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last year



Batting first in front of a large crowd at Redfern Oval, this performance may best be summed up by the report which appeared in The Sunday Times newspaper on 1 February 1903. It read: “At Redfern, Victor Trumper provided 7,000 people with a display which even his greatest admirers were not prepared. In 2 ¾ hours, he compiled 335 runs off his own bat, his cricket and rate of scoring outclassing anything ever before seen on a ground noted for fast rungetting. Prior to Trumper, Redfern bowlers had been performing in fine style, but he simply annihilated them yesterday. He hit 22 fives and 39 fours, which made 266 runs by boundary hits. He sent the ball out of the ground and over the heads of the people in all directions, into the streets, the park, and the bowling green. Such hitting was never before seen here, and probably in the world. Trumper’s 335 is the record score for Senior cricket in Sydney and the first wicket partnership of 423 by him and D. Gee, who made 172, is also a record here. It may be mentioned that E. Hume, Redfern’s crack bowler, bowled ten overs from which 120 runs were hit.”

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last year



The touring World XI cricket team prior to the Sydney Test match of the Rest of the World XI tour of Australia, 8 January 1972.
The match ended in a draw and the Rest of the World XI won the five-match series 2-1.
Standing (from left) Bob Cunis (NZ), Zaheer Abbas (Pakistan), Sunil Gavaskar (India), Farokh Engineer (India), Bob Taylor (England), Bishan Bedi (India), Norman Gifford (England)
Centre row - Clive Lloyd (West Indies), Richard Hutton (England), Tony Greig (South Africa), Peter Pollock (South Africa), Asif Masood (Pakistan), Hylton Ackerman (South Africa).
Sitting - Rohan Kanhai (West Indies), Garry Sobers (West Indies - Captain), Bill Jacobs (Manager), Intikhab Alam (Pakistan - Vice Captain), Graeme Pollock (South Africa).

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last year



Darren Thomson made his debut for the Newcastle and Hunter Veterans’ cricket team at the NSW Over 50s Championships on the Central Coast in February 2021 and made an immediate impact with his high action and economical bowling.

Playing for Hunter against Newcastle in the final of the Northern NSW Stirling and Dawn Hamman Cup, Thomson in a man of the match performance took 4 for 15 off 8 over to secure victory for his team.

In March 2023 Darren was selected in the NSW Over 50s Blues cricket team and is the very proud owner of NSW Over 50s Blues Cap Number 52.

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last year



Ross Turner made his first grade debut for Northern District Cricket Club on 20 November 1976 against Sutherland DCC at Caringbah Oval to become NDs first grade player 259.

In a first grade career spanning 1976 to 1993 Ross scored 5,302 runs at an average of 29.45 including 3 centuries and 29 half centuries.

Ross was the captain of Northern District for many years and regarded as one of the most astute and inspiring leaders not only by his team and club but across the Sydney Grade Cricket.competition.

Ross has made an incredible contribution to the game. He's a multiple premiership winning captain but since retiring as a player Ross coaching and administration contribution around the world has and continues to be tremendously influential.

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last year



Tom Shiner, right arm leg spinner. A character, competitor, irreverent, a magician and the Charlie Chaplin of Sydney Grade Cricket of the 1980s and 90s.

I had the good fortune to play against Tommy and enjoyed the battle immensely. I had the greater fortune of playing with Tommy at Western Suburbs in 1992/93 and 1993/94.

Keeping to Tom was fun. He could bowl all the balls the very best leg spinners speak of. He’s accuracy, pace, spin and zip off the wicket, fooled many and often.

Many speak of Tom talent and performances and how unlucky he was not to play for NSW. Cricket can or does have a funny way of bracketing or typecasting players. Could he have trained harder and worked on his batting and fielding more? Of course he could’ve, but give him the ball and ask him “can we win”….. “just give me the f&^%ing ball, “ and he’d waddle in and deliver.

It would seem Tommy got better with age and as he hit 30, maybe cricket was not a high priority but I would have loved to seen him given the opportunity to play under captains like Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor or Dirk Wellham in first class cricket.

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last year



Graeme Hughes made his Grade debut at 15 in Petersham-Marrickville’s 1971-72. His arrival brought immediate success, winning the A W Green Shield.

Hughes’ playing influence in the win, however, was with the ball rather than the bat. He opened the bowling and produced some devastating spells in finishing with 27 wickets at the amazing average of just 9.7. He knocked Randwick over for 52 with 7-22, while in the GF, he took 5-42 to have North Sydney out for 109, giving his team a win by a massive 10 wickets. He was later named captain of the Combined Green Shield team to play Country.

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last year



Moving forward a few years onto the 2018 April long weekend.

There was a massive buzz about the season the Parramatta club had so far. Their AW Green Shield side won the competition for the first time in ten years and the 1st Grade side made the One Day Competition final, defeated by Sydney University. The 1st Grade side featured many players that featured in that Green Shield win 10 years ago. But for the season finale, the Two Blues had a chance to break a 53-year hoodoo after making the 1st Grade Belvidere Cup final against, funnily enough, a very strong Sydney University side.

Day 1 of the final was on Good Friday. I spent most of the day at home doing chores whilst having the Cricket NSW live stream playing so I could keep updated, knowing I was heading down to Bankstown Oval on Saturday to watch.

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last year



When asked about his most memorable moments in grade cricket Kersh responds simply, “it’s the friendships and still being in touch with mates I’ve met throughout 30 plus years of playing in Sydney. “

Anthony Kershler played his first-grade game in 1984 as a 15-year-old in Balmain’s 4th-grade team against Penrith at Rance Oval, Werrington near Penrith. He was the left arm off-spinner and his wicketkeeper on the day was a young Mark Atkinson. “Atko” went on to forge a tremendous first-class career in Australia playing 94 Sheffield Shield games for Tasmania.

“Kersh” as he was affectionately known played 421 first grade games in Sydney Grade (NSW Premier) Cricket and retired at the age of 46 in December 2015.

He took 742 wickets at an average of 25.06. He bowled 6485 overs, 1547 maidens and took 18, 5 wicket hauls. His best was 7 for 22.

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last year



My best grade team - Jaimie Williams 1986 to 2000

Looking back I was fortunate enough to play with and against many fine cricketers with my time at Parramatta and Campbelltown.

I made my first grade debut for Campbelltown in 1986 and played a season for Parramatta before going to the Cricket Academy and playing in Adelaide for the 1988/89 season.

I returned to play for Parramatta until 1996 before finishing up my grade career at Campbelltown in 1999. I also have a very enjoyable season playing Shires with Strathfield in 2000.

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Gary Bensley - be competitive, stay humble

Gary Bensley travelled down from Inverell in Northern NSW to play cricket for Randwick Cricket Club during the 1976/77 season and over the next 17 seasons became one of the most dominant all-rounders in the history of Sydney Grade Cricket.

In Gary’s grade cricket career he played for two clubs, Randwick and Mosman and then played Shires cricket for Epping.

Gary took 539 first grade wickets at an impressive average of 20.19 with best figures of 7 for 10 and took a 5 wickets or more in an innings on an equally impressive 30 occasions.

A hard hitting left hand batsman Gary scored 6,603 runs at an average of 33.01 and scored 9 centuries and 24 half centuries.

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last year



Steve Liggins was a tall fast bowler who played Sydney Grade Cricket for Gordon District Cricket Club and Northern District Cricket Club.

Steve made his first grade debut at Northern District in 1983/84 before moving down the Pacific Highway to Gordon and being a valuable team member of Gordon’s 1990-91 first grade premiership winning team.

Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?

I think perhaps Ross Turner at Northern District. He was great at tactics, great at handling his bowlers and great at managing players. I suspect most people who played with Ross would probably say the same.

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last year



Joe Dawes - don’t spend your life looking over your shoulder as you will never move forward

There is a lot of debate these days about the merit of selecting players more on their junior pedigree rather than on weight of performance. No one could ever accuse Joe Dawes of getting an armchair ride. He didn’t even play grade cricket until he was 21 and he forced his way into a very strong Queensland fast bowling attack by taking a mountain of grade wickets. In all he took 257 first grade wickets for Valleys at an average of 15.

I first encountered Joe when he was toiling away for Sandgate/Redcliffe on a flat wicket at Deagon – he must have been about 22 and I would describe him as a very accurate, very medium, medium pacer. Within 3 years he transformed himself into a world class fast bowler through sheer will and hard work.

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It’s probably a little-known fact, outside the ACT, that West Indian great Gordon Greenidge, who was still playing Tests at the time, played First Grade cricket in Canberra.

It was the 89-90 season and my old club Northern Suburbs had just amalgamated with City-Daramalan to form Canberra North-Daramalan. The amalgamation came about as some of the older inner-city club’s Junior resources had started to fall.

This combining of clubs also put at risk the deal City-Daramalan had put together, through several major sponsors, to secure Greenidge’s services for playing and coaching young cricketers.

The Canberra Times reported at the time “The deal is believed to involve about $30,000 plus car for October to February, when Greenidge has to return to the West Indies to qualify for the 1990 tour of England”. This obviously was a significant amount for the time.

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last year



My best grade team - Andrew Kelleher 1982 to 1993

I played Grade Cricket for North Sydney and Balmain (now Sydney CC) between 1982 and 1993, then I moved to Lane Cove Shires. My First Grade debut was in 1985 and I played with great players far more talented than me. When I got asked to name my best Grade team I thought of many great players, but I have tried to pick the ones that were great teammates and I have factored in fielding as a factor cause I remember many a victory where fielding made the difference. So here we go….

1. Vernon Kringas – North Sydney

Vince was the ultimate competitor who scored runs when it was difficult. He was the opposite of a fair weather cricketer and hands down the best fielder I ever played with.

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