Greg Davidson - no short cuts, be true
Parramatta District Cricket Club | February 21, 2023
Greg Davidson played first grade cricket for Parramatta from 1989 to 2008. Highly respected by his team mates and those in opposition Greg took 333 wickets at an average of 27.45. His best figures in first grade was 6 for 57.
Upon retirement Greg ventured into umpiring and is now a first-class umpire and one of 12 that form part of Cricket Australia National Panel.
Let’s find out more about the big man known as Davo
Firstly, what year were your born?
1970
Where did you go the high school?
Holroyd High School
Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?
Yes, I was 7 years old playing in the under 10’s for Greystanes in the Parramatta junior competition. I scored 4 runs and got a wicket with my first ever ball. I guess that’s why I preferred bowling than batting.
Where did you play your junior cricket?
Greystanes Cricket Club & Parramatta junior reps.
Which clubs have you played for?
I played 22 season of grade all with Parramatta
How old were you when you first played grade cricket, what grade and for which club?
I was 17 when picked in 4th grade at Parramatta
What age did you make your first grade debut?
I was 19.
What is your highest score in first grade?
89 v St George at Old Kings Oval, Parramatta.
What was your best bowling figures in First Grade?
7 for 54 against Fairfield-Liverpool
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
It’s hard to split 3. Making my First Grade debut in 1989, winning the Second Grade Premiership with some of my best mates and taking a hat trick in the match and finally umpiring my first ever first-class match in Hobart.
Who’s been the biggest influence in your cricket career?
Apart from my parents, I had 3 coaches in Ron Dunn, Eric Myatt and Max Crittenden growing up who taught me the fundamentals of the game and how to win and lose gracefully. Later in life Bob Simpson, Ron Wright, Michael Hair, Darren Goodger and Simon Taufel have been instrumental in my development and progress as player, umpire and human being.
Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?
Tim McMahon. Tim always loved a bet and would do just about anything to win a bet. One afternoon at Old Kings Oval it was 43 degrees when Tim challenged the team that he would wear a woolen vest underneath a long sleeved jumper for an entire session if everyone would throw in $10 each. It’s fair to say it was a $100 well earned.
Who is your favourite all time cricketer?
I can’t split Doug Walters and Steve Waugh
Who are the two modern day players you enjoy watching the most?
I really enjoyed watching Adam Gilchrist, but current players Steve Smith and Ben Stokes batting. Nathan Lyon and Rashid Khan bowling.
What was the best win you were involved in?
The Second Grade final stands out the most. Scoring 294 and with North Sydney 4 for 264 and then all out for 270 was a memorable day for a number of reasons. I had lost my father earlier that year and to take 7 for 50 from 36 overs including a hat trick is something I will never forget. Like I said earlier, to do it with some of my best mates I had grown up with was something special.
What did you enjoy most about playing Premier/Grade Cricket in Sydney?
The camaraderie and friendships built along the way, sharing a beer after the match with both your teammates and opposition.
If you’re in the middle seat of the middle row of Qantas QF1flight to London which team mates, who would you choose on your left & right.
Tim McMahon and Jason Kelly. Tim as he has so many interesting stories and Jason laughs at just about anything and it is as good as Kerry O’Keefe’s laugh.
Did you have any cricketing superstitions?
I was given a pair of Bonds underwear for my 18th birthday which had little pictures of cricketers bowling, batting and fielding. From that day on I wore them in every game of cricket I played until I retired. I still have them in my cricket bag in the shed…Lol
Which ground in Sydney club cricket did you enjoy playing at the most?
I loved playing at Old Kings, but I do have a soft spot for Merrylands Oval where I made my first Grade debut and Hurstville Oval where we won the 2nd Grade Premiership.
Who was the fastest bowler you ever faced?
I faced plenty in my day so I have broken it down to 5. My top 5 are Brett Lee, Wayne Holdsworth, Andrew Jones, Mark Cameron and Daniel Mclaughlin, possibly in that order. I used to enjoy volunteering as night watchman but it’s fair to say on these occasions it wasn’t all that enjoyable, especially for someone who was 6 foot 10 and didn’t wear a helmet.
Who was the best spinner you played against?
I can’t split Greg Matthews & Stuart MacGill. Special mention must go to David Freedman, Robert Aitken, Anthony Clarke & Ken Hall.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
Surround yourself with good people, be patient, learn to be resilient, work as hard as you can for what you want without taking short cuts and never take anything for granted.
What was the best innings you saw played in Grade cricket in Sydney?
There are 2 that come to mind. Michael Slater scored a hundred at Merrylands Oval off about 70 balls just after being dropped from the Australian side. He was unstoppable that day hitting guys into the pool which was 30 yards beyond the boundary.
The second was Kevin Pietersen at Sydney Uni. He scored a hundred odd and hit all bowlers to all parts of the ground even reverse sweeping me over cover for 6 on two occasions. Between the 2 of them I have never seen the ball hit so cleanly.
Who were the three best batsmen in Sydney Grade Cricket in your era?
I can’t go past Greg Mail, Greg Hayne & Rod Davison. Every time I played them they seemed to score a hundred.
Who were the three bowlers that seemed to challenge you more than most?
Doug Bollinger, Daniel McLaughlin & Greg Matthews.
Who were the three players in Sydney Grade cricket you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit?
Daniel Jackson. I played with Daniel and there was no one more passionate or competitive than Daniel. I can’t go past Ken Hall as he was still performing well in first grade even though he was well into his 50s. Finally I would have to say Robert Aitken. He continues to perform well and is on the verge of breaking many first grade records. I truly believe Rob should have played first class cricket or at the least one day game.
You are now involved in cricket in a different capacity. At what age did you start umpiring and what was the attraction to become an umpire?
I retired in season 2007-08 due to my reflexes slowly letting me down. I had spoken to a number of umpires like Darren Goodger, Simon Taufel, Graham Chudleigh, Tony Wilds, Arthur Watson, Bill Hendricks, Brian Ferguson & Tim Donahoo, just to name a few towards the back end of my career about umpiring and the challenges that it presents.
In my final year I was privileged to have been coached by Bob Simpson who was the final person to encourage me to take up umpiring. I wanted to stay in the game at the highest possible level and I felt umpiring could be the way to do so. I was 38 when I joined the NSWCUSA in season 2008-09. People would ask me about why umpiring and not coaching. My answer has always been it really is the best seat in the house to watch cricket from. But for me it was the challenge of being taken out of my comfort zone and testing myself in an environment like no other.
How long did it take to progress through to First Grade?
My first season was in 3rd grade and I remember it like yesterday. I was umpiring with Tim Donahoo who was one of 3 mentors I had engaged with prior to the season. The match was played between Northern Districts V Fairfield Liverpool. I remember firing both captains LBW which probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do as they are the ones who fill in your report post-match.
The other thing I remember was giving advice to a 15 year old leg spinner whilst standing at square leg but realised I probably shouldn’t be giving advice on how and where to bowl now I am an umpire. I had 8 matches in 3rd Grade before moving into 2nd Grade for the remainder of the season. The following year I made my First Grade debut
Who were the umpires you admired most when you started out as an umpire? Is there anyone in particular you wanted to model your umpiring on?
I admired many during my playing days but a couple who stand out were Darren Goodger, Simon Taufel, Darrell Hair and Umpire Dickie Bird. I was always taught to be yourself and that’s how I wanted to umpire. I must say there were little things along the way I would pick up from the umpires mentioned above and others that I would implement into my game. But for me it was just being your own person and brand.
When did you make your debut as an umpire in First Class Cricket? How excited were you and what do you remember most about the experience
Yes I sure do remember the experience. It was in Hobart on the 8th of December 2013 between Tasmania v Western Australia. I was extremely excited and honored, but also a little nervous especially after viewing the pitch the day before and seeing the forecast for the next 4 days.
I remember looking at the pitch and seeing plenty of long green grass and moisture and with a predicted maximum temperature of 9 degrees and 40km winds. Being a curator myself I knew I was in for a challenging time. My partner for the match was Paul Wilson who was a great help throughout the match, but he probably didn’t realise that when he said, “This match will be over in two days,” just added to my nerves.
He was dead right. The match was over late on day 2 with all 40 wickets falling and WA winning by 30 odd runs. Welcome to first class cricket Davo!!!
You played many years of first grade Cricket, did that help you in transitioning to become an umpire and if so how especially in the pressure moment of first class cricket and BBL?
Yes it absolutely helped me transfer from player to umpire. There are so many things that I relied upon as a player to help with the transition; resilience, remaining composed when put under pressure, having solid and consistent routines, communicating in a clear, concise and accurate manner, treat people equally and fairly, be approachable, be assertive when required and most importantly enjoy what you do.
What do you find most challenging in umpiring first class cricket?
The travelling at times can wear you down especially during BBL, so it’s important to have good routines for both at home and on the road in regards to preparation, fitness, diet, sleep and recovery.
Knowing all the Laws & Playing conditions and being able to implement them at the right time or on the spur of the moment. Adjusting from various competitions like 4 day cricket to T 20 to women’s cricket in a short period of time.
Speaking of BBL, we’d love to understand from an umpire’s perspective what’s it like to be out in the middle of a BBL game going down to the last over. Can you describe what’s going on in your mind?
Seeing that you half asked the question I am happy to answer the nose scratch.
Unfortunately it’s not how you would like to answer an appeal and my processes let me down on that occasion. During the BBL it can be quite hard to hear the fine nicks due to the noise of the crowd and various entertainment that is taking place around the ground.
Umpiring oversees players can be difficult as we don’t get to see a lot of them especially a Rashid Khan which is quite challenging within itself. We do our homework as best we can by standing in net sessions and watching footage of various matches of him and others bowl.
On this occasion I was preempting that at some stage he would hit the pads with his wrong’un. When he did hit the pad in front of the stumps I was processing the decision as out LBW when more information came into my head that there was a noise, that the batsman had feathered it before hitting the pad. At this stage my finger was well on its way to giving the striker out when I knew clearly it wasn’t. For some unknown reason my mind was saying it is not out, don’t put the finger up, so I abandoned the appeal and scratched my nose. Why my nose? I can’t actually answer that and will never be able to.
What are your ambitions as an umpire?
I would love to go as far as it can take me which would be umpiring a Test match. I have been fortunate to have umpired a Ladies Test between Australia V England during an Ashes series in 2013-14 in Perth
What are your hobbies?
I really enjoy watching my daughters play netball. I am a keen fisherman. I love swimming and the beach and I don’t mind a punt on the horse races now and again
What is your occupation, is umpiring a full time gig?
I am a full time umpire. Before that I was a curator and a Parks Manager for local Government.
Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?
Yes, surround yourself with good people, communicate effectively & efficiently, treat everyone equally and fairly, be approachable by making sure people feel comfortable around you and stay true to yourself and always stay humble.
