The following is an update of our overseas players as at June 20.The update includes a question on how they were enjoying their overseas experience in the and how it compares with home, particularly the practice sessions..  

Nick Miller (21yo) at Holmesdale CC in the Kent Division One League:

Saturdays match was a loss after Holmesdale were bowled out for 180 (Nick scored 22) and in return they passed them 5 down. Nick didn’t get amongst the wickets this match and has now bowled 57 overs taking 9w @ 30 and hopefully not too many problems with his fitness. They have won 5 games and lost 2.

He answered the email re his experience in the UK as follows: “The experience overall has been brilliant so far. All the people at the club have been great and we have a fairly handy team on the field. Pitches being much slower and fields smaller have been a different challenge with both bat and ball. The training culture is much different as well, not many people can get back for training so it's not ideal as far as getting in form is concerned. 

The socials have been great, much better as all venues are far more lenient on behaviour than in Sydney”.NB: Have attached a photo of Nick in his UK gear – perhaps enjoying these ‘socials’ a little – as he should.

Ryan Meppem (19yo) at North Petherton CC in the Somerset West England League:

Petherton had a 9-wicket loss on Sat moving to 6th on the ladder. Ryan took the only wicket to fall taking 1-21 off his 10 overs (3 maidens) of obviously tight bowling. He has now bowled 80 overs with 12w @ 26 and good to see he is at last getting a good regular bowl. Scored only 5 runs however has an excellent 412 runs at 38av in 12 games to date (has scored 5 x 50’s). His email reply as follows: “Playing cricket in the UK so far has been a good experience and a lot of fun. Conditions are a lot different over here compared to Sydney especially the moving ball and the variety of pitches. 

My time so far with North Petherton CC has been very enjoyable. Having played a full season before the Sydney grade competition starts back up again will hopefully benefit me. Gordon could buy and use the same quick and easy covers that North Petherton have. Gordon trainings are great the way they are and I don’t think I’ve seen anything we could adopt back home. Club activities have been similar so I don’t think we can improve our social activities”. 

Cameron New (23yo)at Worthing CC in the Sussex League:

Cam scored a brilliant 103 (14 fours and 1 six) on Sat to take his side to 9-246 after 53 overs - only to see them draw the game. Cam now has 333 runs @ 41.6 av, which is a superb effort, opening up in a team that has not won a game so far. His email reply as follows: “I'm absolutely loving it over in England! The whole experience has been a great success thus far. I couldn't be more thankful to the club for the way they've accepted me into the fold. They've made the transition to UK life very smooth. I'm playing with a great group of lads, and while some of the results have been frustrating; there's plenty of promising performances going forwards. 

I've really enjoyed playing in different conditions to back home and experiencing some T20 fixtures. I've had the pleasure of being involved with coaching both the boys and girl’s juniors programs and assisting with the ECB All stars (their version of Milo In2Cricket) when we have home fixtures. It's been great seeing some of the 1st team getting involved with the juniors either in training or coaching and shows the strength of the club culture here. Looking forward to a few more months here before heading back to Chatty to face Vickers at half-dark on a green top from 17 yards, and with an old white ball”.

Daniel Chillingworth (18yo) at Stokesley CC in the North Yorkshire/South Durham Central League.

Despite being washed out after only 46 overs on Sat (Dan 7no), this youngster has had a fabulous intro to UK cricket taking 23w (best 5-36) at only 12.5 av off 96 overs - which is 26% of his team wickets. He has also chipped in for 134r @ 19. Stokesley is running 5th and has only lost 2 of their 9 League games in the ECB Premier Division. 

This is a magnificent effort for an 18yo and who said leggies can’t get wickets in English conditions – good ones can. He replied to the email as follows: “Cricket in the UK has been exciting. There aren’t too many hard and bouncy wickets over here, and the ball moves both in the air and off the wicket a lot more than it does back home. Settling in has been easy with all the boys having similar interests and love a good laugh. This trip was all about gaining experience in some different conditions which will help in the near future”.

Fraser Wilson (18yo) at Rowledge CC in the Hampshire Southern Premier League:

After scoring 50 in his first knock on UK soil, this really promising youngster has had only 4 bats since, due to rain affected games. Very frustrating for him and was out for 16 last Saturday. Thankfully the team has had only 1 loss and are in the top 2 on the table. Fraser answered the email query as follows: “I’ve had a unique but enjoyable experience over here in the UK. I’ve really enjoyed making new mates and learning how they go about their cricket. Luckily arrived 2 weeks before the season start which gave me time to practice against the swinging ball.  This is great for club culture, something that has contributed to Stags culture in the past and I’d love to see it continue to be encouraged throughout the grades. Training over here has a strong emphasis on fielding and also gives players the opportunity to do one on one coaching in a net at any stage. Ive found both these elements of training very beneficial for my game and they’ll hold me in good stead for another Aussie summer with the Stags”.

Are you interested in playing cricket with one of Sydney’s leading clubs in the Sydney premier cricket competition?

If so, please submit your details via the form below. We will contact you shortly regarding your inquiry and advise of our pre-season practice schedule. We look forward to having you on board this season.

With most sides going deep into the finals last year and a top 5 finish in the club championship, the club is looking forward to another strong season in 2018-19.

We have outstanding coaches to assist you in developing your game, and the opportunity to play alongside some outstanding cricketers.

There are plenty of fantastic initiatives in place at the club. We have great playing facilities, top class grounds, a great club atmosphere both on and off the field. Take your time and have a look around the website to find out more information.

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The Club is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Gordon District Cricket Club legend Dick (Roley) Guy last week.   Dick’s contribution to the Club and, indeed, to cricket in general, for so many years, both on and off the field, was amazing.  He was a great leader, a fierce competitor, strongly opinionated at times, a terrific bowler and a top guy to have a beer with after a game.  His knowledge and understanding of the game was immense and he was always willing to share his views about cricket.

Dick watching a Gordon match against Northern Districts in 2017 

Dick was a right arm leg spin bowler who came in off a slightly longer run up than most spinners.  He had uncanny accuracy, a good top spinner and the ability to bowl long, probing spells.  Dick began his career at Gordon in Fourth Grade in the 1953-54 season at the age of 16, where he took 31 wickets.  

The following season, again in Fourth Grade, he finished with 60 wickets – a brilliant performance!  John Morrison, a team mate at the time, noted that the then Fourth Grade captain, Harry Crow, was pretty good at keeping young up and coming players in the side for the year in the hope of snaring a Premiership, which may account for why Dick remained in that Grade despite taking five wickets in an innings seven times and ten in a match once! Dick continued to do well but there was a very successful leg spin bowler in First Grade, Reg Giddey, who kept him out of the top side for a while.  

He finally played a few games in First Grade in 1957-58 but didn’t secure a permanent place in the side until the 1959-60 season.  And there he remained for sixteen seasons, taking 786 wickets at an average of 16.45 – the most by any Gordon bowler and more than 200 wickets ahead of the next on the list, the great Charlie Macartney!  Without going into too much detail about his success, it is worth noting that he took five wickets or more in an innings 61 times in First Grade ( and another 15 times in lower grades) – an astonishing performance!  He took more than 50 wickets in a season seven times and was the leading wicket taker in Sydney five times.  

In 1967-68 he took an incredible 91 wickets (in that season he was the Daily Telegraph First Grade Player of the Year).  In all for the Club he took 999 wickets (when asked whether he regretted not having taken 1000 he replied that no, it was more likely that people would remember 999!).

With stats like these, one would imagine he should have played a great deal of first class cricket.  However, the NSW team of the 60s was very strong and tough to break into.  In his first game for a NSW team, in the 1960-61 season, there were seven Test players!  There were also another four wrist spinners who represented NSW that season (including Richie Benaud and Peter Philpott) which made it very competitive.  In all, he played eight first class games for NSW between 1960 and 1969 (many would say not nearly enough!) - seven Sheffield Shield games and one game against a touring West Indies team – and took 25 wickets at 27.88. 

Dick’s career coincided with that of another Club legend – Brian Taber – with whom he shared many a good time. 

Brian Taber with Dick at Chatswood (with marshal Rosen in background)

In one of Dick’s appearances for NSW where he took six wickets for the game, Brian contributed to five of them (two catches and three stumpings) which must have given both men immense satisfaction.

Dick began his First Grade career under another great Gordon man, Sid Carroll, before taking over the captaincy for his last nine seasons.  He had the knack of being able to demand the very best of his players on the field while being conscious of the fact that cricket is a game which everyone should enjoy both on and off the field.  Dick’s teams were always a very close-knit group who did a lot of socialising together. As a result, many of his team mates have remained lifelong friends.  The end of play on a Saturday did not mean the end of the game.  Players remained in the dressing shed after six o’clock having a relaxing beverage.  Usually, after a little while, most of the opposition would also come over the Gordon shed and long-term friendships were developed between people who, not long before, had been trying to knock each other’s heads off.  Dick saw this as a really important part of the game, something that, alas, has been lost today.  He was also at the forefront of many social events that the Club used to organise through the season.  Tuesday and Thursday nights at the conclusion of training also meant a trip across the road to the Gordon Rugby Club for a quiet beer before the drive home (you can’t do that now!).  In the Toga Parties, Hawaiian and Western Nights and other social events across under the grandstand, Dick was usually a shining light.

The 12.30 Club lunches, which started with just Roley, Ken Niblett and a handful of First Graders, and developed into most festive occasions involving a number of Gordon figures as well as outstanding sports characters from all around the place, became legendary (see Tony Wilson’s tribute following).  He loved the Club song that Gerry Elkan had written in the late 60s (at Dick’s suggestion) and could find any excuse to sing it with the greatest gusto.  Any Gordon function usually concluded with a rendition.  Few will forget his leading the song at the Club Centenary celebrations in 2005.  

In 2012, a group of ‘oldies’ had a get-together at a 1st Grade T20 day at Chatswood Oval and, following a very exciting win by Gordon, they were all invited into the dressing room to sing the song.  Dick was asked to lead the song, and the players, none of whom would have seen him play (some may not have ever heard of him!), were amazed and impressed by the energy he exuded.   It was also wonderful to see Dick meeting Gordon’s English import (and now English Test player!) Mason Crane at a game at Chatswood two years ago.  A very interesting conversation ensued concerning the nuances of leg spin bowling and I think it was a real thrill for both men.

Dick’s involvement in and contribution to cricket extended well past his playing career.  At Gordon, he was a member of the General Committee for 20 years, the last five as President (he was elected as a Life Member of the Club in 1969).  He had, of course been a Club selector for many years as First Grade skipper.  Graham King (also a selector for a long time) said that they had many ‘forthright’ discussions at meetings.  But they always agreed at the end – and Dick got his way.  
He was a delegate to the NSW Cricket Association for 20 years, serving on a number of committees in that time.  He was a NSW selector for sixteen years (the chairman for nine of those years), on the NSW Cricket Board for seven years and the Australian Cricket Board for six years and an Australian selector for two years (see one of his ‘highlights’ in Norm Tasker’s tribute following).  He also managed the NSW 2nd XI and Colts teams for seven years, as well as taking a NSW team to Zimbabwe in 1989.  He was elected a Life Member of the NSW Cricket Association in 1981 for “… a truly noteworthy career in cricket administration”. 

These few words don’t do justice to Dick Guy’s contribution to the Club and to NSW Cricket.  He only played for one Club.  His influence on the culture of the GDCC was immeasurable and all who played with him and under him will remember the determination and passion he had for the Club’s success.  He had his own ideas and beliefs about things and was never afraid to voice those beliefs.  However, they were always in the interests of the GDCC. 

He was so much more than just a terrific bowler.  If Sid Carroll was ‘Uncle’, Dick certainly became the spiritual ‘Godfather’ of Gordon. 

In the Gordon song, the chorus goes “…There’s Roley and Hedley, Brother L and PJ…” . So sad that we’ve lost one of our greats!

To Michelle and the family, the Gordon District Cricket Club sends its most sincere condolences.

 

Michael Falk on behalf of the GDCC

Every year a group of Gordon players travel to the UK to play in the various premier league competitions throughout the countryside. We have a long history of players making this trip and coming back with great stories of travel throughout Europe, quaint English grounds, very hospitable hosts and at times some good cricket.

Nick Miller

This season is similar to previous ones and we have a group of 5 players keeping very active during our Australian winter and enjoying their time in the old dart.

The players this year are Ryan Meppem, Nick Miller, Cameron new, Daniel Chillingworth and Fraser Wilson.

Our number one OS cricket follower Tony Wilson has found the website score links for the players and below is a summary of their form so far.

Nick Miller at Holmesdale CC in the Kent Division One League:

In the first game of the season Nick opened the bowling taking  2-18 off 8.2 overs. He came in at No 7 and scored 8 runs in 15 balls. A very encouraging start for Nick with a good win and it appears he is over those injury worries.

Ryan Meppem at North Petherton CC in the Somerset West England League:

Despite the team losing the two Sunday T20 games, he scored 21  in a total of 66 in game 1, batting at No 4 and took 1-34 off his 4 overs. In game 2 he top scored at No 4, with 38 (3 fours and 1 six) and took 0-24 in his 4 overs of tight offies. The Team had a good win in the Sat League 1st X1, rolling the opposition for 137 and passing them with 9 down. Ryan scored top scored with 58 runs and took 2-36 off 8 overs.
To read what Ryan thought of his first season at Gordon, please click on below for a Narrabri article prior to leaving:

http://www.thecourier.net.au/sport/ill-definitely-be-going-back/

Cameron New at Worthing CC in the Sussex League:

Cam is off to a scintillating start to his UK sojourn. In R1 of the Sat League he scored 50 runs in 66 balls with 7 fours.

He also played 2 warm-up games, scoring a 76 in a Friendly and 12 in a Cup game, taking his overall total to 138 runs @ 69. Unfortunately the leggies may be having a few early teething problems with 0-55 off 7 overs. 

Ryan Meppem and Cam New

Daniel Chillingworth at Stokesley CC in the North Yorkshire/South Durham Central League: 

This exciting young leggie has played in two League 1st X1 games taking 1-26 off his 10 and 1-32 off 10 for a total of 2-58 off 20 overs – an excellent start for Dan. In their two easy wins he has had only one bat for 7, going in at No 6. 

Fraser Wilson at Rowledge CC in the Hampshire Southern Premier League: 

His 1st X1 match was cancelled last Saturday unfortunately due to a wet out field that did not dry from early midweek rain. To read what the Rowledge Club put on their website about Fraser, click on below:

https://www.rowledgecricketclub.com/rcc-welcomes-new-overseas-player-fraser-wilson/