Steve Magoffin - the top of off never moves
Dean Tuckwell | January 29, 2023
I was fortunate enough to play for Wests when we had some amazing fast bowling attacks - ridiculous really. I recall watching Australia bowling in a test on TV during lunch in a club game - Merv Hughes opened the bowling with Tony Dodemaide with Steve Waugh first change. Our attack on the same day was Craig McDermott, Carl Rackemann and Greg Rowell backed up by quality medium pace all-rounders Brett Stephensen & Mark Thompson. That year McDermott & Rowell had replaced John Maguire and Dirk Tazelaar who had played in the previous 2 seasons.
It may be the fact that for many seasons we had 3 world class fast bowlers but generally when people speak of the amazing fast bowling talent at Graceville these are the guys mentioned and for good reason - their first class records are very impressive:
Rackemann - 616 wickets @ 26.99
Rowell - 147 wickets @ 30.98
Tazelaar - 287 wickets @ 28.23
Maguire - 463 wickets @ 27.75
McDermott - 677 wickets @ 28.10
It is a little odd that Steve Magoffin is not always mentioned in these conversations. When Steve made his first grade debut aged 18, only Rowell was still playing but didn't bowl that season due to injury although they were to form the most feared pace attack in the competition for some years to come. As impressive as these numbers are, in comparison Magoffin's first class career record is remarkable: 597 wickets @ 23.60. Obviously we aren't quite comparing apples with apples as half of Billy's (McDermott) wickets were in Test matches as are some of Mocca (Rackemann) and Moose's (Maguire)) (they're former teammates - I'm entitled to call them by their nicknames!) Yes over 60% of Mags' wickets were taken in the County Championship but in the time he played England has won more Ashes series than Australia and are undefeated at home. Perhaps a bowler with such a history deserved a shot in an English Ashes series?
His Sheffield Shield record is also excellent - he is among Western Australia's top 10 leading wicket takers despite only playing 6 seasons with 190 wickets @27.08 and belatedly played one season for Queensland taking 23 wickets @ 16.6 from only 6 games. Perhaps he took more wickets in England because the cricket wasn't as intense or perhaps, like a fine wine Magoffin simply got better with age. Remembering how keen he was to learn and improve I'm going to say that there was a fair bit of the latter. In the history of Australian cricket there can't be many quick bowlers with better records who haven't played test cricket. There is always talk of the terrific batsmen like Law, Siddons, Love and Hodge who couldn't crack the Australian team, conceivably Mags is their fast bowling equivalent?
Whilst statistics don't always tell the whole story and I am certainly not suggesting that he was superior to all others on this list, Steve Magoffin was a fine bowler. Tall, quick and unerringly accurate, he was also a very intelligent & patient bowler with the ability to swing the ball. He bowled prodigious in-swing in his early years and was particularly awkward to face, I recall him hitting Martin Love in the helmet, perhaps the only time I ever saw Martin ruffled in club cricket.
I am honoured to have played in his A-grade debut when he knocked over Matt Hayden for his first wicket and I eagerly followed his career closely from that day. I was absolutely thrilled for him when he was selected to tour South Africa with the Australian team in 2009 and I was at the Shield final in 2011/2012 when his batting got Queensland home in a wonderfully tense finish against Tasmania to win by 3 wickets. He hit the winning run that day and despite battling injury it is safe to say that Queensland would have probably have lost without his returns of:
2 for 31 off 22 overs
31 out of 276
1 for 13 off 12 overs
26no out of 7/133
I cannot think of a match where I was so desperately keen for a player to succeed - I obviously wanted Queensland to win but also for Steve to prove that he should have been playing for the state for the previous 8 years.
Steve Magoffin and Chris Hartley - Queensland 2011/12 Sheffield Shield Champions
Of all the great fast bowlers mentioned above, Mags is the only Wests junior and is thus one of the club's favourite sons in its proud 100 year history. He is wonderful company and I don't think I have ever heard him utter a bad word about anyone, not even in team meetings prior to playing Sandgate. Despite his success he remains the same humble and respectful man who nicked off the mighty Matt Hayden to start his amazing journey so many years ago.
What year you were born?
1979
Can you remember you first game of cricket?
1984/85 in the Wests U/10’s. My brother Chris was playing and Dad was Coaching. There wasn’t enough players! I just fielded and avoided being hit by the ball. I actually thought my ‘protector’ went on my knee!
Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?
Western Suburbs 1984-2003, went through the Junior Club and Lords Taveners before playing grade cricket. Then over to Perth to play for Melville Cricket Club from 2004-2011.
Spent some time at Swalwell Cricket Club in Newcastle UK League Cricket in 2006.
Western Australia, Queensland, Surrey, Sussex and Worcestershire.
Steve Magoffin playing for Western Australia
In which grade and at what age did you make your debut in grade cricket?
I was 15 or 16, and played in 6th Grade for Wests v Uni. A team full of Wests legends. Too many to name!
At what age did you make your first grade debut in grade cricket and can you remember how you performed in debut?
I was 16 or 17 and played a one day game in First Grade with Jon Dooley as Captain, and I have no idea how I went!
The following year I played my first 2 Day First Grade. It went ok as I got Matt Hayden with my 2nd ball and took a 4fa!
Matthew Hayden - Steve Magoffin first 1st grade wicket for Western Suburbs
What was your highest score in senior cricket?
79 at the WACA v Tasmania. I’d been on nightwatchman duty for a few years and I managed to get through the night then the morning and get a few. I ran out of steam as I’d never batted so long…..my hands were cramping!
What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?
8-20 and 12-31 in the game.
It was in the UK playing for Sussex v Somerset at Horsham. Everything just clicked into gear that day. Thankfully we lost the toss and they batted and were having lunch and a pint back at a pub in Hove just before tea on day 2!
Editor’s note – Magoffin took many huge hauls in his career including 8-47 for Western Australia against South Australia
Who have been the best three fast bowlers you have played against?
Too many to choose from!
In my Wests career, Brendon Creevey at Sandgate and Mark Shackle at Queensland University were just relentless with their accuracy and at my age their pace. Darrin Turner at Valley’s was just at you all the time and such a competitor.
In my further career Shaun Tait was just frightening, as well as Fidel Edwards in County Cricket.
Stuart Clark – you couldn’t score a run, feel like you’re going to get out every ball and had a nasty bouncer when needed.
Who are the best three spinners you have played against?
Stuart MacGill was just amazing. Personally I had absolutely no idea which way it was spinning and got stumped too many times to his wrong-un’.
Adil Rashid from Yorkshire is another leg spinner whose wrong-un I just could not pick. I may have had a technical issue with leg spinners!!
This may sound strange, but Samit Patel at Nottingham got me out for fun, and he has basically never spun a ball but just kept hitting me in the shin.
Stuart MacGill
Who are the best 3 batsman you’ve played against?
Martin Love – just absolute class and had the ability to just absorb any movement on some tricky Gabba or WACA wickets. Once he was in, I just couldn’t get him out and he scored everywhere.
Darren Lehmann – different to Love but again scored everywhere. He would find a way to hit your best ball for 4, then make you change the field, then hit another 4 from where you just moved a fielder!
Marcus Trescothick – Somerset. I feel so lucky to have had some great battles with Marcus over the years. He was tough and an opening batsman who made you feel like you beat his bat, but he was just playing inside the line. I got him a few times, but he got me a few times too!
Martin Love
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Chris Rogers scored a 100 in each innings in his first game back at the WACA after leaving to Victoria. It was an incredible effort of skill and mental toughness. As a great friend it was hard to see him leave WA but he came back with a determination to prove some people wrong.
Was there any batsman in particular that stirred the emotions and competitive spirit where you really wanted their wicket?
Again Chris Rogers! So hard to get out and a competitor to the end. I remember a game at Lords where I had him dropped at slips on 2 and I eventually got him out for 198!! .
Chris Rogers
When you were playing for Western Australia did you have particular motivation in matches against Queensland?
I didn’t have any added motivation against Queensland. When I left it was at the right time and Queensland Cricket always said I’d be welcomed back, which I was. I always wanted to beat them but not for any other reasons apart from winning the game for WA. And the players from Queensland at the time never had a go at me.
Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
In Australia – Chris Hartley without doubt. Just an incredible keeper and deserved more recognition at higher honours.
In the UK – Ben Cox from Worcestershire, who is the best keeper up to the stumps to spin and pace bowling on slow wickets. I’d run in 30 yards thinking a stumping is a chance.
Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
Greg Rowell – my mentor. He taught me so much about not only the game and how to play it as a bowler, but how to prepare, what to do in tough situations on and off the field. There were not too many people who would compete as hard as Greg. Then add on the skill that he had for so many years. A fantastic bowler.
Mike Hussey – Scored two double hundreds in my first 3 Shield games for WA. Obviously went on to have a fantastic Australian career, but whenever he came back and played for WA he just was so focused on winning and always performed.
Greg Rowell
Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?
Adam Voges. Not only when we would play together at Melville CC in Perth but when he would Captain WA. He is just so calm and would stay so close to the playing team during the day. As a bowler it was easy with Adam to work out the situation and set a plan. He was awesome.
Who has been your funniest teammate?
As a youngster at Wests, nobody can ever be funnier than Chris Torrisi!! A great batsman but also and absolute clown. Closely followed by Andrew Bailey and Ross Lupton.
Chris Nash in the UK at Sussex is just the best!
Who was your childhood hero?
Sir Curtly Ambrose. Just amazing and inspired me so much as a young player.
What was your favourite ground to play at?
Lords without doubt - Lucky enough to play there a fair few times and it is just such a special place.
Even in a County game, walking through the Long Room is a special feeling. Was fortunate to take my 500th wicket at Lords, so it will always be a special place to me.
What there a particular team you especially looked forward to playing against?
Sandgate v Wests in the early 2000’s was just such a battle and we played in some incredible Finals.
Sandgate were just so tough in every position and were relentless in their desire to win. We had that desire too, so when we came up against each other both teams knew it was going to be a big game.
How do you rate County Championship compared to the Sheffield Shield?
In my time in County Championship cricket it was so competitive even across the 2 Divisions, and still is.
Sheffield Shield cricket also as competitive.
There is no real difference between the two in my opinion.
I just hope that both competitions can find a way to keep more experienced players in the game so that they can help younger players learn the ‘Long Form’ of the game.
What do you enjoy most about playing cricket?
Every ball is a challenge. And as a bowler who preferred long form cricket, I liked to take as much time as I needed to test a batmen’s technique. I was probably pretty boring to watch!
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
2011/12 Sheffield Shield with Queensland and hitting the winning runs. We had a fantastic squad of players who all contributed so much during that year and I was lucky enough to be out in the middle with Chris Hartley when we got the runs. A memory I’ll never forget.
The winning runs
What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?
In Australia, definitely the Shield win.
But in the UK it was a game for Sussex v Warwickshire, again at Horsham. We beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston and then won this game in the last half hour of the 4th day. The first time Sussex had beaten Warwickshire twice in a season in over 50 years. It was a tough hard 4 days.
Who are the three players from your playing days at the top of the list for a Saturday afternoon barbeque?
So that I can again listen to the great banter it would be yourself, Dean Tuckwell, Greg Rowell and my best mate and former Wests Keeper Chris Titley.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
The top of off never moves!
I still use that in my coaching today. It’s been there for about 150yrs.
What is your current cricket involvement?
Assistant Coach for Wests Women’s 1st Grade and also working across age groups at Ambrose Treacy Collage and a personal coach.
You have played under some very high-credentialed coaches - what lessons have you learned?
I have been very fortunate to have some incredible coaches in my career.
A lot of the coaches aren’t high profile people but are incredible coaches, Peter Cameron and Nev Paulsen at Wests. Without them I would not have had a career. They taught me how to field because I was rubbish and Nev made sure I had a run up to not bowl no balls. He’d stay with me 1-1 at Graceville under the lights for as long as it took to get it right.
Mark Robinson at Sussex, England Women’s World Cup Coach and now at Warwickshire. He was incredible for me. I was 32 and after about half a dozen balls in a centre wicket he picked up something with my technique that we worked on. At 32 I thought I knew it all. We worked on a simple change and it worked so well. He is a fantastic coach and manager of people.
