Mark Preddey - my best captain

Mark Preddey | February 01, 2024

It is difficult to nominate my ‘best captain’ because I played with so many really great leaders and I feel each brought something different to the table. Most importantly I always felt they had my best interests at heart and wanted their little ‘leggie’ and the team to do well.

So here are a few of my favourite captains and a brief memory of playing with them that has stayed with me.

My Sutherland District Cricket Club (SDCC) 5th grade captain was Brian Hazel and he was so good to me in my first year in grade cricket. He was a very patient, kind man with an enormous amount of experience. He was a leggie himself which was a great advantage!

My SDCC 2nd grade captain Ian Everett half way through the season assured me that he wasn’t going to drop me even though I’d had a horror couple of games and had lost complete confidence in my bowling. I really feel that moments like these in the journey of a young cricketer are so important and as it turned out a few weeks later I found my rhythm again and on the back of some good performances I was picked in 1st grade later that season.

My SDCC 1st grade captain Brian ‘Grumpy’ O’Dowd once bowled me unchanged for 34 (8 ball) overs against St George at Hurstville Oval in a semi final. ‘Grumps’ had so much experience and loved to stir up the opposition, but he always gave me every opportunity he could and was the one who took a punt and in picked me in 1st grade.

Andrew Hilditch would take some time chatting and planning fields with me before the game and was always encouraging. At one point during the season ‘Ditch’ knew he had to drop me for the next round, but rather than wait to call me during the week, he took the time to sit me down and speak to me after the game to explain his reasons for doing so. I can remember his reasons were well thought out and constructive, giving me specific things to work on which I really appreciated.

I was fortunate to be part of that great Randwick side of the early 80’s with Mike Whitney and Evan Gordon opening the bowling and demolishing teams’ week after week! As a result, my opportunities for a bowl were rather limited along with the fact that the bowling stocks were so strong, I was a long way down the list for a bowl anyway! Fortunately, our captain Gary Bensley would occasionally throw the ball after only a few overs had been bowled. Maybe he just felt sorry for me, but I did get 7-14 on one such occasion, so I will always be grateful to Benso for keeping me involved!

My final year of grade cricket at age 24 was with Waverley (now Easts) and Ian Greig was captain. He was very experienced having played for Surrey and England and was another great leader who taught me so much about the game. Always encouraging ‘Greigy’ could be tough too and quite rightly thought I bowled a little too much on leg stump so at training anything that even remotely strayed into that area was quickly dispatched to the rear of the old Waverley grandstand some distance away. This did encourage me to adjust my line!

Having been involved in playing over 60’s for the past few years I must mention the Southern Highlands and Australian Vets captain Peter Jensen. Pete has done a heck of a job managing a bunch of cricketers of varying ability, who’s career peaked close to 40 years ago as he tries to accommodate everyone who wants a bowl or a bat along with the unenviable task of trying to hide at least a few of us somewhere in the field. I’d like to wish Pete and his Australian Over 60’s Vets team all the best in the upcoming World Cup in Chennai!

Thank you to all my captains over the years. There were many more, but to you all I will always be grateful!