Greg Livingstone - never ever give your wicket away

UNSW Cricket Club | January 24, 2023

Greg Livingstone is UNSW first grade cap number 41 and he made his first grade debut in 1976/77 and over the next 18 years he accumulated 7,628 runs averaging 30.88. He scored 6 centuries and 42 half centuries and his highest score was 201 not out.

In all grades Greg scored 8,952 runs for UNSW at 32.67 including 12 centuries and 51 half centuries

Greg was a member of two UNSW first grade winning premierships and is a very proud Life Member of the club and continues to make a significant contribution.

Let’s find out more about Greg’s journey in the game

What year you were born?

1958

Can you remember you first game of cricket?

Was for East Albury Crows and I was about 10, no idea how I went, just really a run around in the park.

Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?

I played for East Albury from age 10 to 17 when I left for Sydney to go to University of NSW to study Surveying. Worked my way from the juniors to first grade and played in the first-grade premiership in my last full year in Albury, 1975-76.

Started at UNSW Cricket Club in 1976 and played there until 1993 when I retired and then was club coach for 3 years.

In which grade and at what age did you make your debut in grade cricket?

I was graded in 5th grade as a left arm orthodox spinner, went up to 4s by Christmas 1976 but went home for Uni holidays. Came back to Sydney to play Poidevin Gray Shield over New Year period, we won the competition that year largely due to Geoff (Henry) Lawson and James George (Jungle) Robson.

At what age did you make your first grade debut in grade cricket and can you remember how you performed in debut?

My debut in first grade was a bit unexpected. I had done well in PG opening the batting with Mick Watt, the first grade opener, we won PG and were in the mix for 1st grade finals. Our skipper, John Rogers, took a punt on me I suppose. I was either in Albury or just back in Sydney when I was selected.

My debut was Round 14 1976-77 against Western Suburbs at the Village Green. I scored 42 not out. We won the game against a team including Steve Rixon, Peter Toohey (scored 98, fantastic player), Phil Kellard, Dirk and Wally Wellham (who was in his 40’s). Steve and I both went to Albury High School, he was in year 12 when I was in year 7 so I knew him. He obviously didn’t know I was playing that day until I walked out to bat. I took guard and he said to me “What the f%#* are you doing here?” I caught him at mid-wicket as well, great day.

Greg with Mark Ray

If you can share with our audience, how would you describe yourself as a cricketer?

I started in grade cricket as a middle order batsman but was moved to opener quickly. Opener or no. 3 was where I stayed for most of my career. I liked to think I was technically correct and had good concentration, which made me hard to get out.

What was your highest score in first grade cricket?

Highest score in first grade was 201 not out against Waverley at Trumper Park in 1985-86.

What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?

Got a 5 for in 5th grade in 1976 but didn’t trouble the scorers much after that. Took three wickets in first grade and can name them, but it would be too traumatic and embarrassing for those players if I did.

Who were the best three fast bowlers you have played against?

Steve Bernard – he was so deceptively fast and had a great ability to move the ball off the wicket. Bowled an exceptionally fast spell one day against us at the Village Green, when he played for Saints. There was a bit of moisture on the surface and they were flying through, scary.

Evan Gordon – he seemed a quite and unassuming guy until he got on to the field where there was a latent aggression and great skill and speed. Took delight in hitting me in the thigh pad and ribs with leg cutters. Fantastic opening attack when he teamed up with Mike Whitney.

Lenny Pascoe – there was no latent aggression with Lenny, it was obvious. Just bowled super-fast and straight at you, all day. Late in his career, at Sutherland, he was bowling at me, not particularly fast, when one of the slips fielders said something and I had a bit of a chuckle. Lenny saw me and asked, not very politely, what I was laughing at, I didn’t see the next 6.

I could include Henry in here as I played against him for Albury v Wagga in O’Farrell cup in the mid 70’s. We still discuss how I hooked him for 4, which is strictly correct although the ball ended up at the point boundary because I was so late getting my bat around. One spell from Henry at Old Kings, where he took 8 for 29 was positively frightening. He is also one of the great club men, very few, if any, Test cricketers have put so much back into their grade club and grade cricket in general.

Geoff Lawson

Who were the best three spinners you have played against? 

The same name keeps coming up in this section I have noticed, and I am no different, David Hourn was so difficult to pick, had so much variety and spin, he was awesome. Also awesome in the back room at Waverley, took out more batsmen there than on the park.

Greg McLay, I always found Greg’s off spinners difficult to play as he had good loop and spin and took them away from me as a left hander.

Mick O’Sullivan – the great man was so hard to get away and even though he was generally spinning in to me, he could drift them away. Never any easy runs against Mossy. He is missed by all especially in the Noble Bar at the test.

Who were the best 3 batsman you’ve played against?

Mark Waugh – everything seemed so easy for him, great technique, quick hands and perfect timing. He would hit it your way and you would think you could stop it but it raced by. Also sensational fielder and bowled fast. Hit one of my teammates in the head twice one afternoon at the Village Green, before helmets and concussion protocols.

Ian Davis – elegant with great technique and timing, and all the shots. Scored heaps of runs against us and never looked rushed.

Phil Marks – Imposing player with great technical ability and immense power. Good medium fast bowler and great fielder, a true allrounder. Knocked up getting 100’s against UNSW. Saw him recently at a PG game, still imposing but without the shock of blonde hair.

Greg bating at Chatswood Oval in the early 1980s

Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?

Michael Slater – scored 184 against Randwick at Coogee in 1991-92. Slats was the perfect combination of textbook technique and raw aggression. I spent a fair amount of time at the other end that day watching him dismantle a good Randwick attack, balls were going to all parts of the ground and sometimes outside it. Slats really played a different game to the rest of us. In his early years of Test cricket, I don’t think there was a better organised and technically perfect batsman, his power game was built around that flawless technique.

Michael Slater

Was there any bowler in particular who whatever reason always you to cause you a few problems?

I always struggled against Gary Bensely from Randwick. He wasn’t fast but could swing the ball both ways, very late. Just difficult to get comfortable against him. Spent some time with Benso in the Colts and I can safely say I wasn’t the only one who struggled with him.

Can you recall a time when you thought, wow, this is a step or two up from what you were used to in grade cricket and you really had to knuckle down to survive? 

The 1981-82 final against Randwick at Coogee – Randwick’s team included Alan Turner, John Dyson, Gary Bensely, Evan Gordon, Mike Whitney, Peter Clifford, Trevor Jay and Alan Campbell. It was really a state team. We got them out for about 250, Peter Clifford played fantastically. Mark Ray and I opened against Mike Whitney and Evan Gordon. I scratched around for about an hour for 12, missing more than I hit before I got out, unsurprisingly LBW to Evan Gordon, it was intense and physically demanding. We didn’t win that one unfortunately.

Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?

Steve Rixon - was already a legend in Albury so I am a bit biased but he was just exceptional, particularly keeping up to the stumps to quicks or spinners.

Chris (Cliffy) Hanger was our keeper in the 80’s and he was also exceptional. Just didn’t drop catches, more surprising was that he was not a sledger or constantly talking behind the sticks, genuine good guy.

Steve Rixon keeping for Australia v West Indies

Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?

Mark Ray - Mark dominated the competition for the late 70’s early 80’s. Bowled left arm orthodox, spun the ball, great arm ball, impeccable control. Opened the batting, played fast bowling better than anyone I saw. Fielded first slip, captained a premiership and won the O’Rielly medal, pretty handy. Played plenty of Shield cricket for Tasmania but should have played lots for NSW.

Neil Howlett – he was an opener like me, so I really appreciated his skill and ability under pressure. He was unflappable and talented against all types of bowling. I think Neil handled Henry better than anyone we played against, and that was an extreme test.

Did you ever feel you were close to higher honours and if you can tell us when you believe you were at the top of your game?

I played NSW Colts in 1980 in Perth. The team was captained by Dirk Wellham and included Greg Matthews and Greg Dyer. We won the 2 games we played and I did OK without being brilliant.

I spent 2 years in the state squad in the early 80’s. It was a bit different back then as I was really in the B squad which meant I spent a lot of time bowling to Greg Dyer, Russell McCool, Neil Howlett and vice versa, Henry and Whit were the only two front line bowlers who would come and bowl to me when they could. It was a bit demeaning but I was there and that was an honour in itself. Realistically I had Dyso and Ian Davis in front of me, and Steve Smith was in the mix. My best chance years were in the mid 80’s but I didn’t really capitalise with enough big scores over an extended period.

Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?

John Rogers – JR came over from St George in 1975 and found a disorganised bunch of students with talent. He set about changing the way we played based on excellent fielding, getting a good score on the board and then strangling them with first rate bowling. He also emphasised the need to socialise with your teammates and the opposition after each game, he enforced this rule religiously. He was also very attacking in terms of declarations and was an excellent tactician. But really it was his management of the people that made him stand out and turned us into premiership club.

John Rogers celebrates leading UNSW to their first grade premier in 1976/77

Who has been your funniest team mate?

Jim ‘Jungle’ Robson by miles, always had some theory about something and drew a crowd wherever he went, and still does. Thousands of stories. He invented some ridiculous card horse racing game we would play in rain delays, primarily aimed at taking out money but he certainly got plenty from opposition teams as well.

Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?

My third first grade game was the 1976-77 final against Petersham at Petersham. When I went out to bat their captain Brian Riley (unfortunately not with us any longer but mentioned in numerous articles on this site) met me at mid-wicket with “this is not PG, sonny, this is the big time”. Their attack was led by Dave Chardon and Greg Hartshorne, took me 30 balls to get off the mark with Riles giving me a running commentary on my game, Graeme Hughes also gave me plenty of advice. We won the game by 9 runs in the end and I scored 61, so it all turned out alright.

Oddly enough Riles was well respected by UNSW after that day, he made an effort to congratulate us all after the game and turned up at our celebrations at the Village Green later in the night.

Greg Livinstone batting in the 1976/77 final against Petersham

What was your most embarrassing dismissal in senior cricket?

Playing at Pratten Park I was bowled by a sensational yorker, which smashed into leg stump, I somehow over balanced trying to get a bat on it and ended up flat on my face on the pitch. The Wests boys saw the funny side, I didn’t. I think the bowler was Brad McNamara but not 100% sure.

Who was your childhood hero?

Doug Walters – I was lucky enough to play against him as well. It was a bit surreal facing his bowling at Old Kings in the late 70’s, but he put one past my nostrils which jolted me back to reality.

Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?

Shane Lowry – British Open Champ, would be great to play a round with him and then enjoy a Guinness or two.

Mike Trout – LA Angels – best hitter in the major leagues

Roy Slaven – Lithgow Shamrocks rugby league champion – would be entertaining

Shane Lowry

Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?

Jimmy Maxwell ball by ball, no peer.

The best expert commentary unit was Henry, Kerry O’Keefe and Peter Roebuck. They literally covered every aspect you would want to hear about with knowledge, humour, eccentricity and expert analysis.

What was your favourite ground to play at?

North Sydney Oval was always great to be at, just the atmosphere and the history.

The Village Green was special as it was where we had some great victories and I played with so many friends. It was a fantastic ground too, the demise of the VG is the lowest ebb in UNSW sport history.

What there a particular team you especially looked forward to playing against?

Randwick – we were both good teams during the 70’s and 80’s and every game was intense and generally close. There was animosity there as well as we were close neighbours. The only time I ever saw Jim Dixon really angry was against Randwick after a game at Coogee, he unloaded in the general direction of the Randwick change rooms for about 5 minutes, tensions were always high in those games. Nevertheless, we all still ended up at the Rugby Club across the road, which was what you did.

Northern District and Sydney Uni were great fun to play against as we really got in well with those guys, probably because a lot of us went on Australian Old Collegians (AOC) tours together.

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

The 1980-81 final against Northern District at the Village Green, we were the dominant team all year with Mark Ray at the peak of his powers. We had a solid batting line up led by Mark, Jungle and Chris Chapman. A great fielding team and our bowling was something else. Mark, Henry, Jim (Disco) Dixon who bowled fast medium and swung it prodigiously, Steve Campbell, an underrated leg spinner with a great flipper. Nigel Perger, a tall fast bowler who could make them bounce, was 12th man after filling in for Henry for most of the year.

We went into the game extremely confident despite being against a team that included Ross Edwards, Peter Taylor, Kerry McKay, Steve Whitfield, Neil Howlett and Mark Clews. We made 236 and bowled them out for 103, Henry scared everyone and Mark took 5 for, standard fare that year. It completed a year where we expected to win every game and generally did, unforgettable.

What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?

The Randwick game in 1991-92, mentioned above where Slats scored 184. We totalled 7/368, they replied with 6/87 Dec, we forfeited the second innings and bowled them out for 168 to complete a great outright result. Great team effort in the field, in a year that we had limited success, the celebrations were excellent.

Who are the three players from your playing days at the top of the list for a Saturday afternoon barbeque?

Peter (Jacky) Jourdain – have known Jacky since we were 15, met also in an Albury v Wagga match. Started Uni together, flatted together and our wives are great friends. But remarkably we hardly ever agree on anything, and vigorous debate commences. Great company and always brings a good bottle of red.

Tony Pratt – Jatz came to Sydney from Lismore in the mid-eighties and was a good allrounder and outstanding fielder. Spent a lot of time at our place as the girls grew up and is a great family friend. Also brings a good red.

Bruce Frost – 3rd grade medium pacer with North Albury but childhood mate, he boarded at our house in Albury for a time. Bowled a lot of balls to me in the back yard, which was good for the confidence. Brings red but usually drinks mine first.

What are your hobbies?

I play golf at Eastlake in Kingsford and enjoy doing projects around the house.

My wife and I like travelling but that has been curtailed in recent times, hopefully that will change.

Greg facing up to Petersham's Dave Chardon with Jim Jungle Robson backing up

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

My first captain in Albury was Joe Wooding, he really became a mentor for me and many others. Sadly he passed away this year at age 82. His mantra was one run, either scored or saved, could win you the game and never, ever, ever give your wicket away. It stuck with me. Two others, who opened with Joe at East Albury after me, were Geoff Milliken (NSW, St George and UNSW) and Ian Moore (Northern District). We all played the same sort of game based on Joe’s advice and all 3 played in Sydney 1st grade premierships, must have been some substance to his words. Joe spent many years umpiring in Albury after retiring and was an expert in local history, great man.

Are you still involved in cricket and if so, in what capacity?

I am the coach of the UNSW Poidevin-Gray Shield team (Under 21), very high standard competition giving players from different grades a chance to play together on good grounds. Corey Richards is UNSW head coach and doing an outstanding job.

I help with the coaching of Newington School 2nd XI. The cricket program is overseen by Ross Turner, a legend in Northern District, Sydney grade and school cricket circles. Rossy knows everyone and is intent on teaching the boys to play the game in the right competitive manner and have fun along the way.

Greg batting in PGs at SCG No 2

If you were running Cricket NSW what would your 2 priorities to ensure cricket in the state remained strong and successful on and off the field?

This is a bit pie in the sky due to the packed representative programs, but it would be to maximise the participation of representative players, past or present, in grade cricket. The improvement in intensity and standard of games is plain to see, it gives the other players a real lift which leads to better performances.

All the pitches produced these days are primarily the same. There seems to be a standard formula and although there appears to be grass on them, they do very little and definitely don’t spin, it completely favours the batsmen. More variety in the pitches, some with seam some with spin, would make the contest better and make better cricketers.