Bill Moffatt
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | April 08, 2025
Bill Moffatt played 10 seasons with Petersham-Marrickville, displaying a talent which made him one of the club’s greatest all-rounders, scoring over 4,000 runs and taking almost 250 wickets with the majority in 1st Grade. And fittingly, in his best season in 1974-75, he was a leading light in the club taking out the treasured Belvidere Cup 1st Grade competition.
William Charles Moffatt was born at Marrickville on 14 November 1944. Educated at Tempe Junior Technical High, the 19-year-old joined Petersham-Marrickville in 1964-65. He only played eight matches across 2nd and 3rd grades making a total of 243 runs and taking 18 wickets. His best effort was 78 in the final match of the season in 3rd Grade against Waverley. Selectors were impressed however, and the following season he played 2nd Grade, although his predominant role was as a bowler. He took 22 wickets with 6-66 against Waverley in round 8 his best. In an unexpected move, after just two games he was drafted into 1st Grade playing Manly at Manly Oval, filling in for Kevin Cantwell. Bill opened the bowling with Ross Croker, taking the first wicket and finishing with 1-41. He batted 10 making 21*.
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Bill didn’t play another 1st Grade match that season but the following summer, he forced his way into the side after some excellent batting performances in 2s. In just 11 matches, he scored 536 runs including a game-saving 135 against St George at SCG2. Chasing 431, Petes finished with 8-376 for an honourable draw. He also had scores of 89, 63* and 52. Promoted to 1sts for six matches, he completed the season in scintillating fashion making 91 against Cumberland at Marrickville Oval. Moffatt finished the season with a tally of 715 runs across the two grades, while his bowling took a bit of a back seat, returning just 12 wickets.
In 1967-68 he did little to cement a regular spot in the top grade with the result he spent the following summer in 2nd Grade. It was a defining season for the all-rounder, as he posted a new record for the most runs in that grade. In 14 matches, he accumulated 642 runs with a century and four half-centuries. He scored 127 out of a total of 7-353 against Balmain while he hit 80* playing University. In a re-drawn match also against Uni. at season’s end, he scored 54 then took 5-33 to dispose of them for 82. The previous “most runs” 2nd Grade record was held by John Walker with 590 in 1958-59.
With the season he had and the maturity in his game, it could have been expected the 24-year-old would have had a walk-up start for the following season’s 1st XI. However, that was not the case as Bill didn’t play Grade Cricket that season taking a greenkeeper job in Newcastle, where he played for Stockton. A summer down the track however, he was back. And in a big way. Playing the full season in 1st Grade, he established himself as one of the leading all-rounders in the competition scoring 560 runs and taking 29 wickets at the imposing average of just 15.9 runs per wicket. He also took another three in the separate Limited Overs competition.
While he didn’t rattle up a century, he scored four half-centuries with 72 against Mosman at Mosman Oval his best. He also knocked up 73* in the loss to Balmain in the Limited Overs Quarter Final. But his bowling was sensational. Sending down his left-arm mediums, he completely bamboozled the North Sydney bats on their ground to take a career-best 8-30 off 15 overs, having them out for 84. He then top-scored with 60 in the second innings. Amazingly, while his team led on the first innings, they lost outright.
Over the following three seasons Moffatt remained one of the leading players in the Petersham-Marrickville 1st Grade team. He was equally dominant with both bat and ball. He came close to that elusive century in successive seasons. In the opening match of 1971-72 he hit nine fours and a six in his innings of 90 against NDs at Somerville Oval, Epping. In round 10 the following 1972-73 season, Bill opened the batting with Martin Bedkober against St George at Hurstville. The pair hammered the attack which included NSW opening bowler John Martin, making 158 in 170 minutes. Bedkober made 84 while Bill got within nine runs of three figures, being caught off Brian Booth for 91 with 10 fours in 206 minutes. That same season he belted second-top score of 57 in a total of 5-321 to run down a brilliant Cumberland score-line of 0-319 declared, after the great Doug Walters had smashed 190.
During the same period, Moffatt had some outstanding performances with the ball. One of his best was against Mosman in 1971-72 when he took 6-46 to have them out for 100 chasing only 125. Earlier that season, his 5-72 playing Sutherland also led to a good win. And Sutherland was on the end of another five-wicket haul by Bill the following season, when he took 5-59. North Sydney didn’t get away scot free either, with an inspired spell by the left-armer to have them out for 140 with a 5-50 performance.
Like the good wine, Bill saved some of his best efforts for his last season—1974-75 when the side took out the 1st Grade premiership. Moffatt headed the batting average with 337 runs at 56.2 while taking 36 wickets at just 16.9 to be second only to David Chardon. He was simply superb against Wests at Pratten Park, taking 7-25 while his 52* against St George at Petersham in a high-scoring semi-final, ensured a place for his team in the Grand Final against Manly which was won handsomely.
After the premiership win, Bill took up a Captain-Coach position with Dapto Cricket Club and retired from Sydney Grade Cricket. He did so with an imposing record. In a Grade career spanning eight seasons, he tallied 4,258 runs and 244 wickets of which 1st Grade accounted for 2,627 and 178 respectively. With his PG figures, his totals extend to 4,404 runs and 248 wickets. He also held 77 catches to complete a brilliant record confirming himself as one of the Petersham-Marrickville great all-rounders.
Lyall Gardner
Randwick Petersham Historian
