First Grade Players playing Sydney Shires Cricket
Andrew Gokel | May 16, 2024
As a frequently battling and struggling Shires cricketer I thought it might be interesting to reflect on the former First Grade cricketers who came down to play Shires cricket. Apologies for any inaccurate recollections or wrong names.
I started playing Shires in 1980 as a 17-year-old and was made aware of several opponents who had First Grade experience playing in, what was then called Sydney Grade Cricket. They seemed to be older players who had slipped down a level as there was a much smaller time and training commitment playing Shires or were playing with friends and maybe former team mates. I don’t think there was much financial inducement in those days.
I remembered a few names from my younger days of avidly reading the First Grade scores in the paper on Sunday and spending most Saturday afternoons, before being an afternoon cricketer myself, at Old Kings watching Cumberland 1’s or 2’s. I recall lots of Cumberland players from my time peering over Wes Gould’s scorebook: Bill Lothian, Mick Haire, the Aitken brothers, the Monaghan brothers, Bruce Neill, Ian Gilliver, Geoff Williams, John Affleck, Mark Sargeant, Greg McCullough, David Molesworth to name a few of the players I recall watching regularly. Of course Doug Walters was mine and everybody else’s hero and it was always great to catch him in his grade appearances.
The day Anderson Montgomery Everton Roberts came to Old Kings stands in my memory. A big crowd was there (I even think they were trying to charge admission) and Doug scored a quickfire 30 odd before getting out caught at a squarish mid-wicket after pulling a Roberts bouncer…. Probably his slower one.
In the early to mid 80s Epping had a few ex-first graders: Gavin Ridley, Jack Iredale, Brian Crawford were 3 that I remember. We played a couple of closely fought Finals against them, taking one each (albeit ours being because of an unfortunate washout, though I’m sure we would have had chased 280 odd in a canter). Geoff Kirkwood played for Canterbury, Tom and Mick Wood were at Auburn and no doubt there were others sprinkled about the place.
At Wenthworthville- Blacktown District Club (now Northwest Hurricanes via a merger with Baulkham Hills), as we were grandly called, we had a bloke called Tom Garland who played at Cumberland in the 60s. He could still bat and had a habit of yelling out “well bowled” before the ball got to him and then smacking it for 4. We also had a guest appearance from Len Richardson who lived locally and knew Tom Garland. He played one game only on the old Westmead Hospital ground and hit 140 odd not out if I recall.
Some of the other players of interest were John Pym who played for Lane Cove. He was opening the batting against our youngish quick who had played some seconds at Cumberland. It was a bit tough in the dark on a wet wicket and our fast bowler delivered a very original sledge about being a has-been. John replied through his mouthguard “better to be a has-been than a never-was. Get back and bowl”. I recall his name featuring prominently in a story told by Jeff Thomson about a day out he had against Mosman one afternoon.
Graeme Beard was playing for Roseville and Peter Toohey (pictured) came to Lindfield. I believe he lived locally and just came down for a game one day and was not getting any remuneration. To play against a couple of test players was a thrill for me as I’m sure it was for other young players. Peter Toohey especially, as he had taken over from Doug as my favourite player. I recall our first game against him at Lindfield. Second ball edge to the finer of 2 gullies. Unfortunately, the sitter was spilt and 109 runs later he gave us another chance. Peter was a punishing batsman who scored regularly against us and an absolute gentleman on and off the field and I know his time at Lindfield is fondly remembered by all there.
It was about this time that things got a bit out of hand as every club started offering inducements to First Grade players to get them to come and play Shires. Players, often near the end of their careers, who didn’t want to train twice a week and spend all day Saturday and a lot of Sundays at cricket were tempted.
It became a bit of an arms race as one club, in particular, seem to have plenty of cash. Interestingly they were located not too far from the NRL club who has that salary Sombrero to work under.
Some of the players I recall in the late 80’s- early to 2000s included Gary Bensley, Robin Younan, Brett Patman, Robert and /or Steve Luc, Randall Green, Michael Chee Quee, Grant Parmenter, Kyle Thompson, Craig Haworth, Jamie Williams, Mark Atkinson, Wayne Seabrook, Michael Kelloway, Paul Sullivan, Ian Paton, Scott Phillipson, Murray Rayner, Greg Monaghan to name just a few playing for the different clubs.
At our club, which had become Holroyd District Cricket Club by the early 90s, we joined in with our first player/ coach Garry Baldwin, formerly of Fairfield and I believe Bankstown. He was a gifted batsman who scored 3 double hundreds for the club in his short time with us and could bowl pretty quick and turn his leggies. He was also an interesting character who has given us many things to reminisce about when we get together these days.
One is his very first game for the club against Auburn when we went to tea on 3 for 140 odd. As we walked off together, he told me he was going to declare because “if this is what they bowl-like, they can’t bat either”. I thought they had bowled pretty well and that I had done well to get to tea. We were all taken a bit by surprise and when they passed us (8 or 9 down though I think) we were quite pissed off. We batted again and he declared on our gun bat, Glen Curtis, when he was 92. Glen took this surprisingly well too if I recall as Garry had been quite clear about when he was going to pull the pin. We won outright when Garry took a wicket in the last over and I think he got 5 for bowling leggies at the end.
Another one I recall was an ordinary first session at Bexley. As we came off the field at tea he ordered us all into the dressing room and told us to keep away from the tea room. Our fiery fast bowler chose to ignore that directive and came in 5 minutes later stuffing his face with cupcakes and sandwiches. He copped a mouthful and then another one about something that had happened on the field.
As we returned to the field we notice we were one down. Said opening bowler had scarpered and we found him 3 hours later when we returned home to Monty Bennett to find him onto his 3rd or 4th beer with seconds. If I recall he was able to spend some more time with them in the next couple of weeks.
We then had a number come along in the next 10-15 years: Steve Moss, Hamish Jamieson, Garry Sheen, Nathan Rennie, Alan Butterworth, Jason Edwards, Damian Duroux, Cameron Watson are a few that come to mind. They all brought different skills to the club and made valuable contributions.
My involvement since 2005 has been limited to a bit of Masters Cricket and 5th grade/metro cup so I haven’t been as familiar with what is happening in the top grade these days, though I’m sure there are still many ex-first graders running around in the top Shires grade for much the same reasons as in the past and have the same influence.
There is no doubt in my mind that this influx of players was good for the competition as standards were lifted and players challenged. For some (like me) it was like being a 10-12 marker playing with a scratch marker whilst many, many other Shires cricketers were able to hold their own with these players and be more than competitive.
Of course there were always questions about value for money in times where balls and ground up-keep became more financially difficult and the question of chasing the 4th grader for his fees which were effectively going into the pocket of a first grader was always a vexed one and can still be debated. As discussed earlier there was the issue of a well off clubs dominating and if I recall a salary cap was implemented.
Not sure what the situation is now, but hopefully players are proving positive assets for their clubs and we don’t have the haves and the have nots in terms of player strength across the clubs.
