Anthony Sams - wicketkeeper, batter, clubman extraordinaire
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | July 31, 2026
Anthony Sams is the greatest wicketkeeper / batter to have played Sydney 1st Grade Cricket, let alone the greatest to have played with Randwick Petersham Cricket. He retired as an active player after the 2025-26 Twenty20 Grand Final with a career record of 558 wicketkeeper dismissals and 9,361 runs, of which 548 and 8,752 respectively, were achieved with Randwick Petersham. No other player has completed more wicketkeeping dismissals since the Sydney 1st Grade competition commenced in 1893-94–132 years ago.
Anthony John Sams was born at Bankstown Hospital on 20 September 1988. The third of four boys born to Errol and Suzanne Sams, he grew up in the family home at Milperra. His schooling commenced at St Luke’s Revesby, progressing to De La Salle, Revesby for years 7-10, while completing his education at St Mary’s Cathedral College, Sydney.
In 2003-04 at age 15, Anthony made his Grade Cricket debut with Bankstown, playing as a wicketkeeper/batter in five 5th Grade matches. By 2006-07 he was a 2nd Grade regular and made his 1st Grade debut at the end of that season. Two seasons passed before he again played 1sts, scoring his first century with a dashing 103 opening the batting in a limited overs match against North Sydney. His wicketkeeping opportunities, however, were limited to a handful of matches in which he completed just 10 dismissals.
With Anthony keen to keep wickets in 1st Grade and Randwick Petersham wicketkeeper Ashley Doolan moving to Tasmania, he joined the club in 2010-11. It was one of the most mutual benefiting signings imaginable with the 22-year-old displaying his class in his first season, recording 43 dismissals while scoring 326 runs in a team which made the 1st Grade Grand Final. Thereafter, he went from strength to strength and as they say in all the good books, the rest is history–literally.
In 2024-25, Anthony created Sydney 1st Grade history when he set a new wicketkeeping record, passing the 542 dismissals completed by St George’s Ernie Laidler in 1957-58. His final tally of 558 is made up of 497 catches and 61 stumpings. Ernie Laidlaw’s record was remarkedly different with 295 catches and a massive 247 stumpings. And while it is doubtful if anyone will pass Ernie’s stumpings total, Anthony has taken more catches than any other wicketkeeper, snaring 497.
Apart from his outstanding wicketkeeping talent, Anthony Sams was a brilliant batter. His 9,361 career runs were scored across 369 1st Grade matches at an average of 28.37 with 14 centuries and 46 half-centuries. Of those figures, he played 332 matches with Randwick Petersham, scoring 8,752 at 30.60 with 13 centuries and 43 half-centuries. His aggregate is a record for the club in 1st Grade as well as across all grades. His highest score was 152* made against Fairfield-Liverpool at Coogee in a limited overs match in 2016-17, a season in which he scored 1,062 runs.
The outstanding performance by Anthony Sams to break a wicketkeeping record which had stood for 67 years was recognised by Cricket NSW, when a presentation was made to him by the Chairman of the Sydney Cricket Association, Graham Gorrie, at the NSW Premier Cricket Awards night in 2025. Two months later at the SCA Annual General Meeting, Chairman Gorrie made a further presentation, that time to crown him the 39th Life Member of the Association. He was the fourth member of the club to receive such honour, the others being Trevor Jay, Greg Hartshorne and Adam Semple.
In his 16 seasons with Randwick Petersham, Anthony Sams has been the ultimate clubman. He has been instrumental in the team taking out the 1st Grade Belvidere Cup competition; the Limited Overs competition three times; the Twenty20 competition five times and the Club Championship. He captained the team for two seasons between 2017-2019, held the post of Club Captain; conducted many pre-season fitness programs; participated in junior coaching as well as being a valued mentor to many developing cricketers. He won the club’s Player of the Season award twice and the annual wicketkeeping award 11 times. If there was a gap in Anthony’s career, it was that he was not rewarded with a first-class or a limited overs match for NSW. He won selection in the NSW Second XI across two seasons between 2011 and 2013, but despite some outstanding performances, was unable to sway selectors.
Anthony’s ’s involvement with the club was also a family affair with his parents, Suzanne and Errol, regular attendees at 1st Grade matches cheering him on as well as his brother, Daniel. They provided such assistance on match days, particularly in the Coogee Oval canteen and barbeque, that in 2019-20 they were named joint winners of the Clubman of the Year Award.
The Randwick Petersham Cricket register of Life Members contains the names of people who have made an outstanding contribution to the club over an extended period of time. At the Randwick Petersham Annual General Meeting on 30 July 2026, Anthony Sams joined that impressive list, being elected Life Member no. 51. Congratulations Aanthony Sams!
Lyall Gardner OAM.
