Andrew Inwood - Keith Miller tops my BBQ guest list
Paul Ryan | September 15, 2023
Andrew Inwood is the Global CEO of CoreData and a passionate cricket fan.
Let’s find out more about how he developed a love of the game
What year you were born?
1964
What State do you live in?
NSW
You’re the Global CEO of CoreData – tell us a little about the business and the service it provides the community.
CoreData is a research and consultancy business which focusses on banking, superannuation and asset management. Our job is to take the data from the markets, the customers and consumers and derive meaning from it. It’s my stated goal to help my customers grow and to help consumers make better decisions about money.
When did you first start developing a love for the game and what is it about cricket that you enjoy most?
Started when I was about 10, the great era of Lillee, Marsh, Thompson and the Chappell Brothers. The standard summer for us was swimming, backyard cricket and epic test matches in the nets against friends and neighbours and older brothers.
I liked the chess like nature of the game. Out thinking the batsmen and I was a good enough to bat relatively high in the order so I got a bit of time in the centre in the very average teams that I played for. You have to remember this was Albury in the 1970’s the talent pool was pretty varied and there were some great players and some also rans (like me).
Because the teams were so average, by the time I was 15 I was in an opening partnership for a small country team with my father who was I think the regions slowest scorer. The first ball I faced at the adult level hopped of a lump in the pitch and hit me fair between the eyes, splitting my skin to the bone. So they retired me, gave me some ice to put on the cut and a can of lemonade and told me to sit under a tree. Which I did. I returned to the crease at number 7 and got 16 before the overs ran out. In 1979, my head gear was a terry towelling hat.
Who’s your favourite all-time cricketer?
Dennis Lillee. I just loved the fact that no matter what was happening in the game – you could never rule Australia out if Lillee was there.
Tell us briefly about your journey in the game, where you’ve played, what clubs and how would you describe yourself as a cricketer?
I grew up playing bush league cricket around Albury NSW. Water Polo was my big summer sport, so my cricket was playing a lot for all the minor clubs which had grounds, like cement, in all the towns around the area like Holbrook, Jindera, Mangoplah. I had a couple of Seasons with the SS and A team in Albury as well as house Cricket at school.
What was your highest score and who for, where and when?
This is no boast, but in the manner of all sportsmen, we can remember our successes and our failures. In 1980, when I was in year 10, I got into the House Cricket team for Murray House at Albury High School. I was 15 and playing with a lot of 17 and 18 year olds. The coach didn’t consider me a batsman, so had me down at number 10. I came in and we were 48 runs behind, we cruised to victory with two overs to spare, including a four off the last ball, a sweep to fine leg off their fancied spinner, Stephen Osborne. As I type I can remember the shot perfectly and watching it run away being chased by the fielder Stuart Strachan. Isn’t it funny how cricket works?
What were your best bowling figures and who for, where and when?
Apart from the 4 for 7 at the Albury Scout Cricket Carnival, in my final year of High School I took 2 for 16 of four overs in a house cricket match. For whatever reason the inswingers were moving all over the place that day.
Which club and or competition do you support?
I support the NSW Sheffield Shield Team and the Sydney Sixers – I’m a member at the SCG and go whenever I can.
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket so far?
Oddly it’s a catch. I was 15 and playing for SSA against the much better Albury City Cricket Club on Norieul Park and my coach sent me in to silly fine leg to field against their gun batsman, who seeing me, and not being intimidated at all, decided that when the spinner came on he was going to belt the ball straight through me. I caught the first one down low near my foot. Stung like a bastard. ‘
On the down side, perhaps a year later playing at school, being the last batsman in and requiring four runs off three overs and getting out caught behind after promising the captain “not to do anything stupid..”
Who has been your favourite Australian captain?
That’s a really tough choice – there are so many greats. Waugh, Taylor, Border, Chappell. Impossible to choose between that lot. Maybe Taylor, because he managed to lead, even when he wasn’t doing so well himself and did so graciously.
Who’s been the batsman you’ve enjoyed watching the most?
Some of the modern era are great. Moses Henriques recently, in the past the Waugh brothers were absolute surgeons in the middle, but Steve Smith is a complete master class. I especially love to watch him bat with Dave Warner, it’s like light and shade in the middle.
Steve Smith
Who in your opinion has been the best fast bowler?
While I love the quicks of the 1970’s for flair and arrogance and wildness – both in Australia and from the West indies – there’s something about the metronome quality of Glenn McGrath which is hard to look past. You’d pick him every day.. but how do you go past Michael Holding who kept bowling the 140kph fastballs? Tough choice.
Who in your opinion has been the best spinner?
There is really only one, love him or hate him: Shane Warne, though I always loved watching Stuart MacGill.
Stuart MacGill
Who in your opinion has been the best wicket keeper?
Loved Rodney Marsh back in the day. Just the sheer arrogance behind the stumps. And the possibly apocryphal beer drinking record on the way to London
Who in your opinion has been the best umpire?
I loved the way Dickie Bird used to manage the ego’s with a bit of a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Tough job cricket umpire. Wouldn’t wish that kind of scrutiny on anyone.
What’s the most picturesque ground you’ve had the opportunity to watch or play a game of cricket?
When I worked in England in 1997, I joined a local old man’s cricket club called the “Yompers” because we didn’t have a home ground. One of the members of the club was a Duke, complete with stately home. The House had amazing gardens, rooms, deers wandering around. They served cucumber sandwiches and tea during the match and champagne afterwards. The cricket was very ordinary, but the grounds were first class.
I like some of the Australian country grounds as well and Sydney University had some nice grounds, St Pauls, St Andrews and St Johns – never played on the beautiful number one oval.
If there was one match up, a bowler and batsman going head to head at their peak, who would you choose?
I would pay to see Jeff Thompson, Imran Kahn or Michael Holding bowl to Steve Smith.
What’s your preferred format of the game, Test Cricket, One day games, T20?
They all have different joys. I like to go and watch the Tests with my family in summer and a night at the T20 with the lads is a great event. I’m a keen follower of the Sixers
Who are the 3 cricketers from any era you’d like to invite to a BBQ?
You’d have to have Keith Miller there – for a yarn – it would be great just to listen to him, Shane Warne would be an absolute laugh – he’d have enough stories for a movie or two and Ian Botham. That would be a great BBQ.
Keith Miller
