Stories

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4 Followers

My Best Grade team - Mick McMahon 1980 to 1996

I moved from Lismore to Sydney with my older brother Brian in 1980 where we both joined the Balmain District Cricket Club. My 1st Grade debut for Balmain was the opening game of that season against Manly Warringah at Graham Reserve Manly, I was 19 years old.

Two years later we both moved from Balmain to the North Sydney District Cricket Club for the 1982/83 season. My final game in 1st Grade for North Sydney was in the 1995/96 season. Below (in batting order) is my selection of the best combined 1st Grade X1 that I, as a modest player, was fortunate enough to play with during that period:-

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/576/michael-mcmahon/blog/559/my-best-grade-team-mick-mcmahon-1980-to-1996

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Gordon District Cricket Club

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19 Followers

UTS North Sydney Women's Third Grade Season Wrap for 2025-26

The Women’s Third Grade 2025/26 campaign proved just how much the side has grown, and continued to support women and girls, of all backgrounds, playing and loving cricket.

When I started playing senior cricket at the Bears, there was only a very young and inexperienced Brewers team, and a Third Grade Women’s team. Over the past 4 - 5 seasons the participation, and genuine competitiveness, of the women’s side of the club has grown immensely.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/380/uts-north-sydney-district-cricket-club/blog/3786/uts-north-sydney-womens-third-grade-season-wrap-for-2025-26

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Andrew Knight

Business Advisor

Brisbane, Australia

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6 Followers

John Knight's cricket cap – captain of Roseville Cricket Club A Grade Premiers 1966-67

Plus the scorecard of the 1966-67 Sydney shires Final between Roseville and Lane Cove

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/597/andrew-knight/blog/604/john-knights-cricket-cap-ndash-captain-of-roseville-cricket-club-a-grade-premiers-1966-67

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last month

15 Likes
33 Followers

Matthew Kelly: A Gordon Cricketer who made an impact.

When Matthew Kelly first put on a Gordon cap in the final weeks of the 1989/90 season, few could have predicted that this 17-year-old would go on to become one of the club's most accomplished and favoured batsmen.

From those initial matches in the lower grades, Kelly quickly established himself as a player of substance

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/297/gordon-district-cricket-club/blog/3784/matthew-kelly-a-gordon-cricketer-who-made-an-impact

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last month

Penrith Cricket Club

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20 Followers

Ken Gentles first grade player number 90 - Penrith Cricket Club

Ken joined the club in the season of 1987/88 from Fairfield-Liverpool. In his first season, he batted at 7 while also contributing with his more than handy left arm 'chinamans'. Over the season, Ken scored 194 runs at 24.25 with a highest score of 47, while he claimed 23 wickets at 27.09, including 3 five-wicket hauls with a best of 5/41 against Bankstown.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/330/penrith-cricket-club/blog/3783/ken-gentles-first-grade-player-number-90-penrith-cricket-club

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last month

St George Cricket Club

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54 Followers

St George DCC and its Rugby League Connections Part IV - Les Johns

While Lindwall and Gasnier felt obliged to concentrate on one sport international fullback Les Johns managed to embrace both rugby league and cricket.

Johns, who played with Canterbury for nine seasons from 1963 and made fourteen appearances for both New South Wales and Australia during a distinguished career, was a most competent left-handed batsman who appeared with Bankstown, Petersham, Sutherland and St George over a twenty five year period.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/275/st-george-cricket-club/blog/3782/st-george-dcc-and-its-rugby-league-connections-part-iv-les-johns

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last month

12 Likes
19 Followers

The 2025/26 season is the ninth in which the Access Grants Bradman Medal has been awarded to the UTS North Sydney First Grade player of the year, thanks to the continued generous support of longstanding sponsor, Access Grants.

Points are awarded in each round using a formula based on runs, wickets and fielding dismissals, and totted up to determine the overall positions. The winner at the end of the season takes home $1,000, and there’s $100 on offer for each round.

Individual round winners were announced through the season on the Bears' socials, with Justin Avendano and Jamieson Hedges topping the bill with $300 each.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/380/uts-north-sydney-district-cricket-club/blog/3781/uts-north-sydney-access-grants-bradman-medal-202526

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last month

Gordon District Cricket Club

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19 Followers

UTS North Sydney Fourth Grade 2025-26 season wrap

Fourth Grade was the most successful of the UTS North Sydney men’s grades in the 2025-26 season, finishing fifth and playing finals cricket. Shiv Vohra, reflects on a successful first year as full-time skipper – a season of great personal success too, with Shiv finishing the regular season as the competition’s top wicket-taker with 30 poles and taking out the Bears’ Fourth Grade Player of the Year award.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/380/uts-north-sydney-district-cricket-club/blog/3780/uts-north-sydney-fourth-grade-2025-26-season-wrap

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last month

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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33 Followers

Nine Men Who Left Chatswood Oval for Anzac Cove - By Paul Stephenson

There is a photograph that exists only in the imagination. Nine men in the early 1900’s in white flannels, squinting into a Sydney summer sun at Chatswood Oval. Some are bowlers, some batsmen, one a doctor, one a bank clerk, one a grazier who can break in a brumby and ride all day. They are cricketers. They are mates. On Saturday afternoons they argue about field placements and grumble about dropped catches, and when the game is done, they share a beer and talk about next week. Their lives are ordinary in the very best sense of the word; rooted, comfortable, full of small pleasures and easy friendships.

And then the world ends.

Not all at once. It ends in the way that worlds always end for young men in wartime; first with excitement, then with confusion, then with a terror so complete it can never quite be spoken of afterwards.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/297/gordon-district-cricket-club/blog/3776/the-gordon-nine

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last month

Adrian Jones

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0 Followers

My best grade team - Adrian Jones 1993 to 2006

I’ve never ducked a challenge so when it was put to me if I’d like to pick my best grade team I thought why not however it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

For perspective I played 13 seasons at St Kilda from 1993 to 2006 and during that time we were fortunate to win premierships and I played with many great players.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/853/adrian-jones/blog/3779/my-best-grade-team-adrian-jones-1993-to-2006

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Scott Atkinson

TradesPerson

Gosford, Australia

60 Likes
24 Followers

Robert Reed - quick and fired up in Condo

Many years ago when I was a youngster playing in Condobolin (450km West of Sydney) on drought ravaged ovals, sand soaked artificial wickets and doing your own umpiring from both ends I meet Robert Reed.

Reedy was a well-built aboriginal cricketer who bowled some serious left arm fast wheels.

Robbie played for us at the disapproval of the only aboriginal team in Condo, the Boomerangs.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/71/scott-atkinson/blog/3778/robert-reed-quick-and-fired-up-in-condo

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last month

Penrith Cricket Club

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20 Followers

WHAT A CRACKER 1996-97. Penrith Cricket Club

A magnificent season’ Ray Hudswell wrote in what was to be his last President’s report.

The Club’s achievements in the season 1996/97 included:

Fifth Grade Premiers
AW Green Shield Premiers
Second in the Club Championship.........

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/330/penrith-cricket-club/blog/3777/what-a-cracker-1996-97-penrith-cricket-club

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last month

Andrew Knight

Business Advisor

Brisbane, Australia

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6 Followers

My best grade team - Andrew Knight 1982 to 2002

I was fortunate to play 1st grade in 2 states for 20 seasons, Starting With Mosman in 1982 and then moving up the highway to Gordon in 1985 and then moving states to Queensland in 1987 where I was fortunate enough to play until 2002.

Here is my best Grade team from the players that I played with in batting order:

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/597/andrew-knight/blog/587/my-best-grade-team-andrew-knight-1982-to-2002

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last month

Greg Hartshorne

Cricket Coach

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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1 Followers

“World Series” Bankstown take on “Neville Nobodies” Petersham from the Inner West in the 1987-88 Grand Final

That’s how the papers built up the first-grade final in 1987-88. Bankstown at full strength, included 3 of Australia’s greatest test players, Steve and Mark Waugh and Steve Smith, plus two of NSW’s best, Steve Small and Wayne Holdsworth, plus English county player, Terry Davies and solid 1st graders in Paul Talbot (265 1st grade wickets), Gary Crowfoot (5000 runs) and Dave Thompson (3350 runs and 58 wickets). Playing Petersham Marrickville, often described as the “the raw underbelly of grade cricket”.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/502/greg-hartshorne/blog/975/ldquoworld-seriesrdquo-bankstown-take-on-ldquoneville-nobodiesrdquo-petersham-from-the-inner-west-in-the-1987-88-grand-final

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last month

Brett Neill

Sales Manager

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My best grade team - Brett Neill 1985 to 2004

I played First Grade across NSW, SA and QLD from 1985/86 through to 2003/04 gave me the opportunity to play with many very good players and more importantly be able to have lifelong friends. In Sydney I played with Parramatta, Balmain and Campbelltown. Woodville in SA and Valley in Brisbane where I’m still involved today.

Selecting a team of players I played with is extremely difficult and many quality players have been left out. A great bunch of guys who I’m sure would deliver the opposition a few headaches.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/172/brett-neill/blog/867/my-best-grade-team-brett-neill-1985-to-2004

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last month

University of Newcastle Cricket Club

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19 Followers

Matt Alexander took the North Sydney Bears’ best ever limited-overs bowling figures of 7/38 in Round 1 of the 2019-20 season against Bankstown. It was the start of a phenomenal season for Matt, who took 48 wickets at a touch over 22 apiece from a gruelling 263 overs. Matt was easily the leading wicket-taker in NSW Premier Cricket and became the third Bear to claim a First Grade merit team selection since the accolade was established in 2012-13. He joined Adam Crosthwaite and Tom Jagot in the select group, with Tom being selected again subsequently in 2020-21 and Justin Avendano in 2021-22.

https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/380/uts-north-sydney-district-cricket-club/blog/3775/from-uts-north-sydney-vault-matt-alexander-takes-seven

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last month

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

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0 Followers

Family connection – University of Newcastle 4th Grade team in 1990

Photo of the father and sons that played in the University of Newcastle 4th Grade team in 1990.

John and Peter Fryer, Graham (Captain) and Robert Faraday, Jeremy and Allan Richardson

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Western Suburbs District Cricket Club Sydney