Anthony Clark - a champion lion
Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Club | May 20, 2024
In November 2019 Anthony Clark was awarded life membership of Sydney Cricket Association after playing 24 seasons for his beloved Fairfield Liverpool.
Making his debut for Fairfield Liverpool in 1994 Anthony had a stellar career with both the bat and the ball.
He took 715 first grade wickets at an average of 25.67 and captured 5 wickets or more in an innings on 20 occasions.
With the bat he amassed 10,852 runs at an average of 27.54 scoring 7 centuries and 65 half centuries.
As you’ll read Fairfield Liverpool holds a special place in the life of Anthony Clark and he’s delighted to have been part of their first 1st Grade premiership success.
What year were you born?
1977
What’s you nickname?
Clarky, Pocca or Tones
Where did you go the high school?
Crestwood High in Baulkham hills
Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?
I think I was about 8 for Kellyville Cricket Club and it was on a concrete pitch in Parramatta Park. I remember getting a wicket bowling some little medium pacers and not getting too many off my allotted balls but didn’t get out.
Where did you play your junior cricket?
I played for Kellyville Cricket Club and then Castle Hill Cricket Club
How did get to Grade cricket?
I played 5th grade and Green shield for Parramatta then all my other grade cricket at Fairfield Liverpool.
I also played League cricket for Bilton Cricket Club in North Yorkshire and Normandy Cricket Club in Surrey for a couple of seasons.
What age did you make your first grade debut?
I made my first grade debut at 17 against Northern Districts at Rosedale Oval. I only bowled 2 overs as the quicks did the damage and I batted number 11 and we put on 20 odd for the last wicket to jag a win,
What were your best bowling figures in first grade?
Best bowling figures was 6 for 33 against Campbelltown at Raby Oval.
What were your best bowling figures for NSW?
4 for 130 off 38 overs at SCG V Western Australia. The game ended in a draw with big scores and it turned out to be my last game.
What is your highest score in any grade?
I scored 143 on 2 occasions in first grade. One against St George and the other against Easts, both at Rosedale. I scored 199 for Normandy in England
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
Playing for NSW was a dream come true and it means a lot to me. The other was Fairfield Liverpool’s First 1st grade premiership where we had a great bunch of guys. We were all really close, we lived in each other’s pockets and our after game antics were sometimes as good as our on field play.
You played 6 Sheffield Shield games for NSW when you were 23 and 24, how do you look back on your time with the Blues?
As I said above It was a dream come true to make my debut for NSW but if I’m being honest I was not ready to play as I was a bit naïve and had no idea what was required to be a professional cricketer.
I was a much better cricketer a couple of years after I had been released but I think the experience of hanging out and playing with and against the best cricketers in Australia definitely helped me get better and I had a good time and played with some really good fellas.
Most spinners don’t mature until their late 20’s did you ever think about going interstate?
I did think about it in my late 20s and there was some interest from other states but I had just bought a house with my wife and was not really in a position to go interstate for a minimum contract. I decided to stay and focus on life away from cricket and enjoy playing for Fairfield Liverpool on weekends.
Who’s been the biggest influence in your cricket career?
Obviously my parents, they got me to all the games as a junior and dad threw a heap of balls in the backyard.
Bill Madden was another who ran a coaching academy and I spent a lot of time there practicing, feeding the balls into the bowling machines and listening to all the older cricketers talking about the game.
Team mates Bill York and David Kelley taught the game at Fairfield Liverpool to all my generation and when I was with NSW Stuart McGill he really gave me some tough love but he also made me feel like I was good enough to be at playing at that level which was really helpful.
Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?
There have been a few but it’s hard to go past Doug Bollinger, he has provided endless material and I’ll give a special mention to Dean Magee, Don Nash and David Kelley
Who is your favourite all time cricketer?
As a kid I loved Viv Richards and Desmond Haynes but Brian Lara was so good to watch
Brian Lara
What was the best win you were involved in?
Our second 1st grade premiership when we played manly in the Grand Final. We were clinical in our performance, our bowlers were dominant, our catching was flawless and then Grant Lambert and Ben Rohrer batted beautifully and we won by a innings and plenty. That was probably the most dominant team I played in and for those 3 days we played so well.
If you’re in the middle seat of the middle row of Qantas QF1flight to London which team mates would you choose to on your left and right?
I’ll go Grant Lambert, the big fella would be keen to have a beer although he does get emotional watching movies like Mighty Joe Young and the other person would have to be Benny Sawyer one of the good blokes and we might need a sensible head when we get to London.
Did you have any cricketing superstitions?
Not really but at one stage around the time my first daughter was born I was driving to cricket on minimum sleep and a empty stomach and stopped and got a Red Bull and a Kit Kat Chunky.
We chased down 240 that day and got 80 not out and could not have hit them better so for the rest of the year the Red Bull and Kit Kat Chunky was on the menu for the rest of the season.
Which ground in Sydney club cricket did you enjoy playing at the most?
I never really had a favorite, but Rosedale was always home.
Who were the top 3 players in Grade cricket you admired most?
Top 3 is hard as there was so many good players.
Brett Van Deinsen was a guy I played against a lot from juniors to grade and he was a hell of a player super batter who moved the game forward and his medium pacers were more than handy- good guy as well.
Jarred Burke was a great competitor who played it hard and knew the game really well. I liked going up against him.
Paul Goldsmith from Penrith, they always had a good attack but I found him as hard to face as any of them and he is still involved with the Panthers to this day, I love that stuff
Brett Van Diensen
Who were the batsman that challenged you the most?
Greg Mail was a really good player of spin, His feet down the wicket and ability to hit gaps through onside was ridiculous,
Mark Patterson got the better of us a couple of times with match winning hands and in more recent years Adam Crosthwaite and Dan Smith were guys that played hard and were dangerous players They both made big hundreds against Fairfield that were as good as I have seen in club cricket
Who were the bowlers that challenged you the most?
Matt Nicholson and Stuart Clark were guys that had really good skill and could get good bounce; they always asked questions.
Who was the best spinner you played against?
Toss a coin between Greg Mathews and Stuart MacGill. Special mention to Adrian Tucker
Who was the quickest bowler you came up against?
Brett Lee was always fast and Brad Williams from Victoria bowled a really quick spell one day that was not enjoyable at all.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
Enjoy others success more than your own
What advice would you offer a young 13 year old who has the ambition of playing test cricket?
13 is pretty young so I’d say enjoy the game and play with freedom and play lots of unstructured games
What are your hobbies?
I like catching up with friends and watching my kids play sport on weekends
What is your occupation?
I am assistant coach and pathway coach at Cricket NSW which is good fun
You had a very successful Grade career with both the bat and the ball, how do you look back on your Grade career and your career overall?
I am pretty grateful for my time at Fairfield Liverpool. It was my second home growing up and I’d hate to think where I’d be without the club in my life. I owe them a lot as my best friends were guys I played with or met through the club and sharing the change room every week are far greater memories than the runs and wickets.
Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?
I think sport and cricket in general teaches you how to deal with ups and downs and how to work within a team. You don’t always get what you think you deserve which is pretty useful in life and in the work place.
