Tony Pratt - fielding can win you cricket games
UNSW Cricket Club | February 23, 2023
Tony Pratt made his first grade debut for UNSW Cricket Club in 1985 and in a career spanning 16 seasons Tony scored 5,264 runs for the club at an average of 22.79 including 5 centuries and 21 half centuries.
With the ball Tony took 270 wickets at 30.66 and took 5 wickets or more in an innings on 9 occasions.
A dynamic fielder with a terrific arm Tony also took 111 catches for UNSW.
Let’s find out more about Tony’s journey in the game
Tony Pratt bowling. UNSW v Northern District at Waitara Oval
What year you were born?
1966, in Caringbah however I grew up the country regional NSW
Can you remember you first game of cricket?
I think I was around 8, and it was at a town called Pallamallawa (population about 250) in north western NSW. Can’t remember who I was playing for, but at the time we were living at nearby Gravesend (population about 250), where Dad was the licensee of the town’s pub. No idea how I went, which would suggest not great…
Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?
My first real club (given I can’t remember who I played for at Pallamallawa) was the Marist Brothers Cricket Club in Lismore, where I lived from the ages of 10-18. After moving to Sydney in February 1985, I played the rest of that season with Waverley, then from 1985/86 to 2001/02 I played with University of NSW. In 1988, I spent a season with Clackmannan County CC in the Scottish County Championship.
In which grade and at what age did you make your debut in grade cricket?
Age 18; it was either 3rd or 4th grade, for Waverley at the back end of the 1984/85 season.
At what age did you make your first grade debut in grade cricket and can you remember how you performed in debut?
I was 19 when selected in the UNSWCC 1st Grade one-day team to play Balmain at Drummoyne Oval in November 1985. I actually did ok – took 5/37 off 10, 2 catches and a run out, and we won. This 1st Grade stuff seemed easy!
If you can share with our audience, how would you describe yourself as a cricketer?
I was a fairly average allrounder – the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” best describes me as a cricketer. That said, my all-round contributions were enough for a long career in 1st Grade. I was a left-hand bat, bowled left-arm medium pace until I converted to left-arm orthodox in the mid 90’s.
What were your strengths as a player?
I suppose the fact that I was a genuine allrounder. As for the actual facets of the game; relative to my peers, my fielding - rather than batting or bowling - was my strength. I had speed across the ground, a good arm from growing up playing baseball, and good hands – and I loved fielding. I genuinely believed fielding could win matches, and approached it accordingly.
What was your highest score in senior cricket?
138, for UNSWCC 3rd Grade, David Phillips Field, 2001/02.
What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?
6-43 for UNSWCC 1st Grade v Parramatta at Old Kings in 1993/94, bowling left-arm orthodox.
Who were the best three fast bowlers you have played against?
Brett Lee…because he’s Brett Lee. Lethal. On a side note, I believe – though am not 100% sure - I was his first 1st Grade wicket – caught S. Lee for bugger-all at Raby Oval sometime in the mid-late 90’s. I sent him on his journey!
Neil Maxwell – deceptively quick, always aggressive and at you. Hit the deck hard.
Andrew Jones – very quick. He could move the ball at high speed. Was left-handed, which made him a different proposition. Was the only bowler I can recall that hit me in the head with a bouncer.
Brett Lee
Who were the best three spinners you have played against?
Gavin Robertson – accurate for long periods. Had to work hard as a batsman to both stay in and get runs off him. Got a lot on the ball for an off-spinner.
Tom Shiner – prolific leg spinner (I think he took over 400 1st Grade wickets); lots of weapons in his arsenal and lippy to boot!
David Freedman – left-arm leggie with an unusual action and a great wrong-un.
Gavin Robertson
Who were the best 3 batsman you’ve played against?
Greg Hayne – rock solid opening bat who scored more than 12,000 1st Grade runs. I reckon a good chunk of them were against us. Seemed to just love occupying the crease. Shows how hard it is to play First Class cricket regularly when a guy like that only played 7 games for NSW.
Mark Waugh – don’t really need to explain this one. I remember we did get the upper hand on him in one game, at the Village Green in 1987/88, when we ran him out before he faced a ball! Couldn’t believe our luck.
Kevin Roberts – classic stroke maker with a superb technique. Racked up a gazillion runs with a combination of power and elegance.
Greg Hayne
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
I’d have to say Michael Slater’s 184 for UNSWCC v Randwick at Coogee Oval in 1991/92. It was a privilege to play with Slats and get a close-up view of his sublime skills. On that day he took apart a pretty good attack, unleashing the combination of range, power and technique that he would soon deploy against the best attacks in the world.
If I could mention an honorary second one…Adam Gilchrist smashed a hundred against us at the Village Green. Not sure what season, but it was just before he left for WA so he was starting to get noticed. We certainly sat up and took notice that day – like Slats at Coogee, he displayed the style of shot making that the cricket world would soon see often. He put a Geoff Lawson bouncer into the adjacent tennis courts at one stage. Henry wasn’t accustomed to that.
Michael Slater
Was there any batsman/bowler in particular who for whatever reason always seemed to cause you a few problems?
Well, on a personal level, most of them. From a team perspective, we always seemed to have difficulty getting Phil “Skid” Marks out. Skid was a very good allrounder for North Sydney, who played a handful of First Class games. He seemed to enjoy playing against us, and invariably tormented us with the bat, ball, in the field or all three. He also had the biggest hands I’ve ever seen.
Phil Marks
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?
I faced Mike Whitney for the first time when I opened one day against Randwick on a greenish wicket at Coogee Oval. The first ball zinged into me in the air at pace; just short of a length. I got nowhere near it with the bat; it hit me on the front pad (was bouncing too much to be LBW) and I just thought “geez I barely saw that…this is Mike Whitney with the new ball and I’m just some nufty from Lismore”. Whit didn’t get me out, but nor did I “knuckle down” - the guy up the other end got me cheaply!
Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Hmmm, that’s hard. Would probably be out of Paul Ryan (very neat, which seems to be a good attribute for a keeper), Mark Atkinson and Phil Emery.
Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
Most 1st Grade players have good doses of both, so it’s hard to isolate two. Brad McNamara certainly had a high all-round skill level and was fiercely competitive. You always knew you were in a contest when you came up against him (mainly because he would tell you). The other guy I would probably single out is Jim Dixon, a teammate and captain at UNSWCC. “Disco” was a premiership-winning (1980/81) allrounder who hated losing, and hated even more anyone not giving 100%, whether playing, practising or drinking in the pub after the game.
Jim Dixon
Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?
Geoff Lawson. Astute, strategic thinker, aggressive. Always strived to move the game forward and make something happen, employing innovative fielding changes and bowling strategies.
An honorary mention for my father, Barry, who I played under as a teenager in Lismore 1st Grade. Dad was a good cricketer who captained Sutherland 1st Grade in 1972-73. He was a deep thinker about the game and an excellent man-manager. We batted together only once, and I ran him out calling for a ridiculous single. Quiet around the dinner table that night.
Geoff Lawson
Who were the umpires you admired most in terms of decision making and the way they were able to manage a game?
Simon Taufel – calm, knew his stuff and had a good rapport with the players.
Arthur Watson – same as for Simon. Lovely bloke; could always have a laugh with him.
Tom Brooks – I think Tom might have been in his last season as an umpire the year I started in 1st Grade. I was a bit in awe of him because he was a Test umpire when I was growing up – stood in the Centenary Test! A real gentleman.
Tom Brooks
Who has been your funniest team mate?
Andrew Shaw. Shawry and I played together at UNSW in the 80’s and 90’s, and he remains a good mate. I don’t think he would mind me saying that his storytelling has surpassed any of his on-field performances. He’s just a natural.
Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?
I was batting against Bankstown at the Village Green in the late 80’s, and facing Billy York, their left-arm leggie. He served up a juicy waist-high full toss, which I lined up to put over the mid-wicket fence. However I missed it completely, and it hit me flush in the nuts. I was writhing in pain on the pitch, when Steve Small loomed over me and growled “I got hit in the nuts by Joel Garner, so get that into ya!” Played his cricket hard, did “Jack”.
Back Row – Graeme Kightley (Manager), Gerard Pratt, Anthony Waddell, Darryl Buchanan, Michael Wilson, Craig Culnane, Grant Doorey, Br. Bernard (Manager)
Front Row – Paul Everingham, Tony Pratt, Andrew Fitzhenry, Paul Ryan (Captain), Alan Birimac, John McGuiggan, Michael Chee Quee
What was your most embarrassing dismissal in senior cricket?
I shouldered arms to a Parramatta quick one day at the VG, and the ball crashed into off/middle. That was embarrassing enough, but the bowler (can’t remember his name) gave me an absolute gobful and, not being in the best of moods, I picked up the bail that was lying at my feet and threw it at him. A bit of a melee ensued…after which I trudged off feeling pretty stupid.
Who was your childhood hero?
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?
Trent Robinson, Adam Scott, Clayton Kershaw (LA Dodgers pitcher)
Trent Robinson
Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?
Toss up between Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting on TV; Jonathon Agnew on radio.
What was your favourite ground to play at?
The Village Green, at UNSW in Kensington. Beautiful cricket oval, with a great deck. Was my summer home for many years. Great times with good mates – including in the dressing room after a win. Sadly, it no longer exists as a cricket ground. Sacrilege.
Was there a particular team you especially looked forward to playing against?
No particular team, but I looked forward to any time we came up against Test or Shield players – which was more often back then than now. I loved the challenge of playing against those guys; it really focussed you. If you managed a few runs or wickets it was a great feeling. Of course, the outcome usually demonstrated why they were First Class players and I wasn’t, but I still enjoyed it.
Tony Pratt batting against Sydney University
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
My first (and only) 1st Grade hundred – 121 opening the batting against Manly in 1997/98. That it took me until my 12th season in 1st Grade to achieve that milestone basically sums up my under-achieving career. But anyway, it was a wonderful feeling to finally get one, made even better by sharing a second-wicket partnership of 246 with Slats (he scored 149; came in at no.3 when I was on about 25; got his hundred when I was in the 60’s!) and we won outright after declaring our second innings at 0-0. One of those games that was all too rare in my career.
What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?
Probably that one at Manly. The game I mentioned earlier against Randwick, in which Slats scored 184, was also memorable. He and Greg Livingstone (126) shared a 253-run partnership, we declared our second innings at 0-0 and won outright. The other reason it was memorable was that we celebrated hard at the Coogee Bay Hotel afterwards, and at about midnight a few of us wandered back to Coogee Oval to relive the victory, where we witnessed a couple doing the business at deep square leg. Great days!
Who are the three players from your playing days at the top of the list for a Saturday afternoon barbeque?
That’s hard, because I played with a great bunch of guys throughout my career at UNSWCC. It was the time of our lives – we got to play a game we loved, at a high standard, working hard at training and on the weekend side-by-side with guys that were good mates. The Saturday nights were equally memorable.
Anyway, I need to pick three blokes. There is a core group that I still socialise with regularly and with whom I go on a golf trip once a year, so I will exclude them for this exercise, and go with these guys who I see less often:
Greg Livingstone – “Livo” was an excellent opening/top order bat for many years for UNSW, scoring 7,500 1st Grade runs and winning two premierships. He and his wife Glenda were very good to me in my early years in Sydney, and are still close friends today. Livo loves a good red…hopefully he will bring one for once!
Geoff Lawson – love talking cricket with Henry, whether it be about technique, bowling strategies, or general issues in the game. He always has an opinion and expresses it forthrightly! I also owe he and his wife Julie a debt of gratitude - their house, pool, spa, fridge and Henry’s gear cupboard were always open to UNSW cricketers throughout my career (and probably still are). Many of us had moved to the city from the bush and were finding our feet, so Henry and Julie’s hospitality and generosity were a bit of a lifeline.
Michael Back – “Stan” was our 1st Grade wicketkeeper for many years, debuting the same season as me. He was a rather unorthodox cricketer, but nevertheless compiled a very impressive record behind the stumps. He was a handy no.9 bat, contributing important runs many times with his unique, somewhat hyperactive style that could drive opposition attacks to despair. He was talkative on the field (never met a ‘keeper who wasn’t), but being a medical student, Stan’s patter was generally a bit too cerebral to be understood by most cricketers – including us teammates! We shared a house for a few years, with Slats, which was a lot of fun.
UNSW CRicket Club First Grade team 1989-90
What are your hobbies?
The NRL - the Sydney Roosters in particular; golf and a good pub.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Like everyone, I would have received a lot of advice, but I’m struggling to remember anything in particular. Henry once spent about half an hour giving me a one-on-one masterclass on bowling strategies and field placings; I remember thinking how it made so much sense and was excited about putting it into practice. Trouble was, the lesson was delivered at the pub at around 11pm on a Saturday night after a game, and when I woke up the next morning I couldn’t remember a word of it.
So, I’ll go with advice my Dad drummed into me when I was growing up: “if you can’t be a cricketer, at least look like one”. He was big on respecting the game and looking neat and tidy on the field. So throughout my career, when I was being tonked to all parts or trudging off after another low score, my shirt was always tucked in!
What is your occupation?
I am a Property Development Manager for Woolworths, sourcing and developing new retail sites.
Are you still involved in cricket and if so, in what capacity?
Does attendance at the SCG Test each January count? Other than that, only via my participation in UNSWCC Old Boy’s days every March (pre-Covid anyway).
If you were running a state cricket association what would be your 2 priorities to ensure cricket in the state remained strong and successful on and off the field?
I can only come up with one. It seems to me that for cricket to retain its place as the pre-eminent summer sport in Australia, the elite teams need to start reflecting the diversity of the population. I’m fairly sure grassroots teams do, so the challenge is retaining as many of those young players as possible as they rise through the age groups. The benefits would be twofold – more talented players to choose from, and a widening of the supporter base as more Australians see themselves represented in elite cricket.
