long ease

‘till it rattled on the pickets

Others took a lesser role

just content to play their part

only there with the love of the game

written on sleave and heart.

Thank God the rain stayed in away

so these blokes to could have their head

and prove old mates companionship

doesn’t always need a shed

It matters not if they laugh or hurt

It’s not their youth they try to capture

It’s mates … the game … oh I can’t explain

being lost among the rapture

not confined upon a bed.

The ump calls time and stumps are drawn

Last runs have been recorded

A few beers later … the strangest thing

Their worries have been reordered

Not from deeds achieved on the field

Not even from a few cold wet ones

But from holding each other up …

There’s honour among these Veterans

and another day has been rewarded.

(pictured) Hunter Lord Taveners & Mid North Coast

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last year

Patrick Skene

Marketing Director

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

7 Likes
0 Followers

Where there's a will there's a way! When double arm amputee Amir Hussain Lone was 8, he lost both his arms in an accident at his father's sawmill. Incredibly, Amir now captains the Jammu & Kashmir para cricket team, batting using his neck and shoulder and bowling with his foot.

The 34 year old cricketer has had an extraordinary journey from the small village of Waghama to the international stage and has developed an incredible cricket genius based on determination, grit, passion and dedication.

He has taken his unique talents to Nepal, Dubai, and more recently he played in Sharjah in the UAE para league.

Sachin Tendulkar is his hero and upon hearing Amir's story on social media, Tendulkar posted a heartwarming message of celebration:

"Amir has made the impossible possible and shows how much love and dedication he has for the game - I hope I get to meet him one day and get a jersey with his name."

"Well done for inspiring millions who are passionate about playing the sport." Tendulkar added.

In reply, a proud Amir told news agency ANI. "I never thought that great people would tweet for me,"

"I am very happy, and I think I am being rewarded for my struggle,"

"I can't express my happiness. My dreams are getting fulfilled."

Thanks to Amir Hussain Lone for the perspective reset and providing a truly inspirational reminder of what the human spirit can achieve!

Credit: ANI Media

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last year

Tom Jones

Cricket Coach

Warrington, England, United Kingdom

8 Likes
3 Followers

Please add my podcast to the fantastic list you already have showing on here.
https://anchor.fm/tom-jones61

The focus is on sharing people's experience of coaching young players, understanding their approach and values, learning about what works well for them and how they continue to grow and learn as a coach. Guests range from top international coaches to grassroots club coaches as well as S+C specialists, psych specialists and heads of cricket in school and county settings. The overall objective is to share information for the benefit of other coaches but in particualr for the benefit of the young players under our care so that they look forward to the next coaching session and build a strong affinity to the game we all love.

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last year

Tom Jones

Cricket Coach

Warrington, England, United Kingdom

8 Likes
3 Followers

I am interested to hear from anyone who is a cricket coach of juniors/kids and who would like to come onto my podcast called Tom Talks Junior Cricket Coaching.

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last year

Tom Jones

Cricket Coach

Warrington, England, United Kingdom

8 Likes
3 Followers

A coaching colleague from SA I met whilst doing one of the wonderful CoachED quals is looking for coaching experience in the UK either in a club or a school or maybe shadowing a county side. If anyone is looking for some support in these areas please let me know. Thanks.

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last year

Rhys Soper

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

12 Likes
3 Followers

Rhys Soper - my best captain

It brings a smile to my face thinking about the skippers I played with as they all had different approaches to the game but the one trait, they all had in common was, leadership!

The very first captain I played with in senior cricket was Terry Walters, brother of Australian Test cricketer, Doug Walters.
Terry was a hard-hitting right-hand batsman that I looked up to. I was only 15 when I made by debut playing first grade for Raymond Terrace and Terry made me feel like I belonged.

Terry (TW) knew how to apply pressure better than any other captain I played under. He was very particular with field positions and would not start until everyone was EXACTLY where he wanted them.

His leadership skills were second to none with everyone in the team knowing their roles and were kept accountable.
Another captain I loved playing under was Todd (Soupie) Campbell (pictured). I grew up playing with Soupie and have the honour of calling him a great mate still to this day. The challenge for Soupie was the team he captained (Hamilton Wickham) was full of big personalities. Most of the team grew up playing cricket with one another at an early age and we were and still are all great mates.

The other challenge for him was that the team was extremely successful in the Newcastle competition winning multiple premierships, Tom Locker Cups and SCG Cups. But year after year the fire was there to keep getting the most of each player to do it again and again.

Soupie in my mind was a great leader. He was one of the boys but also had a good head on his shoulders that kept everyone in line and focused on the job at hand. Could win a toss as well!

Played with many more captains including the NSW skipper at the time, Phil Emery. Had the privilege of playing a game with Mark Taylor and would love to have played more with him as I could see the respect he had with the group. Anyway, thanks again as it was great to reminisce thinking of great times with great leaders.

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last year

Richard Stobo

Teacher

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

9 Likes
0 Followers

I was fortunate to play under some terrific captains at representative and grade level, including Steve Waugh, Greg Dyer, Geoff Lawson, Phil Emery, Michael Cant, Darren Tucker, Marty Haywood, and others. Great as they were, however, there was none was better than Steve Day, at Gordon District Cricket Club.

Steve was a magnificent captain, and a great bloke. By the time he joined us in 1985, he had already successfully captained the NSW U19s and Northern Districts 2nd Grade (where, as a 21-year-old, he led a side with much older players to a Premiership).

Steve read the game superbly, was calm under pressure, tactically excellent, decisive, and – above all – understood and related to EVERY one of his players, both on and off the field.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/624/richard-stobo/blog/1917/richard-stobo-my-best-captain

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last year

Queensland Cricket

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

15 Likes
25 Followers

Round 1 of the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund has been finalised, with a total of $810,472.50 Cricket Australia, Queensland Cricket and Australian Cricketers' Association funding allocated towards 26 projects across the state.

The funding has amounted in $7,142,814.46 worth of cricket-related infrastructure across Queensland clubs, schools & councils.

Included within the list of 26 successful applicants were 14 from regional Queensland.

Among these 14 regionally funded projects, were Paroo Shire council (John Kerr Oval, Cunnamulla), Magpies Sporting Club (Magpies Sportsground, Mackay), Hervey Bay Cricket Association (Walkers Road Sports Precinct, Urangan) and Mulgrave Combined Cricket Association Inc (Walkers Road Sports Precinct, Edmonton).

https://www.qldcricket.com.au/news/3859190/australian-cricket-infrastructure-fund-round-one-finalised

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last year

Dustin Gaskell

Managing Director

Brisbane, Australia

11 Likes
3 Followers

Looking for a hassle-free solution for centre wicket training?

Look no further than the Gabba Sporting Products Portable Batting Cages, in collaboration with Mow Master Turf Equipment, our portable custom netting solution is perfect for the team Cricket NSW and beyond.

Join the likes of Washington Freedom, Cricket NSW and Cricket USA in experiencing the convenience and quality of our cricket netting equipment.

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last year

Greg Briggs

Gosford, NSW, Australia

31 Likes
1 Followers

Gosford Cricket Club is having a 40-year reunion for its 1983-84 First Grade Premiership winning team at the Elanora Hotel on the 16 March 2024.

We’re excited to confirm, as at today, all the eleven players will be in attendance.

Being a Gosford junior, I was lucky to be part of the previous year’s win as well in 1982/83 so to go back-to-back was a great thing for someone like me who started playing with the club at a young age as many of us did.

For myself, it happened only by chance.

In the 1982-83 season I was playing for Bankstown and a midweek training mishap during the season put me out with injury for 6 to 8 weeks. My spot in the first-grade team was taken by a young 17-year-old by the name of S.R. Waugh.

On returning from injury Bankstown couldn’t guarantee my spot in 1st Grade as the side was doing well so Gosford approached me to finish the season with them.

Whether that was right or wrong I don’t know but I got a clearance from the Bankstown and finished the season with Gosford where we beat Wyong in the Final of the Central Coast Competition.

In the winter of 1983, I was planning to play the 1983-84 season in Sydney when I received a phone call from a Gosford Life Member and well-known businessman offering what at that time was quite a large monetary offer to stay and play for Gosford.

After the shock and a week of thinking about it I accepted the offer, and we were fortunate to win the Central Coast Competition again that season.

As a kid growing up and as I said ‘a Club Junior’ so to play for Gosford on the hallowed turf of Grahame Park and win a couple of first grade premierships brings back some great memories.

For the club to have to merge after 108-year history is very sad but the memories will never fade.

Cheers
Greg Briggs.

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last year

Joe Maiorana

Sydney, Australia

40 Likes
2 Followers

Trevor Barsby nicknamed "Tank" is a former Australian first-class cricketer who played for Queensland.

Trevor was an aggressive batsman, usually opening and often with Matthew Hayden

He is one of a select group of players to have appeared in 100 Sheffield Shield games for Queensland.

This milestone was reached in his last game, the 1996/97 Shield Final. Queensland won the game and their second Sheffield Shield trophy.

Barsby had played a large part in their inaugural championship win two seasons prior with an innings of 151 in the final against South Australia.

Trevor has been recognised for his contribution to QLD cricket with the Trevor Barsby Oval located at Deagon, Brisbane named in his honour.

He was the QLD Bulls coach from 2008 until 2010. His daughter Jemma Barsby plays for Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat.

Trevor John Barsby was born on this day in 1964.

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last year

Cricket NSW

71 Likes
102 Followers

Week 15 – ‘The Opening Spell’

First ball – Back with a BANG!

St George’s Blake Macdonald struck 182 runs from just 128 deliveries against a host UNSW bowling attack at David Phillips South. Macdonald registered 14 sixes to reach his 10th and highest first-grade ton, and propel the Saints to 10-0 for the season.

Gordon 1’s skipper, Tym Crawford, made it FOUR centuries in his last FIVE innings with 164 runs (121 balls) against Sydney University at Chatswood Oval. Crawford, who has 892 runs at an average of 59.46, leads the top division of Men’s NSW Premier Cricket in runs-scored throughout the 23-24 campaign.

https://www.cricketnsw.com.au/news/3858671/week-15-the-opening-spell

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last year

South Australia Cricket Association

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

2 Likes
2 Followers

SACA's annual Test Match Dinner was extra special this season, with the unveiling of South Australia's All Time Best Teams, both Men and Women, in front of the 300-strong crowd.

The teams were selected by SACA Members and showcased titans of South Australian cricket, with players selected from all eras of SACA's 152-year history.

Twelve players were named in each team, with the players present at the dinner on Saturday speaking in front of the crowd about their fond memories of being involved in South Australian cricket.

https://www.saca.com.au/news/3854336/south-australias-all-time-best-teams-unveiled

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last year

Jody Martins

Cricket Coach

Western Cape, South Africa

36 Likes
27 Followers

There Is No Blue Book. Every Athlete is Unique.

Johan Vorster is a professional cricket coach who is the Head Coach of Cricket World Academy. He has played and coached in South Africa and Australia, bringing a unique insight into the differences between SA and AUS and what high performance is. Driven by his high standards he produces skilled cricketers capable of performing under pressure.

Johan is based in North West Province and coaches cricketers from all around the world.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/696/jody-martins/blog/1916/johan-vorster-there-is-no-blue-book-every-player-is-unique

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last year

Ken Piesse

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

8 Likes
0 Followers

Their fame was fleeting and their stories compelling. Seventy of Australia’s Test cricketers appeared only once. Their journeys will entertain, enlighten and delight – and have been beautifully told by Australian cricket’s master storyteller Ken Piesse.

One of the debutants hitch-hiked to the ground, another broke down on match-eve.. but still played...

So gripped by nerves was one that he could hardly feel the ball in his hand. Another was plucked from Twenty-two of Ballarat into an MCG Test the very same week. Ken Meuleman’s sole Test ended in eight hours. Dr Bert Hartkopf was a luckier. His Test went for seven days. He made 80, yet still was dropped.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame, Australia’s 70- One Test Wonders, a 284 page hardback, is available now, for $60 including post or $10 as an e-book.

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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last year

Brad Haddin

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

0 Likes
0 Followers

In July of 1999, Phil Emery announced his retirement from first-class cricket. His were big shoes to fill; he was second on the all-time list of most games played for the Blues, and held the record for most dismissals, with 332 catches and 46 stumpings. I wanted more than anything to have a chance to make that kind of contribution, but I wasn’t the only keeper in contention. Craig Glassock was still part of the squad and the name of another Second XI player, Nigel Taylor was also bandied about. Coach Steve Small was keeping his options open until the start of the season got closer. There was only one thing for me to do, and it wasn’t sitting and fretting, it was working even harder than ever. I knew the selectors would be scrutinising every aspect of my game and of my attitude and I was going to make sure they knew that I was up for the challenge.

The hard work paid off: when the team was announced at the start of the season I was named as keeper for both one-dayers and the Sheffield Shield. It was an incredibly proud moment for me and my whole family. But it was an opening, an opportunity, not a crowning achievement. I was in the hot seat and I wouldn’t stay there long if I didn’t perform

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

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last year

Brad Bannister

Teacher

Corrowong, NSW, Australia

32 Likes
3 Followers

My best grade team - Brad Bannister 1989 to 2011

This was a tough task and actually got tougher the longer I thought about it. I had the pleasure of playing with some wonderful players in grade teams over many years.

I played for Lambton New Lambton, Wallsend and Belmont in Newcastle First Grade and Gold Coast Dolphins in Queensland Premier Cricket

I would have loved to have played in this team - My Best Grade Team from 1989 – 2011

1. Glen Grimmond - Lambton New Lambton, now West Newcastle

Got better the older he got. Amazing off the back foot and took on the short ball with vigour and power. Quiet and unassuming but had a very good game.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/209/brad-bannister/blog/496/my-best-grade-team-brad-bannister-1989-to-2011

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last year

Manly Warringah Cricket Association

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

0 Likes
0 Followers

Please enjoy Part 3 of a look back at the 100 years of the Manly Warringah Cricket Association with a sneak peek from the yet to be titled book by Stephen Shepherd.

SEASON 61: 1980/81

THE MWCA WINS ITS MAIDEN TELEGRAPH SHIELD AS MANLY LEAGUES PRODUCE WINDIES STYLE BOWLING ATTACK

[ALSO KNOWN AS FATTY VAUTIN AND JOHNNY GIBBS PLAY FOR BALGOWLAH BEAVERS]

After several near misses over the decades the MWCA finally broken through for its first ever premiership in the Daily Telegraph Shield (U23) competition:

“It was a great team effort under the management of Fred Rosa and captaincy of Chris McCelleland”

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/1159/manly-warringah-cricket-association/blog/1915/celebrating-the-centenary-of-the-mwca-part-3-season-198081

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last year

Dirk Wellham

Brisbane, Australia

6 Likes
1 Followers

As a captain, I believe the following themes can help build a successful team.

• Everyone must think and be sharp to contribute to planning and decisions.
• Anyone can come up with a great idea that can be implemented.
• The captain must lead by performance, particularly when it's darkest – lead the team to a positive outcome. If you are not out, chasing a total, don't leave it to someone else.
• Physically work hard on the skills (especially fielding, Steve Rixon was a terrific example).
• Read the opposition batsmen - if they are tentative, attack and crowd them. If they are aggressive, catching positions are deeper, often. Read how the batsman is likely to want to play your bowler.
• You must be able to bowl the opposition out. Tactically, find a way, don’t give up.
For example, on flat slow Hobart decks, Dave Gilbert's third slip would move to third man because that was the easy shot. Rod Tucker would bowl one ball each over or so, wide down legside, hoping for a cheap catch.
• For every problem, the team and the captain have to provide at least one solution, if not move to plans B and C.
• Team success is everything - egos need massaging, but not at the expense of the team's success. Play that very tough. “I was nasty but only when we needed to be”.
• Establish in the minds of the players why their team is special, historic, deserving, belonging to a bigger cultural picture. Really, what is the team trying to achieve, and for what reasons?

I hope the information is helpful, best of luck to all

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I am interested to hear from anyone who is a cricket coach of juniors/kids and who would like to come onto my podcast called Tom Talks Junior Cricket Coaching.

A coaching colleague from SA I met whilst doing one of the wonderful CoachED quals is looking for coaching experience in the UK either in a club or a school or maybe shadowing a county side. If anyone is looking for some support in these areas please let me know. Thanks.

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I am interested to hear from anyone who is a cricket coach of juniors/kids and who would like to come onto my podcast called Tom Talks Junior Cricket Coaching.

A coaching colleague from SA I met whilst doing one of the wonderful CoachED quals is looking for coaching experience in the UK either in a club or a school or maybe shadowing a county side. If anyone is looking for some support in these areas please let me know. Thanks.

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