Phil Blizzard - Penrith Cricket Club first grade player number 73

One of the useful factors in any bowling ‘balance’ set-up is the presence of a left-arm new ball bowler, either quick, a swing merchant, or both if you’re lucky.

Early on Penrith’s best were Ken Hall and Graeme Pitty, and in the lower Grades Steve Hider.

Tasmanian Phil Blizzard, wife Alice and daughter Rachel came to the Club on the back of a friendship with Steve Small, one forged when Steve was down south trying to break into the First-class scene. They liked it so much they stayed long enough to add two more to the family, Brendon and Stephen. (By coincidence Steve Small has a son, Brendon.) Long enough, too, for Phil to win a spot in the NSW Sheffield Shield team. But, as well as things went, life could never be good enough to satisfy Phil’s absolute love in life: a good fishing ground. Tasmania was ‘the only place’, and his stories about the size of the mud crabs and trout were legendary.

His early potential won him U/19 selection for Tasmania and he toured Sri Lanka with the Australian U/19 team. In maturity his pace was more medium than fast, but he could swing the ball in and away from the batsman. Ken Hall said: “What a great bowler. Many times the batsmen just didn’t know what he was doing”. He had that wonderful attribute of breaking the back of a batting order: in two seasons he six times took more than five wickets in an innings, the best 7/62 against Sydney. There was also the occasion when he took 6/13 against Campbelltown, who were 9/23 in reply to Penrith’s 179. Unbelievably, Phil failed to receive the umpires’ nomination for the player of the match. That went to an opposing batsman who was … seven not out!

He could bowl long spells in trying conditions and was a handy low-order batsman. For Penrith he scored 192 runs @ 17.45 and took 76 wickets @ 20.23; 13 catches. First-class (Tasmania/NSW): scored 569 runs @ 15.37, highest score 51 and took 63 wickets @ 40.44, best 4/62.