Matthew Nicholson - hard work, be positive

Gordon District Cricket Club | April 12, 2023

Matthew Nicholson made his first grade debut for Gordon in 1992 and went on to play one Test for Australia and overall he played 124 first class games for NSW, Western Australia, Northamptonshire and Surrey.

He took 406 first class wickets at an average of 29.91 and took 5 wickets or more in an innings on 11 occasion. His best bowling figures in first class cricket was 7 for 62.

In first class cricket Matthew scored 3,258 runs at 23.78 including 4 centuries and 6 half centuries. His highest score was 133.

In Premier/Grade cricket in Sydney Matthew took 228 wickets at 17.58 and also took 5 wickets of more in 11 innings. His best bowling in Sydney was 7 for 49.

Matthew played for Scarborough Cricket Club in Perth and is Australian Test Cricketer No 380.

Let’s find out more about Matthew’s journey in the game

 

What year were you born?

1974

Where did you go the high school?

Knox Grammar School

Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?

Under 11A vs Shore. I bowled 3 overs 0-11 and scored 6 not out including a broken window!

Where did you play your junior cricket?

 Knox Grammar School until 15, then Gordon DCC and Knox Grammar School

Which clubs have you played for?

Gordon DCC in Sydney and Scarborough DCC in Perth

What age did you make your first grade debut?

17

Who were the three batsman you admired most in terms of skill, their competitive spirit and how they challenged you in Sydney Grade Cricket?

Moises Henriques as a young player had such great balance and struck the ball so cleanly. Always seemed to make runs against us.

Jeremy Bray – supreme talent.

Rodney Davison – made the opposition work for his wicket every time. Obdurate, under rated.

Who was the fastest bowler you played against in Sydney?

Andrew Jones, daylight second.

Who was the best spinner you played against in Sydney?

Greg Matthews

Who were the best three bowlers you played against in Sydney Grade cricket?

Mitchell Starc – didn't know it at the time but he caught my eye as a youngster one day at Chatswood. He bowled 3 very quick overs 2nd change at the end of the day. Turned out to be pretty handy!

Ken Hall – accuracy and longevity

Anthony Stuart – Fast, grumpy, and skillful. Dangerous combination.

Anthony Stuart

Who played the best innings your saw in Sydney Grade Cricket?

Craig Simmons, on a green wicket in a semi-final at Sydney University against a Shield strength attack (S Clark, I Moran, S MacGill, G Matthews). Made a hundred before lunch on day 1 and the game was over.

Who were the two players you admired most in Sydney Grade Cricket in terms of their skills and competitive spirit?

John Davison – supremely talented in all three aspects of the game. I loved the way he went about the game and he was a great player to have on your side. Capable of amazing match winning batting, bowling and fielding. He had a very good playing career and I always thought in a different time and place with a bit of luck he could have played a lot for Australia.

Nathan Ashley – A great competitor, awesome player of spin and the best fielder I’ve seen.

John Davison playing for Canada in the World Cup

What was it about the Gordon club you enjoyed most?

Gordon was my local club where I grew up, full of history and has always produced talented players. The core of volunteer administrators and supporters at the club are second to none.

You left Sydney to go to Western Australia. What prompted the move?

I was 21 in 1996 and had just spent two years at the Cricket Academy in Adelaide. NSW was very strong and I wasn’t anywhere near the selectors radar.

When did you make your first class debut for WA and what can you remember about the game?

1996 first game of the summer vs the touring West Indies. I had taken 11 wickets in my first grade match for Scarborough DCC and Jo Angel had hurt his knee that weekend. The tour match was the next week and I was lucky enough to be called up.

The wicket at the WACA had a disease and all the grass had died. I took 3 for 94, Windies total was 5 for 441 and I got hit in the thigh pad 15 times by Courtney Walsh. I ended up LBW to Carl Hooper for 5. Got my 1st wicket, Adrian Griffith, caught behind by Adam Gilchrist. We lost the game by 9 wickets with Shiv Chanderpaul making a nice hundred.

What was your most memorable moment playing for WA?

Taking the final wicket (Damian Fleming) to win a Shield game late on day 4 by 2 runs at the WACA vs Victoria

You’re Australian Test Cricketer Number 380. Can we ask?

How did you find out about being selected in the Australian test team?

 I was sitting on a plane on the tarmac at Perth airport, ready to fly back to Sydney for a short break over Christmas. The plane was delayed so the airline staff could get me off in time. I rang Jane Parsons from the WACA using a rather large mobile phone borrowed from another passenger. Initially I was reluctant to get off the plane until Jane said I’d been selected to play in the Boxing Day Test due to start in 3 days.

What did it mean to you to play Test cricket for Australia?

Representing my family and the people of Australia on the cricket field was a great honour and one that wasn’t lost on me. It was the culmination of years of hard work and a rare opportunity in life to do something really special.

Can you remember who gave you your Test cap?

Not sure, I think in those days the captain presented it, so if I had to guess I would say Mark Taylor.

What do you remember about your test debut?

It rained the whole of day 1, we bowled day 2 in freezing weather and swirling wind. Alec Stewart made a nice hundred and Stu MacGill got 5 wickets. I went ok but wasn’t completely happy with my rhythm. I was very pleased to get 4 wickets for the match but unfortunately we lost chasing 180 odd in the 4th innings. Dean Headley and Darren Gough bowled swiftly and swung the ball reverse and England deserved their win as Australia wilted under pressure. I did my best to support Steve Waugh in the 2nd innings playing an uncharacteristically defensive role. In hindsight I wish I’d had the courage to play a shot or two and we may have won.

Matthew celebrates the wicker of Nasser Hussain

What was your most memorable moment playing first class cricket in Australia?

The Shield final win for NSW against Queensland in Brisbane in 2004-05. NSW had the better of the game bowling Queensland out cheaply in the first innings and getting into a strong position chasing 180 odd in the 4th innings. Martin Love made a typically stylish 100 for them in the second innings to give them a target to bowl at.

Bichel, Dawes, Noffke and Symonds were strong with the ball and never gave up. NSW collapsed from 4 for 158 to 9 for 161, I was a part of that!!

MacGill and Bracken got us home 9 down with a partnership of 22 in the dark at The Gabba. The best two 11 not outs I’ve ever seen.

Who were the best 3 batsman in first class cricket you came up against?

Darren Lehmann, could play at any tempo and could hit any single ball in multiple different places on the ground. Was superbly balanced with unbelievable control of his blade. 20 years ahead of his time.

Martin Love, always unhurried and in control. One of the most underrated players in domestic cricket for his entire career. Played all the shots with unflappable elegance and ease.

Michael Di Venuto, loved to sit back against me and cut and pull off a good length. Always found him hard to bowl to, attacking mentality and very skillful.

Who was the quickest bowler you played against in first class cricket?

Shaun Tait

Who would you consider to be the best spinner in your time playing first class cricket?

Stuart MacGill

Was there a particular moment in any game where you thought, wow, this player is a step above the rest?

Darren Lehmann vs NSW at the SCG in 2003/4. We set them 520 to win in the 4th innings. Lehmann made a mockery of our very strong attack scoring 226 at a run a ball. He literally hit us to all parts and it was the first time I thought it was almost impossible to bowl to a batsman. He was in complete control. We were lucky he laced one to Steve Waugh at cover off Stuart MacGill still with 70 or so to get, otherwise we would have lost. Won by 25 in the end.

Who were the two players you admired most in first class cricket in terms of their skills and competitive spirit?

Jo Angel – absolute gentleman with a huge heart who got every ounce out of himself. He was adaptable, resilient and finished the 1st class game with an outstanding record.

Simon Katich – lucky enough to be on his team most of the time. Tough, resilient and clever. Also knew his own game inside out and was committed to doing it as well as possible his way. The most genuine person off the field, refused to give the opponent an inch and all times he was a team player, often putting his own aspirations and ego second to team requirements.

Who was the best wicket keeper you saw first-hand playing with or against?

Ian Healy. Unbelievably soft hands and unerring concentration, appeared to be resistant to mental fatigue.

Honourable mention to Craig Glassock from Manly, he could have achieved great things with a bit of luck.

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

Winning club premierships for Scarborough DCC. The pleasure it brought to the club and its supporters as well as the players involved is what it is all about for me.

Who’s been the biggest influence in your cricket career?

Bob Thomas. My first cricket coach, absolute enthusiast for the game and life. He developed my initial interest in the game into a real love and passion. Without Bob’s early influence I may have followed a different path. He was full of positive words and phrases that still come up in my life today.

Who would you consider to be the best captain of the team you played in?

Steve Waugh – spent enough time with each player to provide accurate, honest feedback to help the player and the team achieve their best. Simple plans executed with confidence go a long way!

Matthew celebrating a century against Western Australia in October 2007

Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?

Dylan Connell, lost the ball in the outfield at Howell Oval one day and the Penrith boys ran 5.

Who is your favourite all time cricketer?

Keith Miller. I was lucky enough to meet him once and was introduced to his on field deeds as a youngster through a family friend who played with him. All-rounder extraordinaire with all the character and skill to back it up.

Keith Miller

What was the best win you were involved in?

Shield Final 2004/5

What did you enjoy most about playing Premier/Grade Cricket in Sydney?

The mateship. I had two stints in Sydney, 7 years apart. My own game/life was completely different as was the cricketing and club environment. Both eras were full of characters and interesting people and I’m blessed to have spent many years playing with some good friends.

Did you have any cricketing superstitions?

Too many to list! When you shave, what you have for breakfast and the route you drive to the ground shouldn’t mean anything!!

Matthew celebrating a wicket bowling for NSW

What’s the best advice you ever received?

“Stay out of the politics”

Are you still involved in Cricket and if so, in what capacity?

I love coaching and fast bowling. I’m lucky enough to still be involved with some of the quicks at Gordon. I also coach some talented kids, trying to help them navigate the twists and turns trying to develop a career.

Do you like the modern game and what can the game do to make it better?

I love it, the skills and athleticism in all three disciplines are the best they’ve ever been. Australia is blessed to have a fantastic trio of quicks with some depth starting to appear as well. I hope they keep a decent balance between the 1st class, 50 over and T20 competitions. At some stage the good of the game needs to come to the fore, we don’t always have to grow ($) at an exponential rate. Too much T20 may spoil that form as well. I’d like to be able to sit in the outer and enjoy a Shield game when I’m old and grey but I fear that might be a thing of the past by then.

What advice would you offer a young 18 year old who has the ambition of playing Test cricket?

Find a good mentor/coach and get your base game sorted out. Be relentless in your pursuit of excelling in at the basics.

What are your hobbies?

Coaching, swimming, beach.

What is your occupation?

Medical Education Specialist for Device Technologies an Australian owned distributor in the orthopaedic market.

Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?

Look after the players/people and everything else will take care of itself.