NSW 1982-83 Sheffield Shield Champions - 40 year reunion
Cricket NSW | January 17, 2023
Back Row - Mike Whitney, Mark O'Neill, Peter Toohey, John Skilbeck, John Dyson, Murray Bennett, Dirk Wellham
Front Row - Greg Matthews, Steve Rixon, Rick McCosker, Trevor Chappell
The 1982/83 Sheffield Shield Cricket season was the first season the Shield Final was introduced to decide the winner of the Sheffield Shield competition.
For 90 years the Sheffield Shield competition which began in 1892/93, the winner of the Australian domestic competition was the team who had accumulated the most points during the season. First past the post as they say.
1982-83 Sheffield Shield Ladder
On 4 March 1983 Western Australia hosted NSW at the WACA in the first ever Sheffield Shield Final.
Match Highlights
- NSW captain – Rick McCosker
- Western Australia captain – Kim Hughes
- NSW won the toss and elected to bat
NSW First Innings – 271 off 103 overs
- NSW openers Rick McCosker (71) and John Dyson (57) put on 110 for the opening partnership
- Peter Toohey (40) and Greg Matthews (34) are the only two other NSW batters to score more than 30 runs
- Bruce Yardley is Western Australia best bowler with 4 for 92 off 29 overs
Western Australia – 259 off 112.2 overs
- Kim Hughes (66), Graeme Wood (45), Rod Marsh (36) and Geoff Marsh (32) were Western Australia’s top scorers
- NSW best bowlers were Mike Whitney 4 for 67 off 25.2 overs and Trevor Chappell 3 for 32 off 16 overs.
NSW 2nd innings – 280 off 99.2 overs
- Dirk Wellham top scored with 70. Rick McCosker (44), Steve Smith (37) and Trevor Chappell (33) were the only other batters to pass 30
- Wayne Clark was the best of the bowlers for Western Australia taking 3 for 48 off 25 overs.
Western Australia needed 293 to win the Sheffield Shield
- Rod Marsh top scored with 58, Kim Hughes (55), Greg Shipperd (48) and Western Australia were on track at 4 for 185 needing a further 109 runs for victory
- 4 for 185 became 5 for 186 when Kim Hughes was dismissed and then 6 for 206 when Rod Marsh lost his wicket.
- Western Australia lost their last 5 wickets for 32 runs to be bowled out for 238.
- Geoff Lawson was the best of the NSW bowlers taking 5 for 52 off 28 overs closely followed by Trevor Chappell 4 for 45 off 20.5 overs
- NSW win the first ever Sheffield Shield Final by 54 runs
Back Row – Len Pascoe, Trevor Chappell, Geoff Lawson, Dirk Wellham, Steve Rixon, Murray Bennett, Greg Matthews
Middle Row – Peter Toohey, John Dyson, Mike Whitney, Steve Smith
Front Row – Rick McCosker (Captain)
Before play began, a fired-up Mike Whitney charged out of the change-rooms breathing fire like a rugby league prop at a grand final. Old Bull, Rod Marsh an AFL type who disliked rugby league and NSW with a passion, was not amused and let fly at Whit with a series of loud aggressive put-downs as to his lack of respect - only to suddenly find Whit standing an inch in front of him and towering over him offering suggestions as to his imminent and long overdue retirement.
Effectively it was a clash of cricket cultures. Marsh, Lillee and the Chappells treated with disdain the catch-cry that when NSW is strong so is Australia.
It was all over pretty quickly but set the scene for a fantastic first Sheffield Shield Final - a precursor for many to follow - for what is effectively the 6th Test match played in Australia each year.