Gavin Brown – Make sure you get home before daylight
Dean Tuckwell | February 03, 2023
“Legend” is a term too easily bestowed on sports people but I don’t think too many would argue with Gavin Brown being described as a Legend of Brisbane Club Cricket having scored over 16,700 runs for Valleys. He may not have been the best batsman going around but he could well be the most aggressive with his stroke play a combination of Kim Hughes, Collis King & Freddy Kreuger.
Some of his feats are well...legendary. In the era before turbo-charged bats he once hit 112 in a second grade game with 106 in boundaries and scored 120 in a first grade one-day game where fellow opener Dean Reeves was on 5 when Browny brought up his hundred. Unfamiliar with the terms “circumspect” or “playing yourself in” he was also sometimes accused of not thinking about the game sufficiently, such as the occasion in a 6-a-side match in Singapore when he danced down the wicket to Sylvester Clarke’s first ball and hit him for six over cover seemingly oblivious to the fact that neither he nor any of his teammates had packed helmets for the trip.
Also a talented rugby league footballer, Brown was good enough to play first grade in Brisbane prior to the formation of the Brisbane Broncos meaning that he was playing with the likes of Tony Currie and against Wally Lewis, Greg Dowling & Bob Lindner. Good enough indeed to score 25 points in one match.
A very popular man around Brisbane and the kebab shops of Oldham, Gavin’s story is well worth a read.
What year you were born?
1965
Can you remember you first games of cricket & rugby league?
Cricket – Ashgrove Primary School – didn’t do a lot, pretty sure we rolled them for about 16 and don’t recall batting.
Rugby League – West Arana Hills U9’s – all I can recall, we played and won the grand final that year at Purtell Park and I sat on the bench for the entire game.
In modern times kids sport is often focussed on participation rather than competition, would this have satisfied you as a young sportsman?
Not at all, can you imagine these days if little Johnny got left on the bench for an entire game, let alone a Grand Final? I can understand up to the age of 9 or 10 but past this I think competition can bring out the best in kids, just have to keep the parents under control.
Tell us briefly about your cricketing & rugby league journeys.
Cricket
Wests U16’s with some mates from school.
Valley CC from 1982 till now with a 3 year break at Caboolture and Pine Rivers.
Oldham CC Central Lancashire – 1988 (had a great time)
3 Singapore 6’s tours thanks to you Dean – best time ever playing cricket on and off the field.
Veterans Cricket – Qld & Australian Over 50’s where I was lucky to play and win a World Cup in 2018 in Sydney where we snuck home against Pakistan.
Rugby League
West Arana Hills Junior
School Rugby Brisbane Grammar
Main Roads RLFC - Metropolitan / Public Service League
Western Suburbs RLFC
At what age did you make your first grade debut in club cricket & football and can you remember how you performed in debut?
Cricket – 18yo v Wynnum (2nd Week), can’t recall how I went but certainly was a tough initiation, they were a tough and experienced team back then Wynnum.
Rugby League – 20yo v Easts at Lang Park, went Ok kicked a few goals, however my dad taped the game and when I watched it back David Wright (commentator) said I was like a draught horse chasing a thoroughbred when in pursuit of my opposing winger…..oh well I never said I was quick?
If you can share with our audience, how would you describe yourself as a cricketer & footballer?
Batsman (impatient) and Fullback (though stuck on wing for Wests)
What was your highest score in senior cricket?
164 v Sandgate at Sandgate
What were your best bowling figures in senior cricket?
No idea, I did get 3 for 3 for Oldham CC (UK) in a pre-season trial and they never bowled me again??? Tells you how bad the opposition must have been.
Who have been the best three fast bowlers you have played against?
Ezra Moseley – West Indian quick who played for Littleborough in the UK. I had heard he was sharp and certainly found that out a couple of times during the season. No helmets either.
Graham Fox – Very sharp and very aggressive on the field.
Eddie Marriner – Quick and I had no idea what was coming next.
Who has been the best three spinners you have played against?
Greg Ward from Easts – Never a lot of loose stuff and great bloke off the field.
Brett Henschell and Malcom Franke – I didn’t play against either but faced them regularly in the nets at training. Better than any other spinners I played against.
Who has been the best 3 batsmen you’ve played against?
Peter Solway – Peter plays O50’s for ACT and Captain of the current Aust O50’s team. Sol was a prolific run scorer in his younger days and could’ve quite easily played for NSW but chose to stay in ACT where I think he played over 150 games for the Comets. Today he is just as good, his concentration and ability to hit gaps and build a total is outstanding.
Dean Tuckwell – Born way too early, would be a sensation in the shorter versions today. Sorry Tucky.
Andrew Courtice – Never a fun day in the field when Dog was having a day out.
Peter Solway
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
I’ve had the privilege of seeing Matt Hayden play a few innings for Valley CC, just brutal when he was on yet played all the classic shots.
Who were the most elusive backs you have played against?
Jaime Sandy, quick and step off a dime.
Peter Jackson, quicker than you thought and strong
Gene Miles, not elusive, just ran over you.
Who have been the toughest forwards you have played with and against?
I played Public Service footy with Shane Bowering who also played first grade for Wests. Tackling machine and played well above his weight.
I was “lucky” enough to play against the Wally Lewis led Wynnum Seagulls back in the day. I received the ball from the kick off and ran it back and got absolutely barrelled by Bob Lindner and Ian French, now I know why they now give it to a forward to bash it up.
Wally Lewis
Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Peter Anderson – all class.
Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
The one game I got to play against Wally Lewis I could see firsthand how he controlled all facets of his team’s game play. I was amazed at the amount of involvement he had in the game off the ball and we all know what his skills were like with the ball in hand. And very competitive as I found out first hand when he punched me in the head after a highish tackle on brother Scott.
Editor’s note: I was at that game at Kougari Oval. Brown had a prodigious right boot & was regularly making 40m with his kicks for touch whereas Wally’s “mongrel-punts” were lucky to gain 25m. In the 2nd half Brown skews a kick off the side of his boot & the locals at the can-bar were into him – “haven’t you been taking any notice of the King dickhead!”
Pretty hard to go past Stuart Law, the most skilful and stylish batsmen I played with or against. And there was no more competitive cricketer going around than Darin “Hooch” Turner, the guy always gave his all and wore his heart on his sleeve.
Stuart Law
Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?
Don’t know if Allan Border was the captain in the couple of games I got to play with him for Valley DCC but I class playing with Australian Captain very good fortune.
Michael Ephraims was also a great captain at Valley, very competitive. You certainly knew if you’d stuffed up but also praised good performance.
Who has been your funniest team mate?
Peter McPhee – had to be on your toes when he was around.
Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?
Not so much banter or an exchange but we were playing Sandgate and there had been quite a bit of rain during the week and they couldn’t get on to mow the outfield. I think it was one of the Goggin’s that hit a ball into the gap at covers. The fielder lost sight of the ball and they ran 4 runs while we were looking for it. Shane Beckey eventually ran from fine leg and found it.
Who was your childhood hero?
Marty Scanlon or Geoff Richardson in League and Greg Chappell in cricket.
Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?
Tiger Woods, Viv Richards and Usain Bolt
Viv Richards
Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?
Richie Benaud – don’t mind Gilly now on fox.
What was your favourite ground to play at?
QLD Uni and Redlands were always good tracks to bat on.
What there a particular team you especially looked forward to playing against?
I played a lot of 2nd grade and always enjoyed playing against Easts. Always close games and great bunch of blokes to have a beer with after the game. I actually gate crashed their end of season trip on the Gold Coast after they beat us in the Final.
What do you enjoy most about playing cricket & football?
Has to be the people you meet along the way, lifelong friends.
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket & league?
Cricket – Winning the O50’s World Cup, I know it probably doesn’t stack up for a lot of former players as most of us playing O50’s weren’t good enough back in the day to get to higher honours however I see it as a reward for continuing to play the game you love. I can tell you it meant a lot to the 16 players and staff that were involved.
Australian Over 50s Cricket team
League – Without a doubt my debut for Wests at Lang Park, we were sitting in the stands watching reserve grade and I quickly had to come up with an autograph after some kid asked me to sign a programme. A week earlier I was playing U21’s and now I was running out alongside Tony Currie, Wayne Treleavan, Kevin Langer and other Wests champions. Very lucky.
Gavin Brown with South Africa Cricket legend Barry Richards
What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?
Apart from the O50’s WC id have to say the 2nd Grade Grand Final in 2003. We’d lost a number of close finals over recent years and we were up against a strong Uni side at Wep Harris Oval. We finally got our batting and bowling going at the same time and were well led by Richard Anderson. It had been 25 years since the previous GF win for VDCC 2nd grade.
Who are the three players from your playing days at the top of the list for a Saturday afternoon barbeque?
Have to be you Tucky and we’ll get Foles and Cottee over as well. Maybe get Cooky to run the BBQ as well.
What are your hobbies?
Enjoying a bit of X-Golf now.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Make sure you get home before daylight
Editor’s Note: this advice was not always followed
What is your current occupation?
Account Manager
Let’s give your employer a plug, who do you work for?
Spicers Paper (for the 3rd time)
Any plans to retire?
I certainly do but don’t know when – on the Sunshine Coast
If you were running Cricket QLD what would be your 2 priorities to ensure cricket in the state remained strong and successful on and off the field?
Reward club performance.
Give more local players a crack at BBL instead of overseas players. I reckon you’d get more bums on seats to see a local player than a 19 year old overseas player who no one has ever heard of.
Team sheets - Wests v Wynnum Manly in 1986
