Garry Moore - my best Valley District Cricket Club team

Dean Tuckwell | February 09, 2023

As a young bloke growing up in Cairns, Garry Moore aspired to be more Charlie Watts than Dennis Lillee. It wasn't cricket but his role as drummer for The Jelly Roll Big Band that brought him to Brisbane - the bright lights of Festival Hall and Cloudland beckoned and playing at the Gabba never entered his mind. Sadly those legendary Brisbane music venues have gone the way of the old Gabba scoreboard and Moorey's shoulder-length hair.

A chance meeting with Valleys legend Keith Dudgeon who saw him playing Warehouse cricket took him to Ashgrove where he started in 4th grade before making his 1st grade debut in the last game of the 1972/73 season taking 4 wickets.

Over the course of the next 22 years he won 2 second grade premierships, a first grade one day title and the 1984/85 A-grade premiership before retiring with 282 first grade wickets from 158 games. 

Garry played his last 1st grade game in 1994/95 aged 40. Australian rock and roll's loss was Brisbane cricket's gain. Always supremely fit he was a whole-hearted opening bowler and in that time played with some of the game's superstars and he names his best ever Valleys team.

1. Matt Hayden  - can't add anything to his story that hasn't been said

2. Kepler Wessels - as above, averaged 89 for the club. Would get off a plane from England and ring up for a net session the next day for the club game on the weekend

3. Allan Border (Captain) - as for Hayden and Wessels

4. Stuart Law - as for Hayden , Border and Wessels

5. Geoff Foley - great player, great record. It was a bad day for the club when he went to University and he remains today one of the nicest humans on the planet

6. Brett Henschell - highest run scorer for the club, great off spinner and terrific fieldsman. On talent alone could have played for Australia and certainly more games for Queensland. What went wrong?

7. Peter Anderson - best keeper me and so many others have seen. What happened was so tough on him and could have and should have played for Australia. Another talent Queensland Cricket is not using. He just loved the game. One morning before a club game at Ashgrove, he picked up some freshly mowed grass and a bail, stood behind the stumps and said "life gets no better than this!" - great man

8. Col Cooke - beautiful bowler and at his best as good as any. Sadly picked for Qld past his prime but still did well. Will still talk with absolute clarity about an lbw he should have been given in the 70's , who the batsman was, the umpire and the ground

9. Peter McPhee - great bowler, quicker than many thought and showed his abilities playing Shield cricket for Tasmania. Great record. A totally inappropriate man in the nicest way ( mostly)

10. Warwick Neville - many won't know him. A tall left arm quick who came up from Victoria, ugly, aggressive opening bowler

11.Malcolm Francke - what can you say? Unbelievable leg spinner for Queensland and Valley. Should have gone further but that's another story

12. Paul Carew - beautiful left arm opening bowler. I think he lacked in confidence and aggression and didn't realise how good he was. Played shield cricket for Qld and South Australia

*Trivo - just because he was Trivo. Aggressive, competitive and great club man. I know he makes 13 but have to have him in the mix somewhere

And then we have the Cottee’s, Jeff Walker, Gavin Brown and many others

And Joe and Sam Scuderi and Greg Ritchie - didn't add them given they only played a season or so

*Trivo is long term Valleys fast bowler and club coach Geoff Trivett who sadly lost his long battle with illness 3 years ago