John Dwyer – A Parramatta Stalwart
Parramatta District Cricket Club | May 17, 2026
John Dwyer was a staunch Cumberland (Parramatta) man both on and off the playing fields.
Ahead of time as training and fitness fanatic, he was an energetic and excellent all-round fieldsman especially roving around the covers region and possessed a safe pair of hands, as illustrated by his career tally of 116 catches. He was a fine sportsman who also played grade Rugby Union and League for Parramatta.
John spent a great deal of his early career as an opening batsman, most of his First and Second grade cricket was played in that role and later he settled comfortably into the middle-order, when he started skippering the club’s Third grade sides – which he did with resounding success.
Across his Parramatta career the played in all the grades from First to Fifth grade - his extensive time in the ‘bumble-bee’ cap ranged from 1958/59 thru to 1980/81 and yielded an impressive 6,423 runs @ 22.86 (H.S. 110).
Aside from his considerable playing career with the club John was a strong contributor to the club’s administration team, spending six years as Assistant Secretary, and then stepping up to fill the breach in the club’s primary operations role of Secretary in 1973, after the unexpected death of the incumbent Bill Anderson. He then held this post for another two seasons and for several seasons he was a regular management committeeman, and club selector - these efforts on behalf of the Parramatta District Cricket Club saw him awarded the honour of Life Membership.
John had a brief stint in First grade debuting in the 1964/65 Premiership Winning team – that contained club icons like Doug Walters, Richie and John Benaud, Bobby Aitken, Ross Shepherd and Harold Goodwin - as an opening batsman and played additional matches over the next couple of seasons, he totalled 236 runs @ 21.45 (H.S. 65) in the top grade.
For many seasons John performed with distinction as an opener in Second grade accumulating 2,454 runs @ 23.37 (H.S. 78). He produced the batting performance of his career topping the averages and aggregate with 515 runs @ 30.29 in 1968/69. His mode of batting was to ‘go for his shots’ with a preference for driving firmly off the front foot through the offside field.
But it was in Third grade that he enjoyed perhaps his most memorable moments both as a player and captain. From a playing perspective John was a very consistent performer with the bat, becoming one of the club’s heaviest scorers in this specific grade with 3,541 runs @ 23.45 (including his only century 110 in 1965/66).
A man of high personal integrity, and a strong sense of sportsmanship he took these principles into the way he captained his teams. Always playing the game in the true ‘spirit of cricket’ was his operational standard.
John possessed a sound cricket and tactical knowledge, communicated well with players and encouraged teamwork; these qualities combined to help him become one of the most successful Third grade captains to represent the Parramatta club. He stands as the only person to captain any Parramatta grade team to back-to-back premierships, he achieved this fine feat in 1972/73 and 1973/74, and in 1975/76 he led the team to third place. He is also the only person in the club’s history to play in three premiership winning Third grade teams (1959/60 was the other winning season) – he also played in the 1964/65 1st grade premiership side. He reined as 3rd grade skipper from 1970/71 to 1975/76.
By Tom Wood – Parramatta District Cricket Club Historian
