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last year
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
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43 Followers



Tommy Andrews was Petersham DCCs greatest cricketer.

While claims of this nature generally raise issues for debate, in the case of T J Andrews, there is no argument. He played his first game for Petersham in 1909 aged 19 and his last in 1944 aged 54. He retired in 1936 but made a comeback in 1941 at the request of the club. He was a powerful right hand batsman and leg break bowler who excelled as a close-to-the wicket fieldsman.

He was immediately inserted into the 1st Grade team when he played his first match for Petersham in 1909-10. He made a half-century among his 125 runs but it was his performance in the Wednesday “Half-Holiday” competition which indicted his undoubted ability. He batted 12 times for 468 runs with a top-score of 201*.

The following season, after making a duck batting no. 10, another duck batting at 6 and 21 after opening the innings, Tommy was in at no. 8 against Redfern at the SCG. With the score 6-155 chasing 313, Andrews got together with Ernie Newton and the pair put on a club record 138 for the seventh wicket to take the match with a final total of 402. Tommy made his first century for Petersham that day scoring 108 with 14 fours in 115 minutes. He made 297 runs for the season and took 19 wickets with his leg-spinners.

1912-13 brought with it the start of an outstanding first-class cricket career when he was selected to play for NSW. Nine seasons later after WWI he made his Test Match debut for Australia on the 1921 Ashes tour of England.

In 30 seasons with Petersham he scored 11,719 runs at 36.73 in 1st Grade (28 centuries). His aggregate remains the fifth highest in the history of Sydney 1st Grade. With his leg breaks, he took 503 wickets at 20.84 with 8-72 his best. He took eight wickets in an innings four times and five in an innings 30 times.

TJ Andrews #trustrespecthumilty

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last year
Scott Jacobson
Scott Jacobson
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Playing for Mosman v Manly at Manly Oval, it could have been a Poidevin Gray game. I was bowling my rolling offies to, I think I got this right, Steve Colby, big unit, really good player that opened or was top order batsman for Manly. If it wasn’t you Steve it’s a good story anyway.

As I could from time to time, I offered my opinion about Steve’s ability to hit the ball off the square. The next ball disappeared out of the Manly Oval bounced into the intersection at the Raglan Street end and rolled across the road into the tackle shop on the corner. Steve responded with “Is that f#%king far enough for ya” I think my response was “Yup”

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last year
Bradman Museum
Bradman Museum
Bowral, New South Wales, Australia
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0 Followers



On June 15th, 1948. Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’ arrived.

Standing: Neil Harvey, Sid Barnes, Ray Lindwall, Ron Saggers, Doug Ring, Bill Johnston, Ernie Toshack, Keith Miller, Don Tallon, Sam Loxton. Seated: Keith Johnson (Team Manager), Ron Hamence, Ian Johnson, Lindsay Hassett (Vice Captain), Don Bradman (Captain), Bill Brown, Arthur Morris, Colin McCool, Bill Ferguson (Scorer).

His fourth and final tour to England, Bradman led Australia to victory in the first Test over England at Trent Bridge. A commanding display in which the Don himself made 138, it heralded the arrival of a dominant Australian team; the Invincibles.

The Australians, determined to exhibit “bright and attractive” cricket to a war-weary England public, were a mixture of both experienced and precociously talented young players on this tour. From Bradman – the captain and greatest player of all time – to Neil Harvey, the youngest of the squad and one of the most exciting players in the world, the Australians had talent on every line.

Claiming victory in the Ashes 4-0, only persistent rain in the third Test enough to prevent a rampant Australian team from a whitewash result. Unperturbed, they continued in fine form after the Ashes; a further 27 first-class fixtures – through all of which they remained undefeated.

The result has never been bettered and the feat forever enshrined in the team's name 'Invincibles'.

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last year
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
40 Likes
43 Followers



John Benaud was Randwick’s first Test cricketer. Disappointingly his career was brief, spanning just three matches and robbing the cricketing public from one of the more dashing and entertaining batsmen of his time.

He ventured to Coogee Oval in the spring of 1969 as an established State player who became captain of the NSW Sheffield Shield team that season, Benaud’s presence in the Randwick 1st XI as captain and punishing batsman did wonders for the spirit and morale of the team. He instilled in the players a purpose for a more aggressive brand of cricket which was a feature of his leadership at the first-class level.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/258/randwick-petersham-cricket-club/blog/367/john-benaud-randwick-petersham-cricket-club-heroes-of-the-ages
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last year
Joe Maiorana
Joe Maiorana
Sydney, Australia
40 Likes
2 Followers



Among the few undisputed blessings of the Packer revolution was that it gave Bob Taylor the Test career he had almost given up hope of having. An uncomplaining understudy for almost a decade,

Taylor's only cap before Alan Knott joined World Series Cricket was in New Zealand in 1970-71.

Knott was fit and keen to play, but this was skipper Ray Illingworth's way of rewarding Taylor's loyalty and patience.
Taylor was known as "Chat" by team-mates grateful for his willingness to talk, and often listen at length, to people he had never seen before and would never see again in tour receptions.

He went on to play another 56 Tests, confirming that in wicketkeeping skills he lost nothing by comparison with Knott.

As a batsman he was hardly a contributor. But it said everything about his sportsmanship that, at Adelaide in 1978-79, he walked for a tiny leg-side tickle when he was three short of what would have been his only England hundred.

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last year
Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club
Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club
Melbourne, Australia
1 Likes
0 Followers



Sean Pietersz made his first grade debut for Prahran Cricket Club in 1996. He had 4 seasons with Prahran, 8 for Camberwell Magpies and played 2 games for Fitzroy Doncaster in 2011/2012.

For Prahran he took 56 wickets in 38 games from 1996 to 2000 at an average of 26.16 with best figures of 5 for 44.

In 126 games for Camberwell Magpies Sean took 237 wickets at 21.38 with best figures of 7 for 25.

In Sean 2 games for Fitzroy Doncaster he picked up one wicket at 56.

In Victoria Premier Cricket Career Sean played 166 games and took 294 wickets at 22.41. He took 5 or more wickets in an innings on 6 occasions and 10 or more in 3 games.

With the bat Sean’s highest score was 60 not out in his career total of 880 runs.

Sean also spent two seasons playing for South Launceston Cricket Club in Tasmania Premier Cricket for the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons. He took 56 wickets in 29 games at an average of 14.75 with best figures of 6 for 44.

In first grade premier cricket Sean took 350 first grade wickets in 195 games at an average of 21.19.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/453/camberwell-magpies-cricket-club/blog/2006/sean-pietersz-know-your-strengths
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last year
Peter Langston
Peter Langston
Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
36 Likes
4 Followers



Andrew McNeill's 201 First grade wickets place him among the greats of the grade and although fifth in aggregate (Cooke, Smith, Joice, MacKenzie), his strike rate/season of 29 is only topped among the quicks by only by Tom Cooke (34).

He was deadly.

Among the comments pasted on the Waratahs Facebook page calling out his birthday was this, from a then very young lad in short pants, upon whom Rattler made a deep impression.

"I still remember as a youngster one day at training watching him bowl from the long run to some poor victim, that I have never seen a bowler as fast as him. And that includes watching test matches etc. Frighteningly quick..." The fact Martin Hadfield went on to be an Paramedic gives the comment even greater gravitas!

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/194/peter-langston/blog/2001/andrew-mcneill-the-angry-man
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last year
Phil Melville
Phil Melville
TradesPerson
Gosford, Australia
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0 Followers



North West NSW Combined High Schools Cricket team 1985 - NSW CHS Carnival in Wagga Wagga

Back Row – Phil Gregson, Michael O’Neill, Scott Barclay, Dave Geyer, Derek Jenkins, Phillip Melville, Doug Trigg (Coach)

Front Row – Davin Hobday, John Rainger, Darren Taylor (Captain), Andrew Dart, Peter Annis Brown

Absent – Chet Simms

Future first class players Michael Slater, Neil Maxwell, Wayne Holdsworth and Jason Young all played in the carnival and it rained most of the week so the games were played on coir matting - frightening.

The teams from the carnival -
https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/279/phil-melville/blog/585/north-west-nsw-combined-high-schools-cricket-team-1985-nsw-chs-carnival-in-wagga-wagga
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last year
Bankstown District Cricket Club
Bankstown District Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
10 Likes
30 Followers



One of the most elegant Bulldogs to grace Memorial Oval was the very, very stylish Steve Smith. He debuted in John Bull’s Premiership winning third grade side at the tender age of 15. Bully attributes the greying of his hair to the frustrating attempts to get the youngster playing sensible cricket.

Steve would inevitably get a start but then throw his dig away after 20 or 30. He dreaded the clatter of the skipper and his spikes thundering down the grandstand at Punchbowl Oval after another dig was thrown away. Smith knew he was about to be the recipient of another blast from the frustrated skipper.

Steve Sydes and Mick Stephenson were part of the planning with Bull at the helm. In desperation Bull asked Stepho to have a word to the wayward youngster. Smith was told to pick up Stepho at Punchbowl station and the pair did indeed have a chat. It was stressed on the youngster that he was harming the team by not carrying on with the job. In most innings Mick said a couple of batsmen inevitably fail and it is up to those who get a start to build a big total.

That day Smith got 48

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/356/bankstown-district-cricket-club/blog/990/steve-barry-smith-a-history-of-bankstown-players
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last year
Brad Bannister
Brad Bannister
Teacher
Corrowong, NSW, Australia
32 Likes
3 Followers

Greg Geise was an incredible batter.

I played with him for a season in Newcastle and he scored back-to-back double hundreds and in a mid-week game for Northern NSW he scored a ton v India.

He scored 600 runs in ten days in three innings.

When he came back from playing India, we were sitting in the dressing room and I was picking his brain.

He said India opened the bowling with Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabakha.

Prabakha took the first over and got a wicket first ball of the match and Giesey was batting three. He said the following:

“He bowled me a massive outswinger first ball, so I just blocked it. Then second ball was a massive inswinger, so I blocked that. As he walked back to his mark I thought, that’s all this blokes got, so I ran at him and hit him back over his head”

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St George Cricket Club
St George Cricket Club
Sydney, Australia
53 Likes
54 Followers



Part 4 - The history of St George District Cricket Club 1951-52 to 1960-61

The St George District Cricket Club boasts a proud history which has now extended beyond a century.

When the club entered the first-grade competition in 1921-22, few could have predicted the success and prestige that would accompany it in the ensuing century. As the club celebrates its centenary of first grade across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons there is an opportunity to celebrate many of the outstanding performances and moments that have occurred.

With this in view, it was decided to compile a list of 100 moments in 100 years.

Here's Part 4

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/275/st-george-cricket-club/blog/1992/part-4-the-history-of-st-george-district-cricket-club-1951-52-to-1960-61
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last year
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan
Founder
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
503 Likes
513 Followers



Gavin Fitness a stalwart of Queensland Premier Cricket played 25 seasons of First Grade after making his debut as an 18-year-old in 1986.

Being a wicket keeper in Queensland in an era with the likes of Peter Anderson, Ian Healy, Peter Drinnen and Wade Seccombe was tough but Gavin was resolute in his desire.

He played 3 Sheffield Shield games for Queensland and was desperately unlucky not to be keeping in the final when Queensland won their first ever Shield in 1994/95 after Wade Seccombe return from injury.

Gavin is a premiership winning player and highly regarded by his peers.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/32/paul-ryan/blog/1991/gavin-fitness-always-be-ready
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last year
Manly Warringah District Cricket Club
Manly Warringah District Cricket Club
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
33 Likes
22 Followers



Waratahs in History – Matt Cranney

This fortnight Howzat Building Waratahs in History Q & A is with Matt Cranney. Matt (“Son of Errol”/Loose) played 19 seasons for the Tahs from 1992/1993 to 2011/2012. A local junior who started his career at the club when he was only 14. In the clubs 146-year history Matt sits in the top 20 of the highest run scorers for the club with over 6000 runs. He is also a top bloke!

How did your love of cricket come about as a child?
Simple, my Dad Errol. We were always a cricketing family. My two older brothers and I would play backyard cricket all year round. We had a great backyard for cricket and would have friends over for backyard competitions. Future club legends like David Gainsford, Geoff Tucker and Dave Gardiner who were my eldest brothers age would terrorise me with a half-taped tennis ball, but this put me in good stead for when I came down to grade as a 14-yo and would face them in the old Grahams reserve nets.

https://manlycricket.com/waratahs-in-history-matt-cranney
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