My best grade team - Chris McLean 1990s - 2000s

Chris McLean | October 05, 2023

I am selecting the best club cricket team based on the players who I played with and against in First Grade. I was lucky enough to play against a number of outstanding Test and Shield players in First Grade - Allan Border, Ian Healy, Matt Hayden, Stuart Law, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel, Mitch Johnson, Jimmy Maher…. gosh its a long list of really good cricketers and there are so many more. And that’s just who I played against… let alone who I played with… and we were the dominant First Grade team when we played. It is actually quite remarkable when I think about it. Very lucky.

We played a very aggressive brand of cricket and were very successful. We definitely won a lot of games that we should not have purely through the “mental disintegration” side. It certainly did not encourage sportsmanlike behaviour. I think they made me captain one year just because I could deal with the judiciary better than other guys in the team… 

The team is definitely biased toward the Sandgate players because we won so often and those who played well against us consistently over those years. There are heaps of players who got me out for fun who are not in this team - Brett Boardman, Rendle O’Connell, Sticks Argent, Darin Turner, Brett Henschell… it is a long list - and Gators who were instrumental to our success like Paul Pink, Brett Mortimer, Murray Kent, Trent Ryan and Jon Isoardi.

 

Jerry Cassell

I saw him pull Carl Rackemann in front of square along the ground for four at Wests when he was 17 or 18 and Carl was playing for Queensland. After that I was sold… Unbelievably good player. A semi-final hundred where he batted all day against Wynnum was a highlight. I dont think he had slept from “work” the night before.

Lance Kahler

We came up through schoolboys together. He was the prodigy leg spinner and then decided to bat for hours just for the hell of it. Felt like he scored so many runs against us. Aided by being a lefty who liked using his pads a lot - has he ever been out LBW?

Lee Carseldine

We had a big rivalry with Valley - two grand finals against each other and they had some heat in them. He was always a massive wicket for us and was one of the few players who showed total disdain toward our trash talking. Another left handed who used his pads way too much for our liking...

Matt Goggin

Muscled so many important runs for us when we needed them. Added real grit to our batting and fielding - absolutely demanded the highest standards and would drill it through our team. Really important for our culture. Had some great stoushes with Fatty.. on the field during games… Umpires had no idea what to do.

Trevor Barsby - pictured

Yes he is a Bulls legend. However, he retired from the Bulls for the sole purpose of winning the inaugural First Grade premiership for Sandgate and we did it. Gave us a massive boost of confidence and seriously, who wanted to bowl to him coming in at 5 or 6?

James Hopes

A tough all-round cricketer. We always felt Norths were a bit flaky and liked to get under their skin. However, he really added steel to them and lifted that team. He was also a gun player.

Gavin Fitness

We used to take the p!ss out of Fatty because he hated facing the quick stuff (Mark Harrity excluded… ) and he wasn’t as agile as Wade Seccombe standing back. However, he scored heaps of crucial runs for us and is one of the best players of spin you will ever see. So quick on his feet. Over the stumps, he was outstanding. The very best. Kept to Matt Anderson who was probably the first spinner to consistently roll out 100kmh arm balls and Fatty did an exceptional job. You add to that Fatty’s motivation to the team and his chat and he becomes an absolute must pick. Cricket would not have been the same without him.

Brendan Creevey

So if you swing it both ways at 130+ and you are coming from 6ft plus… you are going to be a handful. Add to that being super competitive and someone who can beat the First Grade batting average record for the fun of it… then I think you have something coming close to the complete package. A dominant force in First Grade in the 2000’s.

?Matthew Anderson

Jackpot!!! We grew up in the era of quick bowlers and the spinners had a real hard time of it. The pitches were not great, so any time a spinner came on it was time to score runs… However, this guy was outstanding. He won games by himself and didnt give up runs. Should have played a lot more first class cricket.

Nathan Rimmington

Rimmo gets in because he made the very most of his ability and worked out a way to make it all happen when he was not the right height and had the wrong action. Loved playing with him.

Joe Dawes

Look we all hated facing him. He bowled an ugly ball that seemed attracted to your throat at good pace. He also didnt stop. Bowled some massively long spells against us. The Gator that got away.