Jim Dixon - 'Disco'

UNSW Cricket Club | February 16, 2023

Jim Dixon made his first grade debut for University of NSW in 1979 after moving to Sydney from his home town of Goulburn.

He took 397 first grade wickets at an average of 25.10 and his best figures were 5 for 44. He took 5 wickets in an innings on 11 occasions.

In a grade career with UNSW spanning from 1979 to the 2006/07 season Jim played 402 games taking 561 wickets at 22.98 and scored 7,724 runs at 23.06 including 5 centuries and 37 half centuries.

Jim was affectionately known as Disco and let’s find out more about his journey playing for UNSW.

What year you were born?

1960 (30 November, to be precise)

Can you remember you first game of cricket?

I don’t remember the first game, but I do recall heading down with a group of mates to join up with a local junior club (Goulburn RSL) to “trial” and sign up to play for the first time. I reckon it was Under 9s so perhaps in Sept/Oct 1968 and I remember a Bill Howard was running the session and he became our coach for at least a couple of years.

Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?

Early junior cricket (Primary School years) with Goulburn RSL. I went to St Pat’s College in Goulburn so played for their under-age teams (finished in U14s) and then played 1st XI for them. When school cricket wasn’t on, I played local grade cricket for the St Pat’s Old Boys Club. I played a season of PGs for the old Sydney Club while still doing Years 11 and 12.

I moved to Sydney to go to Uni (well, the real intention was to play sport) and played for University of NSW from 1979/80 up until 2006/07. So my cricket has only ever been based in either Goulburn or Sydney.

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

I was 18 when I made my Sydney grade debut and it was the first match of the 1979/80 season in first grade against Bankstown at Bankstown Oval.

Can you remember how you performed in your first grade debut?

It was the one day game against Bankstown, declaration match (I am not sure if it was scheduled as that or whether we were washed out the previous week?). Up against 2 very big names (Lenny Pascoe and Ian Davis) and opening the bowling at the other end to Geoff Lawson…first game!!!

You can imagine how excited a green, teenage country cricketer would have been.

Really flat dead wicket so Lenny and Henry were nullified to a certain extent. But Ian Davis was my first wicket. Caught by Terry Buddin at 3rd Slip.

My first ball he flicked through mid-wicket for 4, 2nd ball backward of point for 4, then he nicked one just short of 2nd slip. I think I got him in my second over after the ball misbehaved off something in the wicket and caught the shoulder of his bat. As a youngster I had always loved watching Ian Davis play cricket so getting him out (regardless of the luck involved) was something I would dine out on…up until this very day. Match ended in a boring draw.

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

If describing myself, I would have to say I think my roles varied over time. At school I would say I was definitely a bowling all-rounder. My first 1st grade game I batted at No 11 and I didn’t start moving up the order, really, until my second season. So no doubt I was only an opening bowler at a 1st grade level. Had more success later on with the bat as my bowling became less effective (I think I aged badly - well before “my time”) and played quite a few years as primarily a batsman in 1st Grade. But I would be the first to admit I did not have the mental ability required to be a 1st grade batsman – I probably only continued in 1st Grade as a batsman because I was the skipper for many years and had a big say in selections (ha ha).

What was your highest score in senior cricket?

I got a couple of scores around the 130-140 mark in 3rd grade when I retired from 1st grade after season 1997/98. I got two 1st grade hundreds and I am pretty sure they were both 106no…both against Manly and both at the Village Green. The first one was batting at No 8 and the second was opening the batting about 8 years later. The second one was in the second innings so I am told it doesn’t really count.

What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?

I took quite a lot of 5 wickets in an innings over the years but could never manage any more than that for some reason. One of those 5 fors clearly stands out as it was against a very good batting line up at Bankstown Oval in the season we won our Club’s second 1st grade premiership in 1980/81. Four of them bowled and one lbw. Interestingly our Club Old Boys have been going through a process of revisiting in some detail the seasons we won the premiership, so that 5 for is now fresh in my memory. Trevor Macdonald, Gary Crowfoot, Rod Bower, Steve Smith and Bob Vidler – the first 5 wickets to fall in their innings.

Who have been the best three fast bowlers you have played with or against?

Over so many years the “Best 3” decision is almost impossible for me to nail down. The stand out fast bowler I was involved with is undoubtedly our UNSW Club Legend, Henry (Geoff Lawson). Pre his serious back injury his fast bowling was unmatched by anyone I have played cricket with or against (including all the NSW/Aust fast bowlers who have played grade cricket in my time).

Outside the obvious other candidates (Whitney, McGrath, Lee, Clark, Holdsworth, Rowell, Skilbeck, Done, Stobo etc) my personal batting experiences would probably see Steve Bernard, Evan Gordon and Don Nash as 3 very honourable mentions. I faced Steve Bernard in my first season in Sydney and it was my first experience of hearing the ball thud into the keeper’s gloves before I really saw it. Evan Gordon was so good he did not pale in comparison to his opening bowling partner Mike Whitney and at times bowled even quicker than him with more variation. And Don Nash was so deceptively quick. He knocked me over 3rd ball of our innings at Fairfield one day. It may have been too quick for me to have seen properly but I will swear it hit a good length heading for leg stump but knocked back the top of off stump.

Who has been the best three spinners you have played with or against? 

During my years of first grade our club had so many top-notch spinners I have to mention them first – Mark Ray, Paddy Gratten-Smith, Steve Campbell and Ian Salisbury were stand-outs.

And we played against many very good spinners. I could try and name them all but I will try to stick to the “top 3” as requested. The best, by my reckoning was easily David “Cracka” Hourn. He was the left-handed Warnie - before Warnie’s time - but suffered from knees and eyes that prohibited his progress to the very top level. Had everything in his armoury, and I mean everything. I recall an experience when I was in the State Squad (as a very fringe player basically a bowling machine at practice). I think it might have been the last training session of the season before I was given a bat in the nets and I got to face Cracka for 20 mins. I had never experienced any bowler where I felt I could just not get bat on ball…well, I did get bat on a couple, but only to get caught behind.

Greg Mathews is probably next. Just so much variety and control and was effective on any type of wicket. And, because of my “love” for leg spinners I reckon Tom Shiner would be the third mention. Good control, good variation of pace through the air and off the wicket. He didn’t need to turn the ball a lot. Lots of wickets over his career – we always found him a bit of a handful.

UNSW captain Mark Ray comments about Jim Dixon performance in the 1980/81 season

Who has been the best 3 batsman you’ve played against?

I have played against many Test and 1st Class batsman so I should probably identify the 3 best performed of those Test players. But I will stick to the players who played a lot of 1st Grade and who I believe (maybe with more opportunities) just might have made it at the very top level. And I will correlate this with the years (early 80s) where I thought my bowling was still at or near its best and, accordingly, the batsmen I found most difficult to bowl to. I think that reference point is the most relevant for me to be commenting on.

Rod Bower, Greg Geise and Phil Marks. I felt that there were plenty of occasions bowling to any of those 3, that they were almost treating my bowling with “contempt”. All very powerful players with most shots in the book. They could take a game away from you in the blink of an eye and their wickets were always celebrated with a little extra significance.

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

Having played with Michael Slater many times you can imagine that has produced some highlights – and it has – and Greg Livingstone from our club produced some real gems (one in particular against Randwick at Coogee Oval alongside a Slats’ Gem). But I tell this story often about what I really think was the best innings I witnessed, though I won’t go in to as much detail here. And it was a score of 160 (or 180) not out by our opening bat, Jamie Baker at the Village Green against a full strength (at the time) Bankstown bowling line up (consisting of Holdsworth, Scott Thompson, a young and surprisingly quick Mark Waugh, Kenny Hall and David Freedman).

It was a chanceless and almost faultless innings that commenced with appropriate caution, developed into complete control and finished with out and out dominance to chase down a competitive total. He was a much underrated player and if the selectors had seen that innings (or paid any attention to it, as we were not a better performing side at that point in time) I feel sure he would have seen more representative appearances.

Was there any batsman in particular that stirred the emotions and competitive spirit where you really wanted their wicket?

No, I don’t think so. I just wanted to bowl at anyone really. But maybe Paul Calvert at Parramatta might stand out. He was a good and well-performed player and, for me, always frustrated us. I felt like I was going to get him out all the time but I reckon he must have scored 2 or 3 hundreds against us over the years. So when we managed to get him there was a sense of real satisfaction (as long as he hadn’t already reached that ton).

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

Chris Hanger debuted in 1st Grade with me in 1979/80 and was just outrageously good standing back, but even moreso over the stumps. Nimble and light on his feet with soft exquisite hands. I am pretty sure he did not drop a catch in our 1980/81 premiership winning season (though our recent discussions of that season saw him confessing that he remembers dropping one diving down the leg side off Henry).

I played a fair bit of my cricket in the days prior to keepers needing to be bona fide batsmen in the team. Chris’ batting meant he would never get the accolades other keepers received but his pure keeping skills were better than any I have seen. We had two keepers later on in that same mould. Not quite at Chris Hangar’s level with the gloves (but a close second) and also tail end batsmen…Michael Back and Michael Kovacs.

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

So many I admired over the years…this really is a tough one. So many extremely skilful players and everyone so competitive.

So I might focus on fielding here. I have always thought you see the really skilful athletes in this domain. AND, again, I seem to have been having recent discussions on many of the questions asked here, and fielding ability among players we have seen was discussed at some length. So, at the top of the list, for me, is Mark Waugh…his fielding skills (anticipation, hands, movement) were freakish and only matched by a bloke who played for us and may be little known to many grade cricketers, past and present….though I am sure those who played us quickly became aware of the weapon we had in the field. And that is Tony Pratt.

Over twenty or thirty metres he was lightning quick, really good hands, one of the best arms I have seen, agile and a fielder we could use as an attacking weapon in the deep (if need be) or in the in-field. He never spent any time in the slips so that might have been his only weakness. But the two of them were the most skilful I have seen in an area of the game I rate so very, very significantly.

Actually, there is Trevor Chappell as well. Wow….you don’t run if the ball is hit near him.

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

Henry (Geoff Lawson) – he is a very intelligent individual and astute and instinctive cricketer. Read batsmen and playing scenarios better than anyone I have played with. A game was never meandering when he was in control and he always had a great strategy to try and arrest a game in our favour. Nothing always works out but Henry’s ideas and strategies tended to more often than not.

Many of my team mates in my earlier years would throw John Rogers up as the best captain but he was before my time so I guess I can only mention his legendary status at our Club.

Jim with Geoff Lawson

Who has been your funniest team mate?

Has to be Jim “Jungle” Robson. Played with him forever and arguably he calmed down gradually over the course of his long cricket career but he always continued to have a joke or anecdote that he would tell enthusiastically and entertainingly to the joy of all involved (including himself). There wouldn’t be too many cricketers in Sydney grade over the years who didn’t know Jungle, or know of him. Just one of the great blokes I have been involved with and the life of any party or gathering he was involved in.

Jim Robson

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

I think because I am not very good at retelling jokes or good stories I tend to forget them easily – because there is no point me retaining them. So…I know that I have been around many great on field cricket exchanges and when people remind me of them they often bring a tear to my eye from laughter.

The example I will provide involves Jungle whom I have just mentioned in the previous question, and it is not exactly banter or an exchange as such. But the whole scenario always gets me laughing.

We were playing Manly at Manly Oval in maybe November 1980, the year we won the competition. We had managed to roll them for about 120 (I think) and were 100 at the end of play for no wickets lost. It was a Saturday Sunday game and the match was basically over.

We really got on well with the Manly boys. Sammy Mesite, Bob Ricky, Phil Marks, Greg Hill, Tom Purcell etc and their captain was Barry Rothwell (who was a State selector at the time.

I think nearly every player went over to the Manly Rugby Club across the road on the Saturday night….and many were still there as the Club was trying to close its doors for the night.

Most notably our No 3 batsman for the next day (next man in) Jim Robson required some assistance in leaving the venue and getting home to Paddington (where he lived in those days). Getting Jungle to the ground the next day had some issues and having to wait at the aptly named Spit Bridge for about 20mins (with Jungle bent over in the Park near the Bridge) contributed to us arriving at the ground with about 5mins to spare.

We lost an early wicket and Jungle went out to bat to a round of applause from the Manly players. Legend has it that first ball (though he may have faced a few balls) he decided to charge their office (Mark Kroschell), clean missed it and Jungle just kept jogging off the ground without even feigning any interest in getting back in his crease.

What was your most embarrassing dismissal in senior cricket?

We were playing Easts at the Village Green in the early to mid-90s and I was captain. I won the toss and decided to bat on a pretty good wicket. I gave the team a stern talk before the match about how we really needed to finish off the season strongly because we hadn’t been playing well but had a chance to salvage some wins and respect.

I was opening the batting and typically liked to take the first ball (I always reckoned it was the perfect ball to start with because most bowlers would only be starting to warm up). My big chance to lead by example.

Anyway, Kyle Thompson was their opening bowler and he is a very good bowler. But this came out like the coldest warm up ball ever delivered and it looped on to a length just outside off stump. I dutifully waved a little half-hearted defensive shot at it and nicked a loopy little catch to first slip.

It seriously all happened in slow motion and could arguably go down in history as the worst cricketing moment ever in 1st grade. If slip had have dropped it would undoubtedly have been the worst. My great example saw us rolled for (I think) under 100. Very embarrassing from the skipper!!!!

Who was your childhood hero?

I have never been comfortable with the word hero but I know what it is trying to get at. Plenty of heroes for me in many ways – starting with my mum and dad.

But cricket wise I always adored Ian Chappell and Denis Lillee. Obviously two absolute stars and icons of Australian cricket. I have an enhanced respect for Ian Chappell, in particular, as I learn more of his ideas and attitudes to things non cricket related.

Ian Chappell

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

Colin Kaepernick, Muhummad Ali (if he was still alive) and David Pocock.

Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?

Skull (Kerry O’Keeffe), that is a no brainer. Not only uniquely entertaining and funny, but such a wise cricketer and analyst of what is going on out on the field (or nearby, if his attention is grabbed).

What was your favourite ground to play at?

Pretty hard to not mention your own home ground when it is a good as the Village Green. It is such a “tragedy” that it is being lost to the cricket world, and to the UNSW generally…seemingly a function of changing priorities in a world driven by profit seeking agendas.

Manly and Coogee ovals are hard to beat for location (and don’t forget back in the day, Rushcutter’s Bay Oval was just a spectacular venue). Sydney Uni No1 is a beautiful setting, Petersham Oval had the most character.

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

Over so many years the answer to this question chopped and changed.

In my early years it was ANY team as I just wanted to get stuck into the enormous challenge of it all and basically every side was strong and rep players played a lot of grade cricket.

I guess our team used to particularly enjoy playing Northern Districts as we seemed to get on particularly well with them…a lot of really good blokes and special efforts made for post-match socialising. Though there were also some massive post-play celebrations with a lot of clubs (most notably I recall Syd Uni, Waverly, Randwick, Petersham, Manly (see earlier Jungle incident)…and Wests had a great set up at Pratten Park in their change rooms).

So, it was often the social aspect of coming up against certain teams that created anticipation.

What do you enjoy most about playing cricket?

I have always been a “sport junky” so the competitive side of things, trying to improve (particularly as a team) and enjoying the physical and mental tests that are thrown at you are obvious benefits with sports like cricket and rugby that I played. But the game of cricket seemed to have a greater ability to expose you to changing circumstances and conditions that added so many levels of examination and enjoyment. And the length of time over which the game took place meant there were so many opportunities for things to fluctuate and change – sometimes due to your own efforts or input – sometimes due to others - sometimes due to pure chance.

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

My most memorable (and important, to me) moment was when I first learned about my dad’s cricket. He was a very modest man and never spoke about his achievements. Even when asked direct questions he would not dwell on himself for more than a few seconds before changing the topic. But, he played for Qld (in cricket and rugby) before WWII and at some stage when I started to get in to sport, my uncle and Aunts started telling me about his accomplishments. When I heard he got Bradman out twice, and caught him once for a duck, I recall that moment and its significance in my desire to play cricket. I learned later that Bradman was in his hundreds for one of those dismissals…and in his 200s for the other…but, hey, it is still pretty impressive don’t you think. The only time dad talked about his Bradman dismissals s to say that Bradman had scored heaps…AND that when he caught him for a duck his home crowd booed because they had come to see Bradman bat.

Jim's dad’s Qld team for their Southern Tour in 1938-39

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

Our Premiership win in 1980/81 against Northern District at the Village Green. Many of the old boys at our Club have just gone through some serious reminiscing around that premiership (and the previous one - 1976/77) so lots of stuff fresh in my mind. I did play that weekend under the effects of the early stages of a serious bout of Glandular Fever, so my memory is even more faded than usual AND I missed the more immediate celebrations. But it was a massive and important win for the Club - and coming at the start of my senior cricket career it gave me confidence and credibility that helped me for a long time.

Mark Ray leading the team off after the premiership win against Northern District

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

Wow…impossible to limit it to 3. There are so many entertaining characters, but even moreso many with amazing lives that I would love to hear more about. From my own club and many from other clubs too. I would need a lot of Saturday arvos to get through the long list I could come up with. And, thankfully (at least as far as my own Club goes) we have plenty of catch up opportunities and that is fantastic.

What are your hobbies?

Golf and the Richmond Tigers.

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

In more recent times it has been “don’t be scared to use the Texas Wedge”

More seriously, on a cricket note, it was “you need glasses”

Then, if I want to be seriously serious, it is the educational advice that “everyone learns in different ways” and then extending that into the obvious concept that learning is a life-long thing. To never stop realising that we need to keep learning and, in particular, understand our cognitive biases and work with and around them.

What is your current occupation?

Domestic Duties for the last 10 years after moving to Canberra. My wife has a far greater earning potential AND interest in her career, so it was an easy (and attractive) option for me.

I spent my first 18 years as a tax consultant with the big accounting firms and enjoyed very little of that work. So I retrained as a Primary School teacher just before heading to Canberra in 2008 where I spent a year teaching, then a couple of years casual teaching before “retiring” to do a bit more in co-ordinating all the “family” things.

My golf has definitely benefitted, particularly as the kids have grown up.

Let’s give your wife’s business a plug, what’s the name of the business?

My wife is a Dermatologist, Woden Dermatology in Phillip, Canberra. Dr Diana Rubel. But she doesn’t need the plug as she is constantly swamped for patients in this town with far too few specialist doctors.

Henry and Whit have both publicly given her a wrap as far as her expertise is concerned so that is nice

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

No, but still follow the progress of my old club and get involved in the myriad of social catch ups we old boys have. My kids aren’t into cricket at all!!!!

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?

I have been out of the game for so long and have not followed it closely enough to feel like any advice I have should be taken with any relevant importance.

Like many sports it (unfortunately) seems that money rules at the end of the day. I would love to change that!!! But I wish Cricket NSW well in keeping NSW cricket strong and successful as I think it is a game whose participants can enjoy at so many different levels. So, the more who play it I think the better for all.