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3 years ago
William Quinnell
William Quinnell
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Terrific memories of South Brisbane Under 19s premiership winning season in 1984-85

In 1984/85 I was extremely blessed. Growing up and having a crack. I am writing experiences for my son who enjoys my stories of another time. I was asked if Stump to Stump could publish it. I haven't really gone into the high regard I have for the names I have recalled or stated. Only to say, I wish I had the vocabulary or grammar to do them justice. Wonderful times and dreams of higher honours. As it happens, if you do read on, or don't know who I am. That is okay. I am just another bloke who dabbled. I apologise if there is a lot of 'me' and less 'we'. I did win the toss, tails, so I'll bat.

In 1983/1984 I was the U-19 vice-captain at Souths. Craig McDermott was Captain

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/880/william-quinnell/blog/1114/terrific-memories-of-south-brisbane-under-19s-premiership-winning-season-in-1984-85
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3 years ago
Craig Dodson
Craig Dodson
Business Advisor
Melbourne, Australia
18 Likes
1 Followers



Narrandera Cricket Club - A View of Australia From Fine Leg

I awoke on Saturday morning to blue skies, comfortable temperatures and a great day for cricket. The weather in Australia never ceases to amaze me. We set off from Albury to Leeton where I was to play an away game for the Narrandera Cricket Club.

Narrandera is a small town of about 4000 people at the junction of the Newell and Sturt highways, adjacent to the mighty Murrumbidgee River and about 100 kilometres from Wagga Wagga.

As a Wagga boy, I knew the region well. In my last match in Narrandera 25 years ago, I was playing in a junior representative carnival. I got future NSW player Dominic Thornely to dolly a caught and bowled back to me, which I subsequently dropped, when he was on 5. Luckily, he didn’t make me pay and was dismissed soon after for 126!

I played this away game in Leeton which is located about 30 kilometres from Narrandera. Leeton Cricket Club’s home ground is Mark Taylor Oval as he was born in Leeton.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/175/craig-dodson/blog/1112/narrandera-cricket-club-a-view-of-australia-from-fine-leg
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3 years ago
Max Bonnell
Max Bonnell
Lawyer
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
10 Likes
0 Followers



Everyone hates a selector

So this kid Haworth turned up from Coffs Harbour, where his uncle held every possible batting record. He was 18 years old, left-handed, and quiet. Said nothing to anyone, just went into the nets and blocked everything. He could obviously play a bit, because no one could get him out, but it wasn’t clear where he’d ever score a run. He was short and skinny, and had no muscle anywhere that you’d notice. We thought he might be able to take the shine off the ball in Thirds, so we picked him there. He would have been in Fourths, but someone thought his off-breaks might be handy.

The first game was against Petersham. After the first day, the players from Firsts and Seconds were having a beer when a report came in from thirds. Haworth – who was now “Flea” – had top-scored, with 75. “Probably took him 75 overs”, someone suggested.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/436/max-bonnell/blog/1039/everyone-hates-a-selector
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3 years ago
Lindfield District Cricket Club
Lindfield District Cricket Club
Lindfield, Australia
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4 Followers



Celebrating 100 years at Lindfield Cricket Club

The Great War, as were named at the time, lost such a high percentage of boys and men that almost no Australian family or community was without grief. The story goes that local Lindfield men in the Somme promised each other that if they were fortunate enough to make it back home, they would band together to build a local cricket oval for their community’s recreation and leisure. That is as grassroots as it gets.

Seven esteemed local businessmen were photographed in three-piece suits amongst the eucalyptus in 1907. The North Shore rail line had opened in 1890 and now the post war subdivisions were creating East Lindfield

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/809/lindfield-district-cricket-club/blog/1100/celebrating-100-years-at-lindfield-cricket-club
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3 years ago
Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club Sydney
Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club Sydney
Sydney, Australia
16 Likes
25 Followers



Hanson “Sep” Carter, the Prince of Wicket Keepers

The Eastern Suburbs (Waverley) Cricket Club in its 125 year history has been blessed with many outstanding wicket keepers. Keepers such as Brad Haddin, Peter Nevill, both recent Australian representatives and Ferris Ashton, better known for his football prowess, but who was an outstanding gloveman and the first wicket keeper to make a first grade century for the club. The club’s keeping tradition was to begin with Hanson “Sep” Carter who joined the club in 1897, played continuously for 30 seasons, and was to represent and one time captain Australia with distinction.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/319/eastern-suburbs-cricket-club-sydney/blog/1103/hanson-ldquoseprdquo-carter-the-prince-of-wicket-keepers
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3 years ago
Peter Vandine
Peter Vandine
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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This team is the St.George District PSSA side which won the State PSSA Championship at Dubbo 1970.

Back Row - Ray Gonella, Vic Matthews, Peter Terry, Mark Ogilvie
Middle Row - Ross Young, Peter Vandine, (please help identify), Brett Johnson, Marty Tatham. Keith Martin (Manager)
Front Row - Tony McConachie, Mark Walters, Greg Matchett, Mark Allen

The team travelled by train to Dubbo and lucky to have a sleeper on the way home on the Friday night to arrive at Central early Saturday morning.

The team were billeted with many families from both the Public and Catholic Primary Schools across the Dubbo region.

The team developed two St. George District Cricket Club First Grade players in Ray Gonella and Greg Matchett, Peter Terry played many seasons in National and State Soccer League’s for St. George Budapest and Mark Ogilvie played 3 seasons of First Grade Rugby League for the Newtown club.

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3 years ago
Peter Nicholson
Peter Nicholson
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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My best Grade Cricket team - Peter Nicholson, Brisbane and Sydney 1973 - 1993

The best grade team of players I played Grade cricket with in Brisbane and Sydney.

To paint the picture of the players I can choose from I made my debut for Norths in Brisbane in 1973/74 and transferred to Valley the next season where I played 1974/75 and 1975/76.

I then moved to Toombul for the 1976/77 season and played the 6 seasons before moving to Sydney to play for St George.

At St George I was the First Grade keeper in seasons 1982/83 and 83/84. I continued to play and filed in on occasions in Firsts and from 1990 – 1993 I enjoyed captaining the 3rd Grade team whilst perched at Short Leg.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/116/peter-nicholson/blog/1101/my-best-grade-cricket-team-peter-nicholson-brisbane-and-sydney-1973-1993
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3 years ago
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
40 Likes
43 Followers



Bill Alley - Randwick Petersham Cricket Club - Heroes of the Ages

Bill Alley was a “legend” as a cricketer.

In his first season in 1943-44 with Petersham he scored 1,413 runs a Sydney 1st Grade record for 63 years. He scored six centuries that season including tons against University (141*), North Sydney (119), Wests (100) and Mosman (111*) in successive matches—rounds 19, 20, 21 and 22. His best score was against Randwick when he hit 230* including 12 sixes and 21 fours with his first 100 coming in 59 minutes and then with the ball claimed 6-52. Against Mosman that same summer at the Sydney Cricket Ground he hit 111* and took 5-35 to record yet another outstanding all-round performance. Apart from topping the Petersham and competition batting that season he also took out the club bowling honours with 57 wickets at an average of 15.12 with 6-39 against Waverley his best performance.
Over the following four seasons Bill totalled another 1,485 runs with five centuries and five fifties for Petersham and played 12 times for the State scoring three centuries as an opening batsman, although they were war time matches which did not count as first-class games at that time (they have now been so recognised). When his wife died tragically and he missed selection in Bradman’s 1948 Ashes “Invincibles” team, he moved to England and played in the Lancashire League with Colne Cricket Club for the following five years where he topped 1,000 runs each season, had an average of less than 107 on only one occasion while scoring 20 centuries and taking 179 wickets.
In 1957 at age 38, he debuted for Somerset and 11 years later at age 49, he had scored 19,612 runs and taken 768 wickets with 31 centuries and 92 half centuries. Aged 42 he scored 3,019 runs in the English season (his testimonial year after only four seasons with Somerset) while a year earlier he had bowled 14 successive maiden overs in an innings taking 4-17 off 27 overs with 21 maidens.
In 1969, Bill turned to umpiring after rejecting Somerset’s offer of a contract for one day matches only. Within five years he umpired the first of his 10 Test matches when Australia played England at Nottingham.

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3 years ago
Brad Murphy
Brad Murphy
Cricket Coach
Brisbane, Australia
20 Likes
5 Followers



As we got closer I recognised the lad as one of the members of the Qld Blind Cricket Club whom I have had a fair bit to do with over the past decade or so. They are a great club and so passionate about the game.

Now none of this is particularly unusual I guess – no nets available for us – but what happened from there was a lesson in perspective for all three of us.

The lad, 21 year old Jock Young who lives close by at Macgregor immediately offered to vacate the net to allow us to use it and advised that he would happily move to the centre wicket to practice. This would mean he’d be bowling on an open field and then running at least 80 metres to fetch his plastic blind cricket ball, every single time.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/173/brad-murphy/blog/763/there-can-always-be-a-light
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3 years ago
Cricket NSW
Cricket NSW
71 Likes
102 Followers



NSW 1982-83 Sheffield Shield Champions - 40 year reunion

Back Row - Mike Whitney, Mark O'Neill, Peter Toohey, John Skilbeck, John Dyson, Murray Bennett, Dirk Wellham
Front Row - Greg Matthews, Steve Rixon, Rick McCosker, Trevor Chappell

The 1982/83 Sheffield Shield Cricket season was the first season the Shield Final was introduced to decide the winner of the Sheffield Shield competition.

For 90 years the Sheffield Shield competition which began in 1892/93, the winner of the Australian domestic competition was the team who had accumulated the most points during the season. First past the post as they say.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/154/cricket-nsw/blog/72/nsw-1982-83-sheffield-shield-champions-40-year-reunion
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3 years ago
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan
Founder
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
503 Likes
513 Followers



On the 5 April 2023 at Cricket NSW Steve Waugh Medal Awards night Steve Rixon was inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame. A terrific and richly deserved accolade.

Steve Rixon was the driver of culture and standards in NSW Cricket for the best part of 30 years

Let's find out more about Steve Rixon, the man, mate, player, coach, mentor and his influence.

Tributes from David Hourn, Rick McCosker, John Dyson, Dirk Wellham, Murray Bennett, Kepler Wessels, Steve Small, Phil Marks, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, Phil Emery, Brad McNamara, Shane Lee, Stuart MacGill

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/32/paul-ryan/blog/755/steve-rixon-inducted-into-cricket-nsw-hall-of-fame
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3 years ago
Jim Tucker
Jim Tucker
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1 Likes
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Sports writer Jim Tucker – My top 10 sporting moments

Cracking the West Indian cricket hoodoo...Kingston in 1995

Steve Waugh’s superb 200 at Sabina Park was the final feat that made it possible to beat the mighty West Indies in the Caribbean for the first time in 22 years.

I was lucky enough to be seated in the grandstand near the then-retired Allan Border for the climax and the sheer satisfaction in his face said it all.

This was a crescendo experience over weeks because so many contributed big moments to the end result.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/1005/jim-tucker/blog/1090/sports-writer-jim-tucker-ndash-my-top-10-sporting-moments
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