About Me
Evan Atkins
Cello Paper
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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answered
Q: Who is the one player from Sydney Grade Cricket who played between 1980 and 2000 you’d want as the first player selected if you had the opportunity to start your own NSW Premier first grade cricket team?
A: Lots to choose from but have to be Steve Small. Lead from the front and let his bat do the talking
question
Q: Evan Atkins - my best captain
Barry Davison was my captain in 3rd grade in 1983. He led a young team like the pied piper and he was inspirational with his batting, making some opposing spinners cry with his sweeping and lofted off drives.
His field placements and bowling changes during that season as I think back were beyond a lot of the players cricketing comprehension. We really had no idea what he was doing, we just followed the leader.
Looking back, he was so far ahead of the game I didn’t appreciate the minutia at the time, but it was amazing.
Lenny Pascoe was a different kettle of fish. 1985 we were a very young first grade team finding our way. Justin Kenny, Mark Chapman, Phil Weatherall, Kevin Tuite all very inexperienced and happily following Len around, a few of us in our first seasons.
We played UNSW at Caringbah and Geoff Lawson had just jumped off a plane from a successful Ashes series and very keen to play grade cricket. Friday night there was a huge storm in Caringbah and there were holes in the covers. When the covers were removed there was a one metre circular wet spot just short of a length at the northern end. You could squeeze you finger into the patch up to the first joint on your index finger. Anyway, the young Sutherland side were on tenterhooks as Len went out to for the toss. He walked back towards the rooms motioning that we were batting. He closed the dressing room door and announced to the team that he had won the toss but decided to bat on a wet wicket to see how his young batsmen would react and handle the situation
I played most of my first-grade cricket under John Dyson. After the ban he and Steve Rixon had post the rebel tour to South Africa, Dyso decided to go to Sydney Uni so he could captain a first grade side while Stumpa took the reins at Sutherland.
As a wicket keeper I followed Dyso to Uni and the way he blended a side together with stalwarts like Mick O’Suilivan and John Grimble was amazing.
The Uni side was young with some serious talent but he had the nous to bring that side together into what was a happy well-functioning side.
We both returned to Sutherland, and he mentored players like Jake Kenny, Phil Weatherall, Glenn McGrath, Mark Chapman to maximise what they had as cricketers. As a 40 year old he played some inspiring knocks against the likes of Holdsworth, Killen, Alley and a few slower nemesis’s I won’t mention.
Barry Davison was my captain in 3rd grade in 1983. He led a young team like the pied piper and he was inspirational with his batting, making some opposing spinners cry with his sweeping and lofted off drives.
His field placements and bowling changes during that season as I think back were beyond a lot of the players cricketing comprehension. We really had no idea what he was doing, we just followed the leader.
Looking back, he was so far ahead of the game I didn’t appreciate the minutia at the time, but it was amazing.
Lenny Pascoe was a different kettle of fish. 1985 we were a very young first grade team finding our way. Justin Kenny, Mark Chapman, Phil Weatherall, Kevin Tuite all very inexperienced and happily following Len around, a few of us in our first seasons.
We played UNSW at Caringbah and Geoff Lawson had just jumped off a plane from a successful Ashes series and very keen to play grade cricket. Friday night there was a huge storm in Caringbah and there were holes in the covers. When the covers were removed there was a one metre circular wet spot just short of a length at the northern end. You could squeeze you finger into the patch up to the first joint on your index finger. Anyway, the young Sutherland side were on tenterhooks as Len went out to for the toss. He walked back towards the rooms motioning that we were batting. He closed the dressing room door and announced to the team that he had won the toss but decided to bat on a wet wicket to see how his young batsmen would react and handle the situation
I played most of my first-grade cricket under John Dyson. After the ban he and Steve Rixon had post the rebel tour to South Africa, Dyso decided to go to Sydney Uni so he could captain a first grade side while Stumpa took the reins at Sutherland.
As a wicket keeper I followed Dyso to Uni and the way he blended a side together with stalwarts like Mick O’Suilivan and John Grimble was amazing.
The Uni side was young with some serious talent but he had the nous to bring that side together into what was a happy well-functioning side.
We both returned to Sutherland, and he mentored players like Jake Kenny, Phil Weatherall, Glenn McGrath, Mark Chapman to maximise what they had as cricketers. As a 40 year old he played some inspiring knocks against the likes of Holdsworth, Killen, Alley and a few slower nemesis’s I won’t mention.
answered
Q: ‘This article was produced by Mosman Cricket Club and published by the Mosman Daily newspaper in 2000-01
Saturday’s results against the University of NSW proved that Mosman’s top order batsmen are gradually overcoming their reputation of susceptibility.
There were two big centuries and six half-centuries scored across the grades, with the 153 scored by first grader Andy Strauss a highlight of the round.
Equally impressive was new recruit Rex Sellers who continued his giant killing run with an unbeaten 132 in third grade.
Equally prolific at the moment is new recruit, Rishad Contractor, who shared a massive partnership with Sellers and along the way helped himself to 97 runs. Contractor has taken the club by storm this year and, at his current rate, will be in first grade by Christmas.
Saturday’s results against the University of NSW proved that Mosman’s top order batsmen are gradually overcoming their reputation of susceptibility.
There were two big centuries and six half-centuries scored across the grades, with the 153 scored by first grader Andy Strauss a highlight of the round.
Equally impressive was new recruit Rex Sellers who continued his giant killing run with an unbeaten 132 in third grade.
Equally prolific at the moment is new recruit, Rishad Contractor, who shared a massive partnership with Sellers and along the way helped himself to 97 runs. Contractor has taken the club by storm this year and, at his current rate, will be in first grade by Christmas.
https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/340/mosman-cricket-club/blog/1273/mosman-batters-come-good-against-university-of-new-south-wales
A: What a great article - witty old fashioned writing. Loved it.
answered
Q: David Capel was the first professional cricketer to play with Petersham-Marrickville DCC when he joined the club for the 1991-92 season. Overseas professionals in Sydney Grade Cricket had become quite regular since Wesley Hall joined Randwick in the 1965-66 season. Hall’s impact on the club and the competition led to a number of other high-level players joining Grade clubs in the 1970-80s, the most notable being Tony Greig and Geoff Boycott with Waverley, Barry Knight with Mosman and Mike Gatting with Balmain.
With Petersham-Marrickville being touted for some time as a club likely to be forced into a merger or wound up altogether to cater for the need to establish Western Sydney clubs, the committee was looking to improve its standard of play and competitiveness. The loss of a number of experienced players such as John Bain, Mark Atkinson, Bart Pozuelo, Pat Farhart and Warren Pepper gave every indication that season 1991-92 was likely to be a real struggle.
With Petersham-Marrickville being touted for some time as a club likely to be forced into a merger or wound up altogether to cater for the need to establish Western Sydney clubs, the committee was looking to improve its standard of play and competitiveness. The loss of a number of experienced players such as John Bain, Mark Atkinson, Bart Pozuelo, Pat Farhart and Warren Pepper gave every indication that season 1991-92 was likely to be a real struggle.
https://www.cricconnect.com/profile/258/randwick-petersham-cricket-club/blog/1217/david-capel-1963-to-2020
A: Played at game at Petersham oval against David and in that season and I came in late in the innings - he bowled a cracking Yorker and broke my right big toe. Painful injury but happy to carry the badge from such a great bowler.