Anthony Stuart
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | May 22, 2023
Many of Australia’s greatest bowlers have spent a career performing outstanding deeds without taking a hat-trick. In Anthony Stuart’s short career playing for Australia, he did just that–and in only his third match!
It was 1996-97 and after Anthony had played seven matches for NSW he was selected in three One- Day International matches for Australia–one against West Indies and two against Pakistan. In the second match against Pakistan at the MCG, he took an amazing 5-26 including a magnificent hat-trick, to reduce Pakistan from 2-29 to 5-29 in the space of three balls.
Opening the bowling with Queensland’s Tony Bichel, Stuart had two early wickets when he had Aamer Sohail caught by Darren Lehman for 6 and one run later, Bichel snapped up Zahoor Elahi for 1 to have Pakistan reeling at 2-20. Nine runs later in his sixth over, Stuart had Ijaz Ahmed caught by ’keeper Ian Healy for 2. Mohammad Wasim was next man in but edged Anthony’s first ball to Healy who again accepted the catch. The crowd of 48,218 was high in expectation as the Pakistan wicket-keeper Moin Khan strode to the wicket on a hat-trick. It had happened in Australian cricket only once before in ODIs, when Bruce Reid took three wickets in three balls against New Zealand at the SCG in 1986. But there was about to be a second, as Khan snicked the first delivery he received into the very safe hands of skipper Mark Taylor at slip. A hat-trick! Australia won the match 7-182 to 9-181cc.
Unfortunately for Anthony, he suffered an injury after that historic feat, and it was generally considered that but for that incapacity he would have been a strong contender for the South Africa and English tours which followed shortly after. He never played for Australia again.
Anthony Mark Stuart was born in Newcastle on 2 January 1970. He joined Randwick in 1993-94 from his home town where he had been named Country Cricketer of the Year for 1992-93. He took 31 wickets and scored 129 runs in a rather subdued first season. However, the following summer he showed his capabilities as a right-arm fast bowler, when he headed the 1st Grade bowling figures with 45 wickets at the impressive average of 18.16. His best was 6-31 against North Sydney when he bowled with great pace. He also scored 192 runs including innings of 79 and 52* and was named Randwick Most Promising Player.
His performances attracted the attention of State selectors and he made his first-class debut with NSW playing in the final two matches of the 1994-95 season. He took two wickets in his debut match against Western Australia at the SCG, bowling Adam Gilchrist and having Mike Veletta caught behind for a duck.
In 1995-96 Stuart took 26 wickets at 17.0 in 1st Grade. And while he missed five matches through shin fractures, he managed to take 6-43 and 3-44 in the outright defeat of Western Suburbs at Pratten Park. He also played six times for NSW in Sheffield Shield, taking 25 wickets at 13.40 with 4-22 his best.
Randwick saw little of Stuart in 1996-97 through NSW commitments early in the season before his call-up to the Australian side. He only bowled a total of 86 overs in the season in 1st Grade taking 15 wickets. In the first round, he had a big game against Petersham-Marrickville, top-scoring at no. 8 with 84, before taking 3-67 with the ball, although the match was lost.
After four seasons, 117 wickets and 624 runs with Randwick, Stuart decided to change clubs and prior to the start of 1997-98 season, moved across to Eastern Suburbs where he took over the captaincy of the 1st XI. He also played for NSW for two more seasons finishing with a first-class career record of 70 wickets.
When he retired as a player, Stuart took on a development role with the NSW Cricket Association before moving to New Zealand where he captained the Wellington first-class team. In 2011, he returned to Australia as coach of the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues.
