Max Bonnell - develop skills to compete
Sydney University Cricket Club | March 15, 2023
Max Bonnell is a life member of Sydney Cricket Association, a former Chairman of Sydney University Cricket Club and a significant contributor to the game of cricket on and off the field.
Let’s find out more about Max Bonnell's cricketing journey
Firstly, what year you were born?
1962
Can you remember you first game of cricket?
Trinity Grammar School Under 12s. I didn’t play before then because I went to primary school in Uganda, and there was really no cricket played at that age level in the country then. I don’t remember anything about batting or bowling but do remember I was the only player in the team who was able to hold a catch. This must have been the only time ever that I was the most reliable fielder in my team.
Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?
In Grade, Western Suburbs 1979 to 1987, Sydney University 1987 to 1997. I also played in England for Warwick University and Stourbridge in the Birmingham League, and I played in Sydney University’s City and Suburban team until I was fifty. I took just under 500 wickets in Grade, but it has to be said that this included a lot of Fourth Grade tailenders on dodgy pitches.
What other sports do you play?
I played Rugby Union for Sydney University and Warwick University before I had my ribs smashed in 1985 and thought better of it. It was normal at that time for Grade players to have a winter sport too – at Wests we had a lot of Rugby players, a handful of Leaguies, and a fair few guys who played State League soccer. The seasons overlap so much now that it’s very difficult to play two sports to a decent standard, which I think is a pity.
Who is your favourite sports movie or documentary?
Bull Durham.
What’s the one thing about you most people don’t know about?
I dismissed all four Waugh brothers in Grade cricket (mind you, I don’t think any of them had turned 18 when I did it). Also, on my Grade debut for Wests, I batted number three. That didn’t last.
The Waugh boys
What’s your highest score in senior cricket?
I hit 47 not out, for Sydney University in Third Grade I think, at Sutherland Oval. Four sixes. I remain convinced that James Hay got out at the other end only because he thought it would be a travesty if I got to fifty.
What have been your best bowling figures in senior cricket?
8-67 for Wests against North Sydney, Second Grade, 1983-84. My second game in Seconds, and I remember it all vividly. I wasn’t supposed to be playing, but someone dropped out late. I turned up at North Sydney Oval and one of the senior players in my side welcomed me with “what the $%^! are you doing here?” We made 192 in a 60 over game, on a very flat deck, and I bowled the second over of Norths’ innings. For the first few overs I was just concentrating on not getting smashed, but then Peter Fitzgerald nicked an outswinger to slip, and Brian McMahon missed a straight one first ball, and I got a bit of confidence. I squared up Vern Kringas with an outswinger and Kevin Davidson came in. He could hit the ball as hard as anyone in Sydney, but I had a plan to get him caught and bowled. It worked – twice – but the flaw in the plan was that he smashed the ball back at me so hard that I had no chance of holding it either time. I lost my composure a bit and overcompensated and dropped one short – the worst ball I bowled all day – and Davo nicked it. My eighth was Jock Baird, who was genuinely unlucky to be given lbw when an off cutter hit him in line with leg stump. I walked down towards the huddle and the next thing I saw was Jock’s bat flying past my head! I bowled 29 overs straight and had the first eight wickets with Norths 8-182. Dave O’Neil bowled the 59th over with Norths needing ten to tie, and he bowled Mark Baldwin and then there was a direct hit run out, so we squeaked in by ten runs.
Who have been the best three fast bowlers you have played against so far?
I was troubled by anyone who could propel the ball 22 yards. That said, purely in terms of pace, the young Mike Whitney was really quick, before he had a heap of injuries – he seemed to be all shoulders and arms. And people don’t recall how fast Dave Gilbert could be. One guy who won’t be remembered much is a Queenslander, Ron Buchholz, who died a couple of years back. He was amazingly fit and strong and had a Thomson-like slinging action, and he could be phenomenally rapid. He was a star in the under-19s but had hamstring problems and never kicked on as he might have. But when he hit you, it hurt!
David Gilbert
Who has been the best spinners you have played against?
Two stand out. David Hourn – a unique talent. And Greg Matthews, who probably did as much with the ball as any finger-spinner of his time. In the nets, Steve Jansz at Wests could turn it sideways in just about any direction, but for reasons I never grasped he had lost the confidence to do it out in the middle.
Who have been the best batsman you’ve played against?
The best batsmen I bowled to in Grade were Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist. But the one I really hated bowling to was Phil Weatherall from Sutherland. Every time I bowled to him, he watched the first ball respectfully, realised how slow I was, and then charged absolutely everything else. He never got a very big score against me, but it was traumatic bowling to him. One year he middled one to mid-off and was run out because he’d come so far down the pitch to me, he didn’t have time to get back.
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Dirk Wellham scored 152 not out, I think, against Central Cumberland (now called Parramatta) one year to help Wests chase down 300. It wasn’t so much an innings full of memorable shots, more that in five hours he simply didn’t make a single mistake. In those days, Dirk tended to carry the batting a bit, so he had to score most of the runs while also making sure he didn’t get out. People seem to remember him as a successful captain, but his batting was seriously under-rated.
Who has been the best wicket keeper you’ve seen first-hand playing with or against?
Greg Dyer. Especially standing up.
Which two umpires did you respect the most?
Graham Reed and Graeme Chudleigh. And when I started out, you often came up with Tom Brooks in the lower grades. It was uplifting to see someone who had played for NSW and umpired Tests who was still happy to umpire in Fourths and pass on the benefits of his experience. Tom always insisted on proper standards – if you were bowling and your shirt came untucked, he let you know, quietly but firmly, that you needed to fix it. And within an hour of the game starting, he always knew the names of everyone on the field.
Max Bonnell awarded life membership of Sydney Cricket Association
Who has been your funniest team mate?
Maybe John Coyle from Wests. A tall fast bowler, quick and nasty when everything clicked, which didn’t always happen. He was only hilarious because he wasn’t trying to be. One day at Hurstville we were chasing 300, and he decided to give a motivational speech before play started on day two. He told us, “I want you batsmen to remember two words today – concentration, application and dedication. And 300 isn’t so many – we all need just to score 25 each.” Maths wasn’t his strongest point. On the circuit, there was no one funnier than Murray Radcliffe.
Who was your childhood hero?
In cricket? Doug Walters.
Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?
Look: I knew a guy who used to love the band, the Go-Betweens. One year, the band went on tour, and this guy followed them, going to watch every night. After about the fifth gig, the band’s manager came out to see him and said, I’ve seen you’ve been in the audience every night, that’s fantastic support, would you like to come backstage and meet the band? And his answer was, “No! What if I don’t like them? It would spoil everything.” And I agree with this approach – if you don’t meet your sporting heroes, you never run the risk of spoiling the positive impressions you have of them.
Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?
Kerry O’Keeffe, when he talks about cricket rather than frogs! He has the finest ability to analyse the game of any commentator. And anything Ian Chappell has to say is worth hearing.
Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
John Grimble, at Sydney University, was an exceptional competitor. In a side that wasn’t always very strong, he never compromised his own standards and worked incredibly hard to make the most of his talent. And John Saint was an icon at Sydney University in the late 80s and early 90s – he would have been a complete all-rounder in any era of the game, and if he were playing today, every T20 franchise in the world would be after him.
What did you enjoy most about playing cricket?
The sound of spikes on a dressing room floor. The beer at the end of a 40 degree day when the other side hit four for 300. Making connections that last a lifetime. And what I particularly enjoyed was that the fact that on any given day in Grade cricket, I was the least talented player in whatever side I was in. But cricket is a skill-based game, and while you can’t acquire talent, you can develop skills if you work hard. I got immense satisfaction out of competing with players who were far more gifted than I ever was.
Max Bonnell at the launch of his book "Lucky" with publisher Ken Piesse
Which ground in Sydney club cricket did you enjoy playing on the most?
Before they flattened it out, Pratten Park was a pie-chucker’s paradise.
What has been your most memorable moment in cricket?
That would probably be the Stationary Ball Incident of 1984. Wests against St George at Pratten Park, and I was batting with Albert Alonso on a typical Pratten minefield. St George had a medium pacer called David Cullen who ran through us and took five for less than twenty. Anyway, he ran in to bowl to me, and as he was just about to release the ball, it slipped and went straight up in the air, and came to rest about one third of the way down the pitch. As the Laws of the game then stood, I was allowed to hit the ball, and the fieldsmen had to remain still while I did so. I didn’t look like scoring a run any other way, so I walked down to have a go. Just as I started to swipe at it, mid-off started to move, and (this is my story and I’m sticking to it) because of that distraction, I took an airswing. All the fieldsmen shouted “run him out!” so Cullen ran for the ball. I took another swing, and this time connected with Cullen’s shin, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. The umpire called “dead ball” and announced that because the fieldsman had moved, I was allowed to take yet another swing, but I decided not to risk further humiliation and retreated back to the crease. This story may help to explain why I never took up golf.
What are your hobbies?
Time with family. Travel. And writing books. I’ve published more than a dozen, including a lot of cricket history.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
When I was 14, as a birthday present, I was given a week at Barry Knight’s coaching centre in King Street. Richard Stobo was there that week, too. At the end of the week, Barry used to write up a report. And he gave me this report which analysed, in cruelly accurate detail, all the things that were wrong with my batting technique and bowling action. It was spot on, the single best analysis of my cricket anyone ever did. Unfortunately, he didn’t get round to telling me how to fix those problems. I guess you had to go back for a second week for that.
What is your occupation?
I’m a lawyer, with a particular specialisation in international arbitration, which is essentially cross-border commercial disputes between large corporations. After three decades in international firms, I’m now part of the team at Henry William Lawyers with Mark Faraday. I’m also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Sydney University, and teach there from time to time.
Max Bonnell Book "Dainty" - the Story of Australian Cricketer Bert Ironmonger
