Blog

My best Grade team - Rowan McGregor 1975 to 1988

Rowan McGregor | January 29, 2023

I’ve put together my best grade team from players I played with in Sydney and Perth.

To share my journey I played Green Shield for Northern District in Sydney from 1970-72 and grade cricket for NDs from 1975-79. I’m ND’s 1st Grade player no 258.

During my time with ND’s I was fortunate to be selected in two NSW U19 teams and even more so to be captain of the first NSW winning team in 1975/76. The team included Dirk Wellham, Greg Dyer, John Skilbeck, John Hill and Michael Cox who all went to play first class cricket. In 1974/75 along with Murray Bennett I was chosen in the Australian Schoolboys (U19) team.

From 1979 to 1986 I played for Gordon and was the first grade captain from 1984 to 1986. 1st grade player 382.

I then moved to Perth for work and played for Claremont -Cottesloe (as they were then, now Claremont-Nedlands). I captained the club in 1987-88.

Through work and marriage I then moved again to London and have been living in the U.K ever since.

My journey in the game is filled with so many experiences and wonderful memories… who knows maybe there’s a book in the wind.

I’m still in contact with my two old clubs in Sydney. I get almost daily emails from both, and am an Associate Member of Gordon all the way from Edinburgh. I go to watch both clubs play when I travel to Sydney to visit family. COVID-19 has of course put paid to any immediate plans to visit Australia.

So here goes, my best grade team from players I played with in Sydney and Perth.

1. Paul Romaines - Gordon

The Northants and Gloucs opening bat. Gordon Captain in 82/83. No idea why he didn't play for England. Very correct but could play expansively in the right circumstance. Memories of him hitting centuries against St George and Uni of NSW, and cover driving sixes off opening bowlers. Not done back in the 80's. Very capable Captain, and all round great guy. Owner of the best nickname in cricket....'Human'.

2. Neil Howlett - Northern District

We first opened the batting together for Normanhurst U13's, then Green Shield, PG's and Grade for NDs. Our first grade debuts close together. Hard to know why Neil didn't play for NSW. A tall correct opener. Great concentration, accumulated runs unobtrusively. Rarely failed. Great slip fielder.

3. Mark O'Neill - Gordon

I first came across Sparky in State U19 cricket when he played for WA. We knocked him over early, and I did not see him score runs until he came to Gordon. He had batted well for us until an infamous game out at Campbelltown. We all got a bit worked up (an understatement). Not about our opposition, but an official. Sparky got particularly motivated! Tom Shiner was going through us on a dicey track with brilliant bowling. He took him and the rest on in a brilliant innings that won the game from a hopeless position, probably the best I ever saw in Grade. Ended up with 125 no. Fabulous batting. Got some handy wickets with his occasional leggies.

4. James Brayshaw - Claremont- Cott

Aged 19 he was my vice-captain at Claremont. Given he is a big media personality these days people forget what a good player he was. Shane Warne apparently said he was one of the best players of his bowling in Shield cricket. He won a famous game for WA vs Queensland scoring 60 not out at the Gabba against Rackemann, Maguire, Botham. Tremendous driver of the ball who took a very long stride going forward. Like Paul Sheahan. Always performed in Grade, and a terrific team mate.

5. Kerry Mackay - Northern District

My first 1st Grade skipper. Very solid batsman. Got a hundred for NSW against Lillee and Massie at the WACA, hard to dislodge. Canny medium pacer, and brilliant slip fielder. Plus Kerry scored 8,625 runs, took 607 wickets in 1st Grade. Impressive!

6. Trevor Chappell – Gordon and Captain

Super all-rounder. Best fieldsman I played with. Good all round batsman, and brilliant runner between the wickets. Won games for Gordon with his clever bowling. Ultra-competitive. The great sadness was the Under Arm controversy. Completely overshadowed a fine career.

7. Phil Emery – Gordon and Wicket Keeper

Record appearances as wicket keeper for NSW, and played one Test with a broken thumb. His Dad had been a fine cricketer and a Wallaby. Neville Emery was my Sports master and coach at school so had a soft spot for ‘Fatty’ when he came into Grade. Keeper par excellence, solid batsman, and a major chatterbox.

8. Mark Clews - Northern District

I have to put the opening bowling pair I first played with in Grade on my team. ‘Atlas’ probably bowled medium fast, but if his rhythm was right he could bowl quickly. Very tall and athletic, he could move it off the wicket, and swing it away. Much better batsman than given credit for. Very good striker of the ball. He taught me how to run between wickets more aggressively in a few early partnerships we had. He was a quick mover for a big guy.

9. Keith Coughlan -Claremont- Cottesloe

Opening bowler who should have played for WA. Think it was decided he lacked a yard of pace for Shield cricket. Rubbish. He got 50/60 wickets a season in the years I was there, and when they won the premiership after I left I think he got close to 70. Swung the ball to varying degrees. Accurate and dangerous. He nearly always knocked over an opener, and invariably got the big name players. Strong and durable, he bowled lots of overs on flat batsman-friendly tracks. Top bowler.

10. Steve Whitfield – Northern District

Top drawer left arm medium fast swing bowler who turned himself into a very dangerous left arm spinner. The first ball I was ever in second grade was out at Bankstown and he knocked the middle pole right out of the ground. Was startling. Took 7-2 against Waverly in First Grade and got dropped. Probably for Brute Bernard coming back from Shield. Played Shield cricket a bit late in all probability. Had he played when younger could have played for Australia. Worse left-armers did. (Not Murray Bennett who was a top bowler). Ask any notable Sydney Grade batsmen and they didn't like facing Whitters in his prime. Great team mate. Funny man.

11. Steve Bernard - Northern District

The senior half of the Bernard/ Clews partnership. Opposition teams didn’t like playing them. Had been a tearaway quick, but developed into an accurate seam bowler at a fair pace, delivered with a high arm action. Got more variations as he got older, and left his wilder younger days behind! Got into St George's Team of the Century after he left NDs, quite an accolade. Later became the much respected Australian Test team Manager for 13 years.

12th Man Peter Taylor - Northern District

Tough call to make PT carry the drinks, as he was a Test and ODI player for Australia. Perhaps on a turner we'd drop a fast bowler. But Whitters gets the nod. Very fine batsman to go along with his off spinners. He had the fastest ever Century in First Grade cricket at one point. We'd played together for NSW U19, and his First Grade number is 257. Mine is 258.

Apologies to Michael Cox a fine wicketkeeper batsman at Gordon and Claremont who played eventually for WA. Phil Antman (RIP), was a fine opening bowler from Gordon. As was Richard Stobo from Gordon, and Michael Coote at NDs and Gordon. Peter Tout was a highly talented batsman who goes back to my Green Shield days at NDs. Michael Falk my opening partner at Gordon was a terrific player. Marshall Rosen, Ross Collins and Graeme Watson were big names I played with at Gordon and Ross Edwards at NDs, but not for long enough. Bob Thomas from Gordon was incredibly talented but succumbed to injuries when I played with him. And I have to mention Denis Lynch our wicketkeeper at Northern District, because he asked me to. (Actually another fine keeper!) David Laming had a big season with us at Gordon and then left. Sid Dowsett a terrific left arm spinner at Gordon, but possibly the worst bat and fielder. A character.

Lots of great team mates and wonderful memories