Gary Donlan - touch opponent
Penrith Cricket Club | February 19, 2023
Gary was a likeable rogue, a bit of a larrikin in every sense of the typically Aussie word. He played rugby league as a youngster, where he was a strong running centre with St Mary’s in the Metropolitan Cup but injury turned him to cricket, where he had come through the junior and senior ranks of the Penrith RSL Club.
He first played for Nepean in 1974/75. He figured in the First Grade Premiership wins of 1978/79 and 1982/83. Team-mates called him ‘The Kid’, which was an affectionate acknowledgement of the probability that he had some boxing skills and enough headstrong bravado that, if he’d been invited into the ring at Sharman’s boxing tent at the Royal Easter Show in years long gone, he’d probably have leapt at it.
But at Penrith it was his off-spinning skills that were legendary, a combination of subtlety, flight, aggression, biting turn and a most effective arm ball. He had the match-turning talent of taking big hauls of wickets (best against Manly, 7/57 in 1981/82 and 8/92 in 1976/77). He also held a unique record: he took a hat-trick (v Bankstown in 1978/79) but, on another occasion, famously had that one missed by a wicket-keeper, a couple of outside edges and a stumping. He said to the unfortunate ‘keeper, best left nameless, through gritted teeth, “I’ll get a ball with a rattle in it for you!”
He was a dependable low-order batsman and with Ron Hall set an eighth wicket First Grade Record Partnership of 103 v Balmain in 1977/78.
Between Premiership wins, buoyed by his good Grade performance and encouraged by the success of team-mates Peter Clough and Steve Small, he left suddenly for Tasmania hoping to fashion a First-class career. The spur of the moment element is reflected by this moment: Steve Small came home late at night to find Gary asleep on a car bonnet, “the only warm spot” he could find outside Steve’s house in wintry northern Tasmania!
He played out his career with the Consumers in the local Nepean Association Competition. Career: 1388 runs @ 16.92; 275 wickets @ 17.43.
Gary passed away suddenly in February 2006. He was 52.
Penrith Cricket Club First Grade Premiers 1978-79
Back Row - Ken Hall, John Benaud (Captain), Peter Clough, Steve Small, Trevor Everest, Steve Frances;
Front Row - Tony Radanovic, Les Andrews, Ron Halse, Gary Donlan, David Laming, Graham Thorpe.
