Stories

3 years ago

Andrew Jones

Sydney, Australia

8 Likes
3 Followers

I was given a few tastes of first grade at the age of 17 and was captained by former NSW and Australian 2nd X1 batsman Tony Steele. Tony was a hard man but a very fair man for those that got to know him. Tony was a perfectionist in every venture he undertook, socially and in his business life. If it was a game of tiddly winks, tennis or golf Tony would want to win and find a way to take the cash every time.
My first-grade introduction was a baptism of fire and some of the best learning experiences ever. I was now playing with grown men who were duelling it out like there was no tomorrow which I took parts of into my future cricket career.
One of those early games was played at Manly Oval on a flat track of rolled baked mud recovering from the rugby season. When Tony gestured me up from fine leg for a bowl and placed the ball in my hand, he looked me in the eyes and said, “nothing short to this bloke. His name is Peter Toohey, and he is one of the best hookers and pullers in the game and doesn’t own a baggy green cap for nothing.”
Tony set the field for a flat deck accordingly. Yeah right, I thought. I used most of the first over to loosen up and said to myself it’s time to test this bloke out. The next ball was a rank half tracker that didn’t gut up above waist height that Peter pulled in front of square hard and flat. The ball didn’t go above head height and hit the mesh on top of the brick wall on the bowling club side of Manly oval.
After that over Tony called out Andy, got a sec. Tony’s summary and advice post my first over was ……. “If you bowl another short ball to Rats in this session, I will not bowl you again and you will be running from fine leg to fine leg for the rest of the game.”
My next over and contrary to Tony’s advice ……. I tried the old 3 card trick on the 5th or 6th ball with everything I had and was dispatched high and long into the top of the Slaggy Miller stand that backs on to Sydney Road. All be it over fine leg. I bowled 2 overs that game and true to his word Tony had me running from fine leg to fine leg till the close of play. Valuable lesson learnt. Don’t wear speedos under your creams.

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3 years ago

Scott Atkinson

TradesPerson

Gosford, Australia

62 Likes
24 Followers

Many years ago when I was a youngster playing in Condobolin (450km West of Sydney) on drought ravaged ovals, sand soaked artificial wickets and doing your own umpiring from both ends I meet Robert Reed.
Reedy was a well-built aboriginal cricketer who bowled some serious left arm fast wheels.
Robbie played for us at the disapproval of the only aboriginal team in Condo, the Boomerangs.
Needless to say he would cop his fair share of sledging (only ever off the field and never on game day).
On this typical 40 odd degree day at the Association ground in the middle of a race track with no grass to be seen for 3 kilometres, we were playing the Boomerangs.
We lost the toss and in the field. Robbie was extra fired up to and keen to extract some pay back to his mob.
Robbie measures out his run up, throws his hat on the ground and country cricketers do and politely explains to me I should give myself a few more steps back than my usual crouch as the keeper.
Boomerangs opening batsman Normy Smith is at the strikers end, looking a little nervous.
“Centre please Albert”… Albert is the umpire.
First ball - Reedy is gaining pace with every delivery stride and for every one of his steps Norm is moving one step closer to the square leg umpire… whooosh, it’s a short ball and goes over Norm’s head by a foot and over my 5’ 8” frame… one bounce and over the boundary line.
Its clear self-preservation is the only thing on Norm’s.
Second ball and Reedy smelling blood.
It’s short again and slams straight into Norm’s gloves right in front of his nose, up in the air and into my gloves.
‘Hoowwsss that?” Robbie screams ……. And there’s a long lag, before the umpire says “Not Out’
“Not Out” screams Robbie “It came off his glove”
Albert the umpire says “not out, it came off his elbow”
Silence moves across the ground… and then Norm breaks the silence “nah nah Albert definitely of the glove mate… I’m outta here”
Well bowled Robbie

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3 years ago

Dennis Hourn

Sydney, Australia

38 Likes
2 Followers

It's 1975 and Tony Greig, Waverley's captain, conspires with the players from the opposing team, Randwick, to play a trick on a fieldsman in the gloom of a Rothman’s Knock Out limited over match at Waverley Oval.
Tony bowls, the Randwick batsman Billy Knowles hooks and Tony screams to the visually challenged fieldsman who is fielding in the dark at deep fine leg, “Hournie Catch it, Catch it”. Hournie of course runs around in circles looking for the ball but it can’t be seen. At least by Hournie.
After an agonising twenty or so seconds and a fruitless search for the ball Hournie looks up and sees Greigy sitting on the pitch laughing his head off holding the ball up in the air.
The crowd and opposing team are also laughing because Greigy had cooked up a
scheme to bowl a “dummy” and for the batsman to play a ‘dummy’ hook shot. Everyone was in on the act except Hournie.
Tony dined out on that at many Waverley functions for years after.

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3 years ago

Daniel Horsley

Property Developer

Middle Dural, Sydney, Australia

16 Likes
4 Followers

Western Suburbs First Grade in Sydney and we’re playing Manly at Manly Oval in the mid-90s, Wests captain Mike Swan was batting with Geoff Spotswood and we’re doing quite well but if you know Spotty, he’s a fierce competitor but struggles with running due to a long and glorious rugby league career.
Manly were down a player through injury and we offered a fielder to step in. I was sent on and positioned a fine leg. Swanny was on strike, he clips a ball to backward square. As they’ve set off for two runs, I’ve swept around to pick up and through not realising that Swanny was coming back for a third. Spotty was even more surprised and had already made camp at the non-striker’s end. I send the ball into the keeper with the usual enthusiasm, not checking to see if the guys were safely home.
As a result, the ball sailed nicely over the top of the bails for the Manly keeper to make an easy run out, with Mike halfway down the wicket…. I nearly ate his bat as he made his way past me to the pavilion. Still hasn’t forgiven me.

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3 years ago

CricConnect Stories

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

191 Likes
257 Followers

Can you remember how you first fell in love with cricket?

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