Michael Back - put a helmet on Stan
UNSW Cricket Club | May 20, 2023
Michael Back is UNSW Cricket Club first grade player number 67 having made his first grade debut during the 1985-86 season.
A wicket keeper batter with high energy levels Michael was affectionately known as “Stan” and today Michael is an oncologist (cancer specialist) who manages people affected by brain cancer. We dip our lid Michael.
Let’s find out more about Michael’s journey in the game
What year you were born?
1965
Can you remember you first game of cricket?
My family was very much rugby based, but at aged 8 former NSW and test cricketer Grahame Thomas visited my primary school and ran a game of ‘continuous cricket’. Was put behind the stumps and knew it was for me.
Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?
Schooling was at Waverley College so we all played Green Shield at Waverley, where we were absolutely horrendous private schoolboys out of our depth losing every game in my first year, including an outright loss against St George before lunch.
Subsequently landed on my feet at University of NSW, where I played first grade from 1985-1995. That was a great spirited club with plenty of legends, and inspiring players who mixed their cricket with their professional careers. Geoff ‘Henry’ Lawson and Michael Slater were test players with large club involvement.
At end of medical school in 1988 did three month work experience in Zimbabwe and lined up a season for Old Harare Cricket Club in Zimbabwe’s National League playing alongside their test players.
In 2001 moved to Singapore as a cancer specialist and also played for United World College Cricket Club, a “village” cricket competition which included opening the batting with Ross Edwards who approaching the age of 60 would get padded up for the innings and then smoke a pipe.
At what age did you make your first grade debut in grade cricket and can you remember how you performed in debut?
Had first grade debut in 1985 at age 19 in a one day game, keeping to Henry against Dirk Wellham, Greg Dyer and Greg Matthews. Remember keeping well and running out Greg Matthews at non-strikers end with a relayed throw. But when batting at end of innings Henry had one look at me facing Dave Gilbert and knew he definitely had to farm the strike and start to slog.
Michael Back runs out Garry Baldwin from Fairfield
What were your strengths as a player?
My Waverley College First XI coach Brother Murphy, at school assembly cap presentation described me as having 1% ability and 99% determination…I believe it was meant to be a compliment but probably summarised the situation. Was always highly competitive, had good reflexes but appalling technique.
Is it true you never wore inners when you were wicket keeping? If so can you share the reasons why?
I disliked the way that padded inners limited my finger movement so never used them at school. Keeping in first grade and intense training drills was always going to be a challenge so worked a strange but effective solution to protect the palm my dominant (right) hand. This involved massaging Blu-tak into a warm ball and shaping it to cover the tendon sheath on my upper palm. Then I would get a simple cheap cotton glove, cut off all of the fingers, and then shape that it into position with the Blu-Tak. Once on, it did not come off for the rest of the day, and was then put into rubbish. At lunch and tea, I looked a bit like Michael Jackson (when he was politically correct) wearing just a single glove on one hand.
1985-86 UNSW Annual Report - First Grade Captain review
1986-87 UNSW Annual Report - First Grade Captain review
1987-88 UNSW Annual Report - First Grade Captain review
Who was the best spinner you had the good fortune to keep to?
Definitely Jamie Baker, as a leg spinner he had plenty of deceptive deliveries and for my first two years I could not pick his wrong-un.
Who was the best fast bowler you kept to?
Geoff Lawson would swing and seam the ball, bowling a test match line and length with plenty of good grade players not getting near an outside edge. I remember Geoff Milliken at peak form being bowled without offering a stroke after being beaten by three prior deliveries that seamed away from him. Henry was obviously quite quick at times, and remember completely misjudging one of his deliveries which hit me in the sternum and the ball rolled all the way back to the stumps. Immediately all I could think of was Ewen Chatfield the New Zealander who had to have CPR on the field.
Geoff Lawson
Was there anyone bowler who you really enjoyed keeping to?
Jim (Jungle) Robson, as an off spinner, used every delivery available except one that turned. Had to always be alert to him as he would intermittently bowl a metre behind the crease. His on-field commentary was always entertaining, either at first slip or bowling.
Can you recall a catch or stumping that still fills you with pride and puts a smile on your face?
Rod Bower had a long history of dominating us with big off-drives. Jungle theorised that he was weaker off his pads so we decided to bowl continuously outside leg stump to the point of annoyance. Eventually after yet another one from seamer Tony Pratt moved two feet outside leg stump he immediately exploded on both bowler and umpire so took the opportunity to throw down the wickets…out stumped. The shouts on the field were only outweighed by the subsequent noise coming from the dressing room.
What was your highest score in senior cricket?
63 not out against Wests at Pratten Park in the hour before stumps with most runs scored off the edge between Dirk Wellham at first slip and Scott Hookey at gully. Needless to say there was a lot of coaching advice coming from that region between deliveries.
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Steve Waugh at Jensen Park in my first Green Shield (under 16) game. We had Bankstown 2-8 chasing 230 and both Waugh’s were now at the crease. Twenty six overs later (and two lost balls somewhere in a nearby industrial park) I was able to stump Steve for 149. Playing private schoolboy cricket I had never seen anything like this before and it completely changed my view of cricket.
In grade Graeme Smith hit 188 for St George at Hurstville and I remember it being the most exhausting longest day in the field as he completely dominated anything we did. For UNSW it was Greg Livingstone’s 201 not out at Trumper Oval against Waverley, no errors and a lesson in concentration.
Steve Waugh
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?
Playing in Zimbabwe National League for Old Harare in 1988 we had a good side and had a top of table clash. Local hero Graeme Hick had arrived from UK soon after his 405 in County Cricket and was in my side, whilst Peter Rawson the Zimbabwean opening bowler was in the other team. Local media had built up the occasion and a big crowd was present. For myself, I had been in more of a holiday vibe and was a bit distracted by the medical work, but now realised I could not really be anonymous and felt the pressure. All went well, with Hick smashing 100 and a victory. Do not think I would do well in current grade cricket where games are live-streamed.
Graham Hick
Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Mark Atkinson from Petersham and later Tasmania. Great hands, highly competitive and particularly annoying on the field.
Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?
We had a crucial game at Campbelltown on a wicket with a big ridge that Shane Lee and a young Brett Lee were hitting causing a lot of physical grief for our team. When I came out to bat looking very nervous and tapping down the pitch at the level of the ridge the guy at short leg turned to me and said “Hey Doc, you have probably seen a lot of really bad head injuries in your time”. Needless to say I was then caught behind off the thigh pad next ball but was probably already preparing to walk before being given out.
As a doctor I would generally be the one who attended any injury on the field, relocating dislocations and attending to any head injuries or split fingers. But when providing that assistance there would usually be plenty of sledges related to my competence. It worked to our advantage when David Moore from St George went down with abdominal pain after lunch and I was consulted in the dressing room. My incorrect diagnosis of acute appendicitis meant he had a trip to the Prince of Wales Hospital Emergency with the subsequent 4 hour waiting time ruling him out for the rest of the day.
During one season as a junior doctor I was rotated to Bankstown Hospital with twelve hour shifts overnight which would interfere with training at UNSW. As a result Bankstown allowed me to train at their sessions before attending work, which was interesting concept. One evening after running fielding drills with their lower grades and copping sledges in my bumblebee cap, went off to work and my first patient in Emergency was one of bemused sledgers who had subsequently dislocated his finger.
What was your most embarrassing dismissal in senior cricket?
As amateurs, Grade cricketers’ work commitments often impacted and unfortunately many good players, especially those self-employed, had to quit cricket too early. As a hospital doctor I worked in the era of 36 hour casualty shifts but managed to run favours and swaps to free up weekend days. However a Sat-Sun game at Balmain also corresponded with 12 hour overnight shifts on both Fri and Sat nights, which essentially meant a no sleep weekend. The Saturday went surprisingly well with 8 dismissals in their innings, but by Sunday after tea I was completely shot. Facing Andrew Jones first ball I completely missed the delivery out of his hand and next heard the stump rattling. Walked off without looking but was called back by their players, who then gave me the stump which had been cracked in half and asked me to arrange a replacement one.
UNSW First Grade team for the 1987-88 Limited Overs Quarter Final
Who was your childhood hero?
Without a doubt it was Rick McCosker who I saw score 80+ in an Ashes game in 1974 at the SCG, and also he worked at the Rural Bank of NSW like my father. Perhaps he was a tragic hero, and I sat in fear watching him face Andy Roberts in 1975 and generally snicking him to Derrick Murray in the first couple of overs. The Centenary Test jaw fracture just heightened the admiration.
RickMcCosker
What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?
Any game that we beat Sydney University, especially an Intervarsity Final.
Best advice you have received
From Jim Dixon at UNSW: “Stan, you better put on a helmet”.
What’s your occupation?
I am an oncologist (cancer specialist) who manages people affected by brain cancer. My practice is based at Royal North Shore Hospital and I also run the Sydney Brain Tumour Clinic working at multiple hospitals around Sydney, Central Coast and Western NSW. It’s a large clinical and also academic/research role.
