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About Me

Michael McMahon

Insurance Broker
Gibson Insurance Brokers
https://www.gibsoninsurancebrokers.com
Sydney, Australia
Director at Gibson Insurance Brokers. Passionate sports fan and bowled a few offies in my time for Balmain and North Sydney

My Activity

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Q: Graham Spring debuted for North Sydney against Sutherland in 1979/80 and holds North Sydney 1st Grade Cap No 469. Over the next dozen years, Graham Spring was to become one of Sydney Grade Cricket’s finest all-rounders. He finished with 5,809 1st Grade runs and 260 1st Grade wickets.

Graham was a superb, elegant right-handed batsman, wonderful right-arm seam bowler and exquisite slip fieldsman. On the 3rd of December 1982, at the age of 21, Graham Spring was selected in the NSW Sheffield Shield team to play against South Australia at the SCG. He batted at Number 6 and bowled first change behind the Test pacemen, Len Pascoe and Mike Whitney. As testament to the strength of this NSW XI, which went on to win the inaugural Sheffield Shield Final that season, the other 10 members of this team all played Test Cricket for Australia.

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Q: Unique Days of Test Cricket at Lords in 1986

I was in England during the northern summer of 1986. My great mate Rick Allen and I were playing a season of Minor County cricket with Sawbridgeworth in the Hertfordshire League.

We resided in Sawbridgeworth village, a short distance from London. On a rare day off from playing, we decided to attend the 2nd day of the 1st Test between England and India at Lords on 5th June 1986. This was my first trip to the home of cricket but for Rick Allen, the current No.1 cricket scribe for The Sun newspaper in Sydney, it was his umpteenth visit to Lords. Rick had been a member of the initial Australian Under 19 Cricket team which toured England in 1977. He was one of the star batsmen in that team, which included the future Test opening pair of David Boon and Geoff Marsh. Rick followed a career path in sports journalism (which restricted his grade cricket availability) and a world class social life (which had a similar effect). He definitely had the batting ability to be a First Class cricketer if he had pursued that avenue.

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I was in England during the northern summer of 1986. My great mate Rick Allen and I were playing a season of Minor County cricket with Sawbridgeworth in the Hertfordshire League.We resided i ...
blog post
Graham Spring debuted for North Sydney against Sutherland in 1979/80 and holds North Sydney 1st Grade Cap No 469. Over the next dozen years, Graham Spring was to become one of Sydney Grade Cricket ...
blog post
I moved from Lismore to Sydney with my older brother Brian in 1980 where we both joined the Balmain District Cricket Club. My 1st Grade debut for Balmain was the opening game of that season agains ...