Graeme Vimpani - discipline, commitment, humility

Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club | February 16, 2023

Graeme Vimpani made his first grade debut playing for Hawthorn during the 1991/92 and had 3 seasons with the Hawks before moving across to Colling, now Camberwell Magpies.

Graeme spent 8 season with the Magpies scoring 4,231 runs hitting 11 centuries and 16 half centuries for the club,

In 155 games in first grade cricket Graeme scored 5,442 runs at an average of 35.33 and hit 12 centuries and 23 half centuries.

In 1995/96 Graeme made his first debut for Victoria and in 30 first class games he scored 1,598 runs at 29.59 and hit 3 centuries, highest score 161 and 5 half centuries.

He also played 19 one day games for Victoria scoring 467 runs with a highest score of 92.

Let’s find out more about Graeme’s journey in the game.

What year you were born?

1972

Can you remember you first game of cricket?

I think I was around about 7 or 8 years old. Batted down the order… I was so scared I cried my eyes out and refused to even walk out into the middle… Nothing much has changed on that front – same happens today! Ha!

Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?

• Juniors at St Stephens Cricket Club in North Balwyn.
• School cricket at Carey Grammar.

Main “Senior” Clubs;

• Hawthorn East Melbourne
• Collingwood
• Oakleigh

Also played some Vets at Plenty CC with some mates, which was good fun

In which grade and at what age did you make your debut in grade cricket?

Started District Cricket around 13 years old and was in the 3rds at Hawthorn East Melbourne… didn’t last long… quickly relegated to the fourths and went from there.

At what age did you make your first-grade debut in grade cricket and can you remember how you performed in debut?

I debuted as a 20 year old against Carlton at Princess Park and faced my first ball off Darren Lehmann. I hit him for 3 and he gave me a gob full as I ran to the non-strikers end, will never forget it, and was shitting myself! Made about 18 I think and then I struggled for a bit and eventually found my feet after being back-and-forth between the 1’s and 2’s.

If you can share with our audience, how would you describe yourself as a cricketer?

I’m an opening batsman, fairly aggressive I’d say and liked to get on with it and hit the ball around. 

As a kid I was an ok bowler but my bowling hasn’t improved since the under 14’s so it’s absolute garbage really. If anyone needs confidence at the Club I just bowl at them and they walk out thinking they are Bradman, so it comes in handy in that situation.

Always prided myself on my fielding and still hold onto more than I spill so that’s good I guess.

What were your strengths as a player?

Probably that I could score quite heavily and quite quickly but I’m just as comfortable batting for 6 hours at a slow/even pace to so probably overall that I can bat for a long period of time and score reasonably quickly at the same time.

What was your highest score in senior cricket?

Highest was 224 not out against Frankston Peninsula when I was playing for Collingwood on the hallowed turf of Victoria Park. We declared and bowled at them for an hour, so it was a good day for me for sure. As a Collingwood supporter (AFL) I loved playing at Victoria Park, it was like a childhood dream just being out there so that was a special day.

What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?

At St Stephens I took match figures of 11/65 I think it was 5 in the first innings and 6 in the second. This was back in the days when you played juniors in the morning and seniors in the afternoon. I would only have been 12 or 13 at the time but everything seemed to go right that day and it was a bit of fun.

Who were the best three fast bowlers you have played against?

Brett Lee – he was just crazy fast, I mean, you’ve got quick bowlers, then there are one or two that are just “next level” , Brett was one of those. I was lucky enough to play against him prior to his shoulder injuries and he was simply terrifying but equally it was such an adrenaline rush at the same time you couldn’t help but love it.

Brad Williams – played a lot against Brad in District cricket and he certainly got the better of me early in my career but as I matured and gained confidence and played against him at State Level I managed to even the ledger somewhat. He was another bowler who on his day was lightening and always was “at you” so you certainly had to focus hard.

Patterson Thompson or Kenny Benjamin – played against the West Indies and these guys just bowled like the wind. Fortunately for me I was in ok form when we came up against them but seeing the wicketkeeper standing what seemed to be 400m back behind the stumps as I took guard was pretty intimidating! These guys in particular hit the bat really hard and you felt it through your whole upper body so they were genuinely quick for sure.

Brad Williams

Who were the best three spinners you have played against? 

Shane Warne – simply brilliant. His accuracy was under-rated at times and I think was one of his greatest weapons. There was rarely a loose ball and his variety, volume of spin etc goes without saying and he changed world cricket and to have played with him (and against him in trial matches) was gold. 

Greg Matthews – his accuracy and variety was always a challenge. I always said he could bowl 6 completely different balls each over and land them on the very same spot and have you guessing what they were going to do. I found him really tough at times and he was the ultimate competitor too, which is why I liked playing against him (and NSW) so much.

Brad Hogg – Hoggy was quick through the air and gave it a lot of revs so I was never comfortable against him. Like all good bowlers his accuracy was first class too and it was hard to pick his wrong’un at times so he was always a challenge to come up against.

Shane Warne

Who were the best 3 batsman you’ve played against?

Steve Waugh – his record speaks for itself and he was relentless and disciplined. Had a thirst for big scores whenever he played against Victoria and rarely gave you a chance.

Darren Lehmann – just a run machine and hit the ball hard too. It was a guilty pleasure playing against him watching him accumulate runs. I mean you wanted him to go out cheaply but if he didn’t you had one of the best seats in the house watching one of Australia’s greatest apply their trade, rated him very highly.

Dean Jones – in any conditions, on any day, against any opposition, he’d find a way to pump out runs. I played a lot with Deano and against him at District cricket and he was a genius. Some of the Shield innings I saw him play were indescribable. In one match he made a 100 in each innings against a quality Qld attack. The first innings was outright aggression and pretty well made the 100 in even time but in the second when the conditions had deteriorated and it must have taken him 6 hours to make his ton. He was so adaptable and as I said would make big tons for fun.

Dean Jones

Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?

Would have to say the twin hundreds that Dean Jones made in that Shield match at the MCG against Qld was the best I’d seen live for sure. They were such contrasting knocks but he was in full control. Against what was basically an Australian attack and he played them like they were on a string, it was incredible.

Was there any batsman in particular that stirred the emotions and competitive spirit where you really wanted their wicket?

No one individual that spring to mind but that’s not to say that there’s been some pretty heated battles over the years… Fair to say the game (and sledging) is a more sanitised today than what I grew up with… not convinced its necessarily a good thing… but… it is what it is.

Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?

Darren Berry by far and away was the best gloveman I’ve seen. He was so consistent and we all just had utter confidence in the fact that if there was a nick, he’d catch it.

Adam Gilchrist was an amazing keeper too and his keeping was often under-sold due to the level of his batting but you can’t have a conversation about the best keeper I’ve seen and not include Gilly in the mix. I first played against him in the Australian Under 19 Carnival and he was the player of the Tournament back then – so already the writing was on the wall that he was something special.

Darren Berry

Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?

Dean Jones for the fact that he was just unbelievably consistent. Just made runs week-in-week out, year-in-year out… and yes… fair to say he was somewhat competitive too!

Jamie Siddons – pretty much for the same reasons as Deano. Incredibly consistent, a very tough competitor and a great bloke off the field as well. I have a lot of respect for him and thought, like most of Australia, he should have had a few more goes at International level than what he did. 

Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?

Very hard to split Darren Berry and Shane Warne. I’d say Chuck was probably the best out of the 2 for me personally but only by a whisker. He was an excellent communicator and was tough but fair on you. Knew when to give you shoulder to lean on and equally called you a fuckwit when it was warranted.  Warney was much the same and was awesome fun to play with/for. There was never a dull moment on or off the field but he was very astute, incredibly aggressive and attacking which suited me down to the ground.

Who has been your funniest teammate?

There are WAY too many to mention!

Three-way tie between Shaun Brown, John Mitchell and Kent Hannam from Hawthorn Cricket days – some of the nights out on the gasoline these guys still make me laugh today

Richard Wignall, Stuart Cann, Jock, Bondy, Dumber, Malf, Harro, Porno – stuff it – the whole bloody list at Collingwood!

Oaks – can’t go past Daniel Junkeer, Jock, Turtle, Benny Drew, JT, Spike, Laytho, Conner, Dangles, Lewy, again, stuff it, ALL the boys at the Oaks crack me up!

State Cricket – Richard Chee Quee. I still think Cheeks is the funniest man in all of Australia as well as Jason Gillespie, both just crack me up without fail every single time, great blokes too. Phil Emery too is a good mate who is also very funny and have enjoyed some good times with him over the journey.

Plenty CC – Ozzy, Lovey, Chooka, Yoda and again, never a single dull moment here!

Think I’ve played with a bunch of comedians looking back on it!!!

Graeme Vimpani batting for Victoria v Western Australia

Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?

Mark Ridgway and I use to have an opening bowler, opening batsman hate-hate relationship on the field but happy to report I’ve bumped into him on several occasions since the playing days and dust has settled and can gladly call him a mate today. Anyway he and I were having a few words (ok, lots of words!) when Victoria was playing Tasmania. David Boon had just come back from Australian duties and I think he was quietly having a good laugh at us two nuffies going at each other all day. I managed to get a ton and had just finished giving Ridgy a not so gentle reminder about it and Boonie walked past with a very broad smirk on his face and very quietly and under his breath just said “Well batted, very entertaining” he continued with his smirk and a small chuckle and just walked off… I thought it was Christmas. To be congratulated by Boonie made my day and although I can’t say for certain I suspect he enjoyed us going pretty hard at one another.

What was your most embarrassing dismissal in senior cricket?

Every single one of the. I hated getting out, hated it. But I’ve been out handled the ball so that would likely top the list.

Who was your childhood hero?

Steve Waugh and Dean Jones. I remember sitting up into the early hours of the morning watching the ’89 Ashes live and it was amazing and where Steve really stamped his arrival on the game. Deano in the one-day format was just incredible. To look back and say that I’ve played with/against both of these guys is something I value pretty highly.

Steve Waugh

What was your favourite ground to play at?

MCG or the WACA

What there a particular team you especially looked forward to playing against?

NSW – there was just a traditional rivalry between NSW and Vics and it was always such a high quality game. When I broke into the Vic team we had a lot of household names such as Deano, Merv Hughes, Warney, Paul Reiffel, Damien Fleming while NSW had basically the Australian XI so it was just great fun being out there and it was certainly a fierce contest with no love lost.

What did you enjoy most about playing cricket?

Looking back Cricket like most team sports cricket taught me lessons in life that I didn’t know I was even learning at the time such as discipline, sacrifice, commitment, humility etc. But certainly for me the friendships that I made through cricket and the good times we had both on and certainly off the field too are the things that you remember the most fondly.

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

Winning the one-day Domestic title against NSW on the MCG is pretty hard to go past. That was ‘dream-come-true’ kinda stuff for me personally.

Graeme Vimpani batting for Victoria v NSW

What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?

When Oakleigh won its breakthrough Grand Final back in 2004-05 we were cooked, absolutely stuffed at 4 for 2 after 8 balls and were chasing 236 or there abouts. Long story short, brick-by-brick we mounted a comeback and won it 9-down after the last partnership needed to put on 20 or so… Can’t remember the exact figures but it was a genuine miracle win that I will never forget.

Who are the three players from your playing days at the top of the list for a Saturday afternoon barbeque?

·       Stuart Cann

·       Richard Wignall

·       And everyone else I’ve mentioned in this article today!!!

Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?

Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan

What are your hobbies?

Surfing, Tennis, Golf – I suck at them all but enjoy them very much

Love a good book or equally a good movie (am a movie-a-holic to be honest!)

My work – I work as a Mortgage Broker and property is a very expensive hobby of mine that’s for sure but through my work I’ve helped people build quite a portfolio for themselves too so that’s incredibly rewarding

My family – I can’t really classify family as a “hobby” can I? But my kids and Partner are simply awesome

Travel – I’m a travel junkie but don’t travel as much these days as I hate being away from the kids for too long!

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

“Don’t spend time spending time… YOU decide what you want to spend time on… otherwise… others will dictate it for you”.

What is your current occupation?

Mortgage Broker – I run my own boutique-size Mortgage Broking firm, AlphaLoan Mortgage Group – and am the luckiest person in the world in that I love my job and the staff we have and the clients I work for. I love the industry too and don’t see myself every truly ‘retiring’ (although I’m sure I will one day!).

Are you still involved in cricket and if so, in what capacity?

Still playing at Oakleigh Cricket Club in the Sub-district competition in Melbourne. It’s the best cricket competition in Victoria I reckon and playing at Oakleigh is a privilege that I am very fortunate to still enjoy.

If you were running Cricket Victoria what would your 2 priorities to ensure cricket in the state remained strong and successful on and off the field?

Support Sub-district cricket. It is by far and away the best Club competition (and possibly the biggest) in Victoria yet it is being hung out to dry and treated like a poor cousin which is a disgrace. First thing I would do is support this competition which like many other competitions is the life-blood of cricket.

Cut 99% of the over-administrative BS and keep things simple. Life/Cricket/Business etc is not complicated yet we get in our own way too often and make simple things hard by making unnecessary changes or by creating administrative obstacles. If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it!