Nev Kratzmann - Queensland Veterans Cricket

Queensland Veterans Cricket | February 03, 2023

By Nev Kratzmann

I was born in 1943 into a keen cricketing family. We were a farming family and played cricket in the summer and tennis in the winter, but cricket was our first love. Our farm was in the Windera district about halfway between Murgon and Gayndah. Windera Cricket Club started in 1913 and we had a team in the South Burnett competition playing against Kingaroy, Murgon, Wondai, Goomeri, Cherbourg and Kilkivan teams.

My dad and his brothers were good players and Uncle Freddie opened the bowling for South Queensland country with Eddie Gilbert. He moved to Wellington Point after he came back from the war and has the No. 2 Oval named after him at the Redlands Cricket Centre. He was classed as the best all-round cricketer to come out of the South Burnett. My dad was a fast out-swing bowler and hard-hitting batsman, and after bowling well against Wests at Gracemere, they wanted him to play in Brisbane but farm and family came first. 

All my cricket was played in the bush. There was no junior cricket and Windera only had an A Grade. I filled in for them and at about 17 started to get a bit better of a go. I played for South Burnett, Wide Bay and was picked to play against India (washed out) and Mike Denness’s England side. I also played for South Queensland Country against North Queensland Country twice, and the Queensland Shield side twice, and was captain of South Queensland Country versus Queensland in Kingaroy. 

I played against Brisbane Norths in Gympie and got 4 for 30 off fifteen overs. After the match, the Norths Captain came into the dressing room and asked me to come and play for Norths in Brisbane. But I had got to the stage where I was putting all my efforts into my family. Shortly after we moved to Toowoomba for both education and sporting reasons, where Anne studied for her Teaching Diploma, and I was captain/coach and sole selector of the Institute Cricket team. From not winning any matches the year before, I took the team through to the finals in the first year.

At 35 I gave my cricket away and concentrated on farm, family and our children’s’ sport and education. We played tennis as a family in fixtures and many tournaments around Queensland. I returned to local cricket and Over 40s cricket in my 50s, and when my grandson Jacob was 13, I took a team of 14-year-olds and a few seniors into the local B Grade competition. I enjoyed helping these young players to reach their cricketing potential and teaching them sportsmanship and the ethics of the game. We had a lot of fun together.

Nev driving on the over 70s,tour of U.K in 2016

The most memorable game I’ve played in was South Queensland Country playing the Sheffield Shield side in Bundaberg in a two-day game. They batted first and got 550 and gave us Sunday after lunch to get the runs. Greg Chappell got 150. It was worth being on the field to watch that innings. It was one time I was glad I wasn’t in the team to bowl. I batted three and was in in the first over with two balls to face, Jeff Thompson bowling and the only fielder in front of square on either side was Sam Trimble at silly mid-on. The first ball I was at least a metre behind it, and Sam laughed, and I laughed too. I ended up being 14 not out when it rained and got the trophy (bottle of Bundaberg rum) for the highest score in our team. I hit Thommo for 2 fours, but he also got me on the shoulder with a bouncer.

Probably a big highlight of my life has been helping my family to make Queensland and Australian sides. Garry Beutel, my sister’s son, captained Queensland Under 17 in Perth about 1978 and got a hundred on the WACA in the final.

Our son Mark played for Queensland Primary Schools in cricket and tennis in 1977/78 but decided to concentrate on a tennis career and played Davis Cup for Australia. He was dominant in junior cricket and got 9 hundreds in 2 seasons in Toowoomba. I was told that after we left Toowoomba they changed the rules to facing 50 balls because of Mark. Mark was also a good bowler and got picked to play for Queensland in Grade 6 after getting 25 wickets in 5 games in the state trials. He went to Sydney with the team and played against the Waugh twins, and with Craig Mc Dermott. After he retired from tennis he retired to the Sunshine Coast where he played cricket in the first grade for a couple of seasons, also playing some first-grade matches for Scorchers in Brisbane Grade cricket. 

After he married, Mark went to Hong Kong and was coaching tennis for the Hong Kong Cricket Club and they asked him to play cricket in their competition, in which the Pakistani A-Side played. He made 7 hundreds for the season and was selected as Cricketer of the Year for Hong Kong, and was also selected to play for Hong Kong in the third tier of the World Cup, played in Darwin.

Son Andrew didn’t have the same chances with junior cricket. He played for Queensland Under 18 in tennis and was in the Australian Davis Squad (Six Players), a few times. He is now a keen 49-year-old playing A Grade cricket for Tewantin Noosa and is amongst the top run-getters on the Sunshine Coast every year. 

My cousin’s sons Mike (Sheffield Shield) and Shane (QSPSC) Polzin were in junior teams that I coached. Our daughter Leanne is a Homeopath and Bowen Therapist, and Amanda is Director/teacher of the Murgon Creche and Kindergarten. Leanne married Ashley Sippel, and Amanda married Troy Dennien, both very capable cricketers. Grandsons Jacob and Samuel Dennien and Jared Sippel are now playing or have played A Grade cricket in Brisbane, with Jared also travelling to Sri Lanka with the Under 15 Australian team. Our grand-daughter Courtney Sippel has a contract with Queensland cricket and has played in Australian Junior teams. I also helped Tom Carney, (Qld U15) and Renee Irvine (Qld U16) to hone their cricket skills.

In 2003 at age 60 my kneecap was smashed when one of my teammates dived into it with his head. There was just a hole where my kneecap had been. I thought I would be a cripple and on a walking stick for the rest of my life. After being told that I would probably never get the full use of my leg, I worked hard on my rehabilitation. It certainly affected my speed and flexibility, but I was able to get back to where the doctor said I had about 60% use of that leg. Being a farmer probably helped as I was on horses and on my feet a lot. 

At age 64 I had a serious operation but was able to rehabilitate again, and was honoured to be selected to represent my state and country in the following years. Vets cricket has been a great motivating factor in my life as it gives me a reason to keep myself fit and healthy. I played 7 over 60s and 6 over70s for Australia and travelling to England, New Zealand and South Africa with these teams and my brother Brian and wife Anne has been a highlight of my sporting life. I have no plans to stop anytime soon, and while I am still able, I will continue playing and enjoying this great game of cricket. 

Australian Over 60s team to tour South Africa in 2012

I was asked some other questions, here are my answers:

• I was born in 1943 in Wondai, South Burnett
• I amuse myself on plane flights by reading and watching movies.
• The music I’d like to see live: My grandson Tamatea Kratzmann played Gavroche in Les Miserables in Perth and Sydney, and we went to Sydney to see him. I would like to see him appear in many more musicals in the future.
• My biggest influence as my grandfather (who taught me to break in horses and how to plait whips) and my dad
• The fastest bowler I faced was Jeff Thompson
• The best swing bowler I faced was Ross Duncan
• The best spinner I faced was Fred Titmus.
• The two players in Qld I most admire are Col Cooke and Brian Kratzmann
• My most memorable matches are: 1). Over 70s versus England at North Sydney Oval, opening the batting and being 89 not out when we passed them.and 2) Queensland winning 5 Over 60s and Over 70s National Championships  
• My favourite food is Moreton Bay bugs and a good medium-rare steak!
• My favourite movie is My Fair Lady; The Proposal
• Three things I’d like to do after I finish playing cricket. I don’t look that far ahead. ??