David Capel was the first professional cricketer to play with Petersham-Marrickville DCC when he joined the club for the 1991-92 season. Overseas professionals in Sydney Grade Cricket had become quite regular since Wesley Hall joined Randwick in the 1965-66 season. Hall’s impact on the club and the competition led to a number of other high-level players joining Grade clubs in the 1970-80s, the most notable being Tony Greig and Geoff Boycott with Waverley, Barry Knight with Mosman and Mike Gatting with Balmain.

With Petersham-Marrickville being touted for some time as a club likely to be forced into a merger or wound up altogether to cater for the need to establish Western Sydney clubs, the committee was looking to improve its standard of play and competitiveness. The loss of a number of experienced players such as John Bain, Mark Atkinson, Bart Pozuelo, Pat Farhart and Warren Pepper gave every indication that season 1991-92 was likely to be a real struggle.

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