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last year
Stockton and Northern Districts Cricket Club
Stockton and Northern Districts Cricket Club
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
7 Likes
1 Followers



For over 50 years Stockton & Northern Districts Cricket club have welcomed a host of talent from coalfields of the Hunter Valley, and the history of cricketing coalminers at the seaside club might surprise you.

Over the years Stockton & Northern Districts Cricket Club has had a remarkable and famously close relationship with the Coalfields area of the Hunter Valley and that longstanding bond continues to thrive today.

Formed in 1888, the seaside club based at the iconic Lynn Oval in Stockton has been a home away from home for many a cricketer looking to forge a path and test their skill in the Newcastle Cricket competition.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/477/stockton-and-northern-districts-cricket-club/blog/424/from-the-coalfields-to-the-sea
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last year
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
40 Likes
43 Followers



Neville Ray James Beath was born at Gooloogong in country NSW on 12 November 1921. No-one seems to know where the name “Bill” came from, but anyone who knew him says he was never known by anything else. And like many country lads, he went to school in Sydney, completing his education at St Joseph’s College before joining the Petersham club in 1941-42 where his reputation preceded him, playing his first match in 1st Grade. He took 1-20 against University on debut, a match where Sid Barnes made 165. The following round against Manly at Manly Oval he headed the bowling with 4-45, while top-scoring in the second innings, belting 54 when quick runs were required.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/258/randwick-petersham-cricket-club/blog/2210/bill-beath-1921-87
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last year
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
40 Likes
43 Followers



Alan Turner was Randwick’s first home-grown Australian Test cricketer. Although Randwick had been around since 1900, it wasn’t until 1975 when Alan made his Test debut against England at Edgbaston, a couple of weeks before his 25th birthday that a local cricketer made the big-time. That was the first of 14 Tests Alan was to play for a return of 768 runs at an average of 29.53 including a top score of 136.

Alan Turner was born at Camperdown on 23 July 1950. Having played A W Green Shield for Waverley, it was fortuitous for Randwick that Alan’s parents moved house to Little Bay where the Randwick Boys High pupil gravitated to the local cricketing ranks. His first season in 1966-67 was spent in 3rd Grade where the left-hand opener topped the batting with 470 runs including 116 against Manly in just his fourth game. His effort helped the side make the Grand Final that season. Soon after he toured South Africa with the Australian Schoolboys.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/258/randwick-petersham-cricket-club/blog/142/alan-turner
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last year
Dennis Hourn
Dennis Hourn
Sydney, Australia
38 Likes
2 Followers



The enigmatic Brian Riley was a colourful character of Sydney Grade Cricket in the late 60s, 70s and 80s.

Tom Brooks was a Cricket umpire who stood in 23 Test matches and had previously played 16 first-class games as a fast bowler for New South Wales..

Together they didn’t get along. Riles feud with Tom Brookes started around 1969 and continued throughout much of Riles's grade career and here's how it happened:

In a Poidevin Gray game played at Waverley Oval circa 1969, Petersham was batting and Riles was at the crease facing seamer and great medium pacer Dave Gibson. It was an overcast day, Tom Brookes, test umpire was officiating and Gibbo was steaming in from the scoreboard end of the ground.

Gibbo sends down a shortish ball to Riles, Riles tries to play a forcing shot off the back foot, Gibbo makes a half-hearted appeal, not supported by anyone else on the ground, and Tom Brookes raises the finger and gives Riles out.

Riles immediately says to Tom in his inimitable style – “Tom you are f#@**$! kidding!!”.

Instead of then walking off to the pavilion via point he proceeds slowly down the middle of the pitch towards Tom Brookes. Everyone on the field is waiting with bated breath; is he going to hit Tom, swing a bat at him or what. Riles's reputation has preceded him.

None of that – when Riles gets within reach of Tom, Riles takes of his rim glasses and places them on Tom Brookes head with the comment. “Take these Tom, you f#@**$! need them more than me”.

With that Riles storms of the pitch swearing and cursing all the way to the grandstand. Vintage Brian Riley but he was only 20 at the time and a lot more umpires were to incur the wrath of Brian Riley over the ensuing years.

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last year
Dean Tuckwell
Dean Tuckwell
Travel Agent
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
70 Likes
20 Followers



Geoff Foley was a popular and valued member of Queensland’s First Class & limited overs teams of the 1990s and played in 2 winning Sheffield Shield finals in 1996/97 & 1999/2000.

He burst on to the scene as an opener in 1990 scoring 155 against a Pakistan attack including Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir & Aaqib Javid and dismissed Imran in Pakistan’s second innings,

In an interview with the BBC in 2018 when asked if anything wakes him in the middle of the night, the Pakistan President replied the possibility of nuclear warfare with India and Geoff Foley.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/69/dean-tuckwell/blog/907/geoff-foley-enjoy-the-journey-and-make-the-most-of-your-opportunities
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last year
Dean Tuckwell
Dean Tuckwell
Travel Agent
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
70 Likes
20 Followers



Lachlan Stevens was a gritty opening batsman and useful left-arm orthodox bowler who played for South Australia & Queensland.

In 2005-06 he scored his maiden first class century against Western Australia and contributed 66 in Queensland’s victory in the Pura Cup final.

A keen student and lover of the game, since retiring from playing, Lachlan has forged a successful coaching career, as coordinator of high performance at The Cricket Academy in Brisbane and later guiding Western Australia to the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa.

He has also coached in Tasmania & is currently assistant coach of the Victorian Sheffield Shield side and coach of the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/69/dean-tuckwell/blog/651/lachlan-stevens-ndash-student-and-teacher
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last year
St George Cricket Club
St George Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
53 Likes
54 Followers



In the last half of the 1950s and into the 60s, Norm O’Neill was up there with Australia’s top sports superstars. He was the most charismatic cricketer of his day and the game’s biggest crowd-puller.

With the sporting public in awe of the all-conquering St George rugby league team’s pace, power and skills, Normie was showing the same characteristics for the St George cricket team. Just as Reg Gasnier had added glamour and class to the St George football team to lift it to a new level, so Norm added those qualities to St George, NSW and Australian cricket.

Billy Watson, Brian Booth and Warren Saunders were all in contention for test spots, but it was Normie who captured the imagination of the sports and general media

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/275/st-george-cricket-club/blog/951/norm-oneill-cricket-colossus
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last year
Howzattt Cricket
Howzattt Cricket
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
3 Likes
2 Followers



Howzattt presents – Profile of Champions - Lundi Mbane

“Every day may not be good but there is good in every day.”

Name – Lundi Mbane
Age – 40
City / town – East London
Province – Border
Employment – Border U/16 Head coach
School – Eric Mtonga High School
Cricket teams played for – Border Academy, Border Bears A and B teams, Warriors, Sa Invitation and Border Vets
Cricket career highlights – Took 5 for 20 for Border vs Dolphins. Took 7 for 15 for Border vs WP. Scored 88 not out for Border vs Titans.
Brief description of your cricket skills - All-rounder: Prefer to bowl first change and can bat anywhere. Explosive batter and able to clear the ropes. Athletic in the field.
Other sports played – Soccer and boxing
Interests / hobbies – Playing video games and watching movies.
Your sporting hero – Freddie Flintoff
Favourite quote – “Every day may not be good but there is good in every day.”

Your thoughts on Vets Cricket – After retiring from cricket, I thought that was it for me. All I could do now was help the young starts even though I thought I could outplay them. Thanks to Vets crickets I can now play for my province and represent my country. I’m really enjoying the chance to play again.

Link to get your downloadable digital E-Book for only R75 incl VAT. Paperback version only R125 incl VAT -
https://howzatttcricket.com/e-book-howzattt-cricket/?wpam_id=14
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last year
Anthony Caruso
Anthony Caruso
Business Development Manager
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
6 Likes
0 Followers



We have seen some truly incredible moments in the competitions as well. From Jay Lenton earning the Moniker of the Prince of Manly Manly to watching Brett Lee dismantle the Gordon Top Order at Chatwood Oval, even the heroics of Northern District scraping through this year in an intense Super Over against Western Suburbs. The fierce nature of the competition means that the players are better equipped when they take the step up into the Big Bash League, none-more-so than Grand Final Day, when it was held at the SCG. But one match stood out in terms of sheer star-power and excitement and it all took place at a typically picturesque day at Drummoyne Oval on 10 December 2018.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/1045/anthony-caruso/blog/2208/when-sutherland-chased-down-sydney-kingsgrove-t20
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last year
Peter Langston
Peter Langston
Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
36 Likes
4 Followers



Knocking over a back catalogue of my uncle's books, gifted to me after his death, is an exercise in time traveling. Each one is like keeping a connection with the man, who along with my father, shaped me from a child, to a boy, to my own manhood.
This one, written by Greg Chappell following the controversial 1980-81 season, covers the ground he would cover again, with greater honesty, twenty years later. On this pass, he admits regret at the underarm bowling incident but defends it as being within the rules and the result of great pressure he was under, largely from an overcrowded summer and the burgeoning role of the national captain, post Packer. He is unrepentant on the Martin Snedden non-catch but only provided descriptions of the Sunil Gavaskar walk-off.
Of course, two decades later, he revealed that he was suffering heavily from depression when these events took place.
As a time capsule observance of the changing role of the Australian Captain, this book is placed right at the crossroads where the role changed. For that reason alone its interesting.
Elsewhere he muses on the calls for a third TV umpire but his conclusions that it wouldn't work are based on technologies he could not have dreamed off. The personal computer from Apple had only been in the market for four years. His calls for commentators to have less influence on the game are interesting in the light of that becoming a recurrent theme among Australian captains since.
Its a very simple read, as this was one of many Austin Robertson produced books that were pumped into the cricket market post Packer. Others included the Chappelli series, a few by Doug Walters and of course those great adjuncts to literature, the Max Walker books on the topic of hypnotising chooks.
Not great literature but its placement in time makes it interesting.

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