Grant Lambert - outstanding all rounder, superb team mate
Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Club | February 10, 2023
Grant Lambert won a Sheffield Shield Competition, 2 First Grade Premierships and dominated the NSW Premier Cricket Competition from 1995 to 2013.
He made his first class debut for NSW in the 2001/02 season and played 39 first class games scoring 1,215 runs at an average of 23.36 and hit 6 half centuries.
With the ball he took 88 wickets at 35.97 with best figures of 5 for 74.
Grant also played 15 one day games for NSW scoring 191 runs and taking 15 wickets.
In NSW Premier Cricket Grant scored 11,413 runs at an average 38.29 hitting 24 centuries and 52 half-centuries. He took 616 wickets at an average of 21.07 with best figures of 7 for 53 and claim 5 wickets in an innings on 28 occasions.
Grant is a very proud one club player and shares a special memory of being part of Fairfield Liverpool First Premiership winning First Grade team.
?Welcome Grant,
Firstly, what year were you born?
1977
Where did you go the high school?
Patrician Brothers Blacktown from Years 7 to and then John Paul II Marayong for Years 11 and 12
Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?
I don’t remember the first game specifically, but I was 8 years old and I’m sure I loved it
Where did you play your junior cricket?
Kings Langley Junior Cricket Club
How did get to Grade cricket?
I finished playing U16 junior cricket, so going to grade cricket with my mates was the natural progression. I started in 4th grade at Fairfield-Liverpool at 16 years of age and played my whole career at the club.
What age did you make your first grade debut?
I was 18. We beat Gordon in a one day game at Killara Oval. I didn’t bat and didn’t get any wickets
Did you make your first grade debut primarily as a batsman, bowler or all-rounder?
Seeing as though I was down to bat at 11, I think it’s fair to say I was picked primarily as a bowler
What were your best bowling figures in first grade?
7-53 v Balmain at Drummoyne
What was your highest score in first grade?
232 v Manly at Manly
You played 39 first class games for NSW, Describe the circumstances the led to your Sheffield Shield selection?
It was my first year in the squad and the third last Shield game of the season. I’d been going ok in grade and 2nd XI so was stoked to get a call saying I was in the Shield and one day team
How do you look back on your time with the NSW Blues?
I look back and think I was so lucky to have 9 years in the Blues squad that I enjoyed immensely. To have a job that you would do for nothing is pretty rare I would imagine
What was your highest score for NSW?
86 v Queensland at the Gabba
What was your best bowling figures for NSW?
5-74 v New Zealand at the SCG
Is there a particular batsman or bowler you came up against in first class cricket where you thought, wow, how good is this?
Bowling was to Matthew Hayden. It was a flat SCG wicket and he got 180. It felt like he could hit any ball I bowled wherever he wanted. Batting was against Jason Gillespie. I had loved watching him bowl for Australia for a long time. I opened the batting in a one day game on a very green Adelaide Oval wicket. He bowled fast out swingers with steeping bounce consistently on a good length, and I remember thinking “how the hell am I meant to score off this?”
What did you find most challenging about playing first class cricket?
I think it was convincing myself that I belonged and was good enough to compete at that level
You dominated Grade Cricket for many years, how did that help with taking the step up to First Class Cricket?
It helped because I knew I had been able to score runs and take wickets before, I just had to do it against better players
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
The most memorable moments were winning the Sheffield Shield in 2004/05, and winning the first grade comp in 2001/02 and 2005/06
Who’s been the biggest influence in your cricket career?
I don’t think I had a single biggest influence, but I got the love of the game from my dad, and both parents had to give up plenty of weekends to ferry my brothers and I around Sydney to play when we were young. I also learnt a lot from my coaches from juniors all the way through to first class cricket, as well as my teammates and opponents
Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?
Dean Magee – he would regularly make me cry from laughter
Who is your favourite all time cricketer?
Sachin Tendulkar and Curtley Ambrose
What was the best win you were involved in?
In first class cricket it was the 2004/05 Sheffield Shield win against Queensland. We were 4 down and cruising needing 26 to win on a Gabba wicket that had become very flat. The shadow from the grandstand came over the wicket and all of a sudden the ball started nipping around. We lost 5-1. Nathan Bracken and Stuart MacGill put on 25 for the last wicket in the dark to get us home.
In grade cricket it was the 2005/06 final, in which we beat Manly by an innings and 91 runs
If you’re in the middle seat of the middle row of Qantas QF1 flight to London which team mates would you choose to on your left and right?
Anthony Clark and Dean Magee
Did you have any cricketing superstitions?
Nothing major, I just had to put my left shoe on first, and my left pad on first
Which ground in Sydney club cricket did you enjoy playing at the most?
Hard to split Killara, Chatswood and Manly. All excellent wickets and a lot smaller than Rosedale
Who were the top 3 players in Grade cricket you admired most?
Anthony Clark, great competitor, tough, always played to win, and read the game as good as anyone.
Greg Mail, knew his game inside out and was so hard to dismiss.
Scott Thompson, moved the game forward and always gave his all with bat and ball
Who were the 3 batsman in Grade Cricket who challenged you the most?
Greg Mail, Kevin Geyer and Corey Richards
Who were the 3 bowlers in Grade Cricket who challenged you the most?
Stuart Clark, Tony Clark and Matthew Nicholson
Who was the best spinner you played against?
Stuart MacGill – you could hear the ball fizzing as it came down the wicket
Who was the quickest bowler you cane up against?
Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, and a spell by Gerard Denton downwind at Bellerive Oval was the only time I was ever concerned for my own safety
Which two Grade cricket umpires did you have the most respect for?
Darren Goodger and John Evans – great guys who had a fantastic rapport with the players
What’s the best advice you ever received?
The best advice was actually in an under 14s soccer game. We were down 4-0 just before half time, and we were rushing and trying to score 4 goals at once. At half time the coach told us he just wanted us to score 1 goal. At the time I thought “what sort of an attitude is that, happy to lose 4-1". Anyway we calmed down, scored one goal, then the coach said “score one more”. We scored again and the message was the same. We ended up drawing 4 all. I took that thinking into cricket, particularly when trying to bowl a team out before the end of the day. You can only take one wicket at a time, so the next wicket is the only thing that’s important at any given time, so focus on how to get that and relax
Are you still involved in Cricket and if so, in what capacity?
Yes, I’m a full time coach
What advice would you offer a young 13 year old who has the ambition of playing test cricket?
Work hard, believe in yourself, and most importantly, enjoy the game
What are your hobbies?
I love golf but unfortunately don’t get many opportunities to play nowadays
What is your occupation?
Cricket Coach
You may as well give your employer a plug, who do you work for?
I own a coaching business called Complete Cricket with my mate Mitch Yearsley, as well as working for Cricket NSW with the Breakers and male pathways, Sydney Thunder, Fairfield-Liverpool, The Hills Sports High School, Sydney University and Patrician Brothers Blacktown.
You had a very successful Grade career with both the bat and the ball, how do you look back on your Grade career?
I look back and think I had the time of my life with some awesome mates.
Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?
Cricket teaches you so much, particularly teamwork, resilience, how to work hard, how to problem solve, and maybe most importantly how to deal with failure.
