1

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND CRICKET CLUB

UQCC OLD BOYS CRICKET NEWS Cnr Upland Rd & Sir William Macgregor Dr, St Lucia, Qld

Tel. 07 3346 9530 Edition 20 – December 2018

IMPORTANT DATES 2018–19

UQ SPORT

3 February 2019 – Valleys at Norm McMahon Oval

24 February 2019 – Sandgate Blue – Uni No. 2

IV Tour – Kowloon CC – 14–16 March 2019 Hong Kong

Old Boys Long Lunch – 25 January 2019 – Charming Squire

South Bank

Welcome

Welcome to the 20th edition of the UQCC Old Boys newsletter. In this edition we:

1. welcome two new Life Members to the club

2. have a rundown on another successful UQCC breakfast

3. have comments and feedback from the Old Boys network

4. provide match reports on our recent Old Boys games.

We commence with congratulations to the youngest ever UQCC Life Member.

Jarrod Turner – Life Member

Jarrod Ross TURNER was a right hand-batsman and off-break bowler. He was born

on 25 June 1982 (son of Lee-Ann Margaret BENOIT and Peter Robert TURNER). He

represented Queensland Under 17 in 1998–99. He made his debut for University in

1999–00, making his First Grade debut in 2001–02. From 2003–07, he played for

Northern Suburbs. After this date, he returned to UQCC, becoming the Club Coach

during a very successful period for the club. He is a Level 2 cricket coach. He has also

served on the club Executive. He was educated at Middle Park State School; Brisbane

Boys College; and The University of Queensland, graduating Bachelor of Applied

Science (Human Movement Studies). Seasons: 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009,2010, 2011

Jarrod’s reply

My UQCC career started in 1996 when I joined the Lord’s Taverners squad as an

Under 14 ‘trialling’ for the U16 team with the likes of Craig Philipson, Chris Hartley and Tim Wheller. David Biggs

would drive us from BBC to UQCC for training, and we would try and count how many coins he had under his car

seats. I think this is where I may have also developed my interest in having a punt.

I believe I only played one game that year as a fill in, but it was brilliant to watch the likes of

Michael Kasprowicz, Martin Love, Wade Seccombe, Paul Jackson, Geoff Foley and Mark

Shackel train in the nets alongside us, and listen to some of the stories of what the grade

players got up to on the previous weekend.

In the following years, I transitioned from the Lord’s Taverners side into grade cricket. My

early memories of grade cricket were that it was tough, but the stories got even better, and

instead of hearing them for an hour at training, I could listen to them for six hours straight

waiting to bat or out in the middle.

I was lucky enough to win a 4th grade premiership early on in the piece. We turned up on the

final day needing almost 1000 and only had two wickets in hand. My main role that morning

was to make sure the beers were cold for when we watched the other Uni sides battle out

2

their finals. Little did we expect that Rendle O'Connell would bat with the tail and win from nowhere. Instead of going

home early and helping my girlfriend with her Year 10 Science exam prep, I ended up drinking way too many beers at

the club (and the RE) and ended up being carried to her place and was a bit crook in the garden. Our relationship

didn’t last much longer (girlfriend — not the RE).

I joined Norths for four years, which were great years, but it was

just too far away from the RE, so I returned again in 2008, this time

as a player and coach, helping out with women’s cricket. I think I

was slightly more active in my role here than I was when I

previously helped coach the Lord’s Taverners side — this may have

had something to do with what took place on a Saturday night

before the games.

It was not long after that I joined the committee and was appointed

as the Uni Club Coach. It was a great time as a player and coach, as

we had a lot of success on and off the field. We won a number of

Club Championships and Premierships along the way, and the

memories will stay with me forever of us all singing the club song in the changing rooms, in the clubhouse and at the

Story Bridge — until we were asked to move on to another location.

A few years into being appointed as Club Coach, we took the jump and decided to start the UQ Junior Club. It is

brilliant to see that you can now come to the club under the age of 8, play through the grades and run around the field

in the Over 40s and 60s.

There are too many people to thank individually, but to my early coaches, the committee, players, coaches/managers

of the junior teams — thank you so much for your support over the years. UQCC has given me so much over the

years, but the most important of all have been the friendships that have been developed over time.

The second life member inducted at the latest AGM is a fine upstanding pillar of the community who possesses

immaculate character. Hold on … it was me???

Ian Elks – Life Member

Ian Albert ELKS was a right-hand batsman and wicket keeper. He was born on 29

August 1963 at St Andrews War Memorial Hospital, Spring Hill (son of Thelma Agnes

RIDEOUT and Donald Joseph ELKS). He played grade cricket for University,

appearing in the first grade team from 1982–83 to 1991–92, and again in 1995–96 and

1998–99. He captained the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast teams before they entered

the Brisbane Grade Competition. He represented Australian Universities vs combined

Oxbridge in 1986. He was educated at Coochin Creek State School, Beerwah; The

Southport School; Dover College; and The University of Queensland (Kings College),

graduating BCom in 1984. He is a chartered accountant and is currently a principal in a

stockbroking firm. Seasons: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990,

1991, 1995, 1998

Ian’s reply

When the Club President Geoff Teys called me and said I had been nominated as a life member of UQCC, I was

surprised, slightly embarrassed, but very humbled to accept. There are any number of people who have devoted more

time to the club than me. One example would be Jarrod Turner. I was very pleased to see Jarrod becoming a life

member at the same meeting as me. Despite a few years he spent on the dark side at Norths, the amount of time and

effort he has devoted to the club as a player, administrator and coach would be hard for most people to believe.

Establishing the UQCC Junior Club, which now has over 30 teams, was a daunting and massive project. He did it with

his usual modesty and good humour, although I'm sure it was his ability to woo the juniors mothers which was his

secret to success. Congratulations Jarrod — well deserved.

I've been very fortunate to be part of this club since 1982. I've made lifelong friendships and had a lot of fun. I know

when I finished playing cricket every weekend, I did miss the competition and camaraderie of playing with a team. So

as my family got a little older, belly a little larger and golf handicap stalled, I thought it would be good to go back and

have a run around again. Playing Old Boys cricket has been great from the perspective of keeping in touch with mates

I had played with and against. But I've also had the chance to meet another generation of team mates/tragics. Recent

3

intervarsity tours to Sydney, Melbourne, Barossa, Auckland, Singapore (and in 2019 Hong Kong) have been great

experiences and many lifelong memories have been stored away (or to the best of an Old Boy’s ability).

After each of our Old Boy games, we prepared written match

reports, which were sent around the playing group to let them

know how our games progressed. People like Red Herring, Jed

Davis and Bomber are very good story tellers and are obviously

wasted in their current vocations. Some of their match reports have

became literary works of art. I thought perhaps a semi regular

newsletter containing these reports, plus some interviews of

prominent old boys, plus the Uni Bookwork 20 Questions might be

a way of keeping old boys vested and interested in the club. Old

Boy newsletters have of course been produced in the past by

Lawson, Keith, John and Graham, but the advent of the internet

makes the distribution of these newsletters so much easier.

It’s been my privilege to sit down and interview some of the

prominent Uni Old Boy characters. All the previous Old Boy newsletters I have prepared (with the help of Gail

Cartwright) now reside on the UQCC website. Hopefully by reading these newsletters, current players will get a taste

of what it was like to play at Uni in former days. In addition, past players will get some news of what their

contemporaries are up to, if any have fallen off the perch and an update on the current status of the club.

When I've approached past Life Member nominees to pen a piece for the newsletter, I asked them to provide a couple

of anecdotes from their experiences at Uni that the readership might find interesting. Now I guess it's my turn, and I

must admit I find it difficult to pick one or two.

Watching Marnus Labuschagne's recent dismissal in the UAE where he seemed to be in a trance as the ball hit the

bowler’s stumps resulting in his run out reminded me of a similar situation when playing Easts at Bottomley Park in

the late 80s. Gerard ‘Yeti’ Keating was bowling from the crabpot end to Peter Morgan. He bowled a lovely inswinger

which went between the gate, flicking the bat and pad. On its journey, it also kissed the edge of the off stump where

the bail was threatening to fall. The Uni choir went up unsure and uncaring whether we were appealing for LBW,

bowled or caught behind. The umpire Col Timmins, ‘like a deer in the headlights’, was equally confused. As he

couldn’t decide which mode of dismissal might apply, he looked like he might provide the batsman with the benefit of

the doubt. As the batsman was outside his crease I underarmed the ball, narrowly missing off stump. In the midst of

the confusion, the ball rolled gently down to the bowler’s end, where it dislodged the bails with none other than Ian

Healy doing a Labuschagne! On your bike Heals, you were the one we were after anyway. Well bowled Yeti —

beautifully crafted!

As I mentioned, you make lifelong friendships being associated

with a club like Uni. You also never know who you will meet in

your club that you may come across later in life. An example I

mentioned at the recent AGM related to one of WEP’s helpers.

When we were playing, it was very much encouraged to have a

post match drink with the opposition and then for each Uni team

to return to the clubhouse to share the stories of the round. The

drink driving rules were somewhat more flexible in those days.

Each team would be rostered to make the burgers and serve the

drinks to the other teams. Many of these nights turned large. On

more than one occasion, Gelignite Jim Wilken, Bomber, Hustler

etc. spent the Saturday night between a Saturday–Sunday fixture

in the club, dissecting the world’s problems and experiencing in a

literal sense that one hit wonder on the club jukebox from Judy

Tzuke, ‘Stay With Me Till Dawn’.

Anyhow, WEP would employ students, generally from the surrounding colleges, to help make the salad rolls, serve

drinks and assist in cleaning up. One of these part timers was called Stacia. WEP use to get around saying that ‘Stacia

had done this’ or ‘Stacia had done that’, and generally, after chasing a little red ball around for 90 overs, we struggled

to keep up with what he was talking about.

It was only a few years ago when Andrew Courtice and I was sitting down having a beer that we worked out that

Stacia was actually short for Annastacia, and that Stacia was no more nor less than our current Queensland Premier,

Annastacia Palaszczuk! It is comforting to think that Annastacia put herself through Uni flipping burgers in the WEP

Steve Partridge, Brad Peters, Richard Herring, Brad Holt, Michael Bowers, New Life Member Elks, Andrew Gray, Bill Ledger

4

Harris Pavilion. In more than one way, I wish Gelignite Jim had swept her off her feet and they were now running a

Macca’s franchise ...

Thanks again to my nominators and to the Uni club, I am proud to join an illustrious list. It is obvious that the club's

future is in very good hands with Geoff and the current committee.

List of UQCC Life Members

5

Uni Bookworms 20 Questions

Shawn Flegler

Shawn is currently the Female High Performance Manager and Chair of the Women’s National Selection Panel at

Cricket Australia. In fact, he wrote this Bookworm 20 Questions while assisting the Australian women's team win the

recent World Cup T20 in the Windies. He has had varied roles since departing UQCC in his late 20s, including

playing first class cricket for Victoria, captain/coach of Melbourne Uni, and international coaching assignments in

Canada and Ireland. Shawn mentioned that he ended up playing for several clubs over the years, but his best memories

have been from the two Uni clubs he played for. Shawn is married to Justine, and has two daughters (Ava 10 and

Amelie 8). Over the last few years he has taken up triathlons and has completed one Ironman. (Editors note: a mid-life

sports car would be better for your joints Flegs!). He is currently completing an MBA. Shawn has always been a great

team man — thanks for your input Shawn.

1. Your first memory of UQCC? My first memory was actually playing against Uni for a Darling Downs side when I was about 17. I think I went ok and seem to remember being asked if I wanted to play there. I grew up playing with and against Chuck Seccombe and Kaspa and Tom Garde, so it was an easy decision.

2. Your best Uni cricket memory? Winning the premiership was great, but there were just some great people there who had a positive influence over me during my time there.

3. Your best memory of WEP? WEP turned up to Kaspa’s house for a BBQ and was greeted at the gate by Harley (Kaspa’s much loved hound), who took a liking to WEP’s calf and wouldn’t let him in the yard. After getting the puncture wounds cleaned up, WEP brushed off the dog attack as it was ‘just like a crocodile cradling its young in its jaws’!

4. Who was the best net bowler or batsman you ever saw?

Shane Harwood in Victoria liked to hit batters for fun and had a pretty good success rate! Martin Love made you feel like you were second rate, and I cannot recall ever getting Matthew Hayden out at training. Mind you, I think I would’ve enjoyed facing my bowling as well!

5. What was the strangest dismissal you ever saw?

Not a dismissal, but I remember Tom Garde fielding at square leg and diving at the feet of Peter Goggin (I think?) as he went to smash an errant slower ball from Dog Courtice.

6. Which Old Boy had the best success with the opposite sex?

Geoff Foley! Jim Tucker was an outstanding conversationalist, and I do recall being at The Underground one night and Jimmy saying he would love to have my hair for a night! I think Foles would’ve still had him covered though!

7. Best away trip – IV/country/tour? The most memorable was a boat trip across to Tangalooma on Roger Traves’ father-in-law’s yacht. Beautiful afternoon sailing over there followed by a reasonably large night. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad, which meant we had to depart very early the next morning. There were some very green faces on the trip back across Moreton Bay!

8. Funniest team mate? I really enjoyed Dog’s sense of humour. 9. Best bowler faced? I got to play against Abdul Qadir when I moved to Melbourne and he was a genius! 10. Best batsman bowled to? Ponting.

6

11. Biggest hit seen? Fast Eddie Marriner hitting Dog over mid wicket at the Gabba. I was on the receiving end of a lot of sixes, and Troy Dixon hit one at Uni that was still on an upwards trajectory when it hit a tree 20 metres above the sightscreen. 12. Best catch seen? We had a cordon of Seccombe, Love, Walduck, Foley and I think all of them made some hard catches look easy.

13. Easiest catch you ever saw dropped? Maybe not the easiest but Remedial, running into the light pole at the Gabba sticks in the memory. 14. Toughest opponent on cricket field? Dog! 15. Best cricket commentator? Ponting and daylight second! 16. Who is your hero? I loved Allan Border, Viv Richards and Greg Matthews growing up. In my only game for QLD, AB was my captain and we played against a full strength NSW side that included Greg Matthews. I was an Assistant Coach for the Melbourne Stars when Viv was involved with the team. Sometimes when you meet your hero’s they can disappoint … one of them did! 17. Which six people would you want to

have to dinner? I’m writing this from Georgetown, Guyana, so my wife and two daughters, anyone who can afford to buy some Grange and they can bring a couple of friends!

18. First car? My first car was a Datsun 180B which was a lemon, but when I started squatting at Kaspa’s house in Moorooka, I bought his 1980 Honda Accord off him. It was probably a good move by Kaspa, as it meant he got some money out of me! 19. First job? Somehow in the era of semi-professional cricket, I managed to scrape along for about 10 years without having a proper job. When Cricket Victoria finally saw the light and didn’t offer me a contract, I ended up working in IT for 7–8 years. I was working at Microsoft in Sydney when Cricket Victoria offered me a coaching role. I’ve been back involved in cricket for 10 years, but I still don’t think it’s a ‘real job’ and I feel very fortunate! 20. What is your all time Test Match

World XI? 1. Hayden 2. Gavaskar 3. Ponting 4. Richards 5. Lara 6. Sobers 7. Gilchrist 8. Akram 9. Marshall 10. Warne 11. McGrath

7

Uni Brekkie It’s fascinating watching two blokes who should have absolutely nothing

in common entertain a room of 300 people who know a lot about both of

them. And even more fascinating to listen to an individual responsible

for adeptly working through not 1, nor 2 but 3 crises, with no

qualifications or training to deal with any of them and all none of his

making, though invariably, totally all his responsibility. Reflecting on a

breakfast of so many contrasts, perhaps it was actually lunch?

The annual gathering of the UQCC faithful for ‘the function previously

known as the Test breakfast’, or, as Courtice would call it, the ‘T20

Breakfast’, was again a terrific and abrasive at times, yet sandpaper free

affair for all the right cricketing reasons.

For so many reasons indeed, the event had everything, yet was all for

nothing. Of all the impending seasons, this one in Brisbane is shamefully

Test free, yet Test cricket consumed the function regardless. For starters,

guest Darren ‘Boof’/‘What the F$#@’s going on?!’ Lehmann, celebrated

laconic and restrained drinker and smoker at a breakfast? The assembly

line worker from Gawler, working through Test cricket with our own

sports intellectual and lawyer, Andrew Courtice? The ungainly, left-

handed middle order, free-flowing stroke maker with the crafty tweakers

up against the tall, elegant and technically correct opener with the

searing mediums, yet both with incredible talent and run scoring ability.

Two Sheffield Shield veterans, one with a path though administration and selection committees, the other to coaching

at the highest level. One whose focus was building a successful practice based on English law, the other who’s

practice on English bowlers made him become one of the most prolific batsmen of his era. One guy is a regular invitee

to the Lawyers Cricket World Cup, and the other bloke has hit the winning runs in an ICC World Cup Final.

Both however have one striking similarity when it comes to cricket: ‘a renown for their disregard for physical fitness

and modern dietary regimes’. Having Andrew Courtice and Darren Lehmann work through a rich canvas of Australian

cricket in just over an hour kept the entire room of tragics captivated, especially seeing the last lawyer Lehmann would

have spoken with would have been CA’s Iain Roy in late March 2018. Lehmann was an inspired choice for this year’s

usually testy, test-less testimony, and as the most recent Australian cricket coach to grace the function, kept Buck

mercifully clear of Courtice’s usual tirade of merciless, acerbic humour.

As a statistical footnote, Courtice never faced off against Lehmann in

a Shield fixture, Lehmann yet to debut when Courtice played his

penultimate fixture against SA in Nov 1987, while Lehmann’s only

game that year as a 17 yo was soon after against VIC in December.

Looking back at those games, it’s striking how many Test players

graced each state side every fixture. In that year alone, Lehmann’s SA

side boasted five baggy greens, Courtice’s QLD five also (and some

ring-in by the name of Botham), VIC four, NSW eight, and even

WA’s top six all had caps, with a bloke called Alderman representing

the WA baggy green bowling attack. No wonder Australia dominated

for the next two decades.

Let’s face it, everyone there wanted to know what went on in March

in South Africa, and the gracious Darren Lehmann was happy to let us

all in on what happened. Despite genuinely not knowing ‘WTF was

going on’, he convincingly reminded us ball tampering has been

going on since the game was invented (no disagreement from the

floor …), yet was also genuinely devastated the guys were caught

attempting that time honoured tradition with 40 grit sandpaper (where

on reflection, mints were far more innovative and 160 grit would have

had greater impact). He confirmed what we had read was the genuine

article about events.

Over five years, the demanding role saw him away 300 days each year (he equates it to an AFL coaching career of 200

games), with the turn of events in Durban resulting in six weeks inside his own home after his return. Did not leave the

Figure 1: Searching Google Images for ‘Andrew Courtice cricket’ yields one image, which may or may not be Courtice.

Figure 2: A Google Images search of ‘Darren Lehmann cricket’ yields 437,589 images of Lehmann, including this one, which is confirmed as Darren Lehmann.

8

house once. The events certainly had a big impact on everyone, and Lehmann forthrightly told us his decision to quit

was the correct call, especially in light of his strong personal conviction that as coach, he must accept some of the

responsibility for the situation. One should remember this is a guy who publicly offered his place in an Australian Test

side to another player. Australians love helping people and having an opinion, Lehmann being a quintessential

Australian. His view on the big lesson from the Durban debacle was that the players should not have held press

conferences that day. His offer to face the press himself alone was refused, strongly believing this was part of his role

and responsibility to the players.

He speaks glowingly of new coach JL, supports Warner, thinks his era sledged more than the current crop, finds Ian

Chappell’s comments about sledging a little galling with Chappelli being the godfather of sledging himself, questions

the ACA’s role in the whole saga, and suspects the bans reach a little too deep, as every quality player Australia has on

its books will need to be at their best when the Ashes roll around next English summer. The True Grit trio will be light

on match practice by then. He also suggested a four-year appointment for the Australian coach was a sensible, limited

time frame, probably the most sensible suggestion not to come out of any expensive review.

Family is a massive part of Lehmann’s life, his own an incredible source of pride after which he clearly spoke of the

family approach he takes to the teams under his care. Of all his incredible personal cricket success — his resurrection

of an Australian XI failing their homework through to steering the national side to Ashes and World Cup wins — his

most satisfying achievement is the way he managed all those involved through the untimely passing of Phillip Hughes.

A young bloke with it all ahead of him, Hughes was to be told he had been picked in the Test team at the next break in

play that never came.

Coach Lehmann, 10 days out from a Test match with an entire organisation — players and support crew — in

emotional meltdown. How he managed to get 11 blokes to play for a full five days when they couldn’t bat for five

minutes and still win a Test match is indeed an incredible coaching performance, and by his own admission, his

crowning achievement in cricket. There’s no training course for that.

Lehmann’s further help and opinions left no one in doubt where he stood on so many matters — he won’t coach

internationally again (at this time …), the international schedule has too many meaningless games, Kohli is incredibly

Australian in his approach and easily one of the world’s best, Pup is a polarising figure with a passionate, stubborn

streak, KP is not on his Christmas card list, although Murali is even though he chucked (and Lehmann scored

consecutive centuries against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka on doctored tracks, so saw a lot of his action from where it

matters to comment). Lehmann sees the High Performance role going forward as having a greater cricket focus, with

perhaps a Hussey/Kasper touch to it, saw the pay dispute played out publicly as a disaster for the game, and wants

club cricket to return as the cornerstone of our game, with more mid-week games and no Sunday games. Sundays cost

club cricket the family guys who have the experience to coach and mentor the future stars. It’s where he learned his

trade in the same way the Sheffield Shield prepared him for international cricket. Keeping the old blokes is key.

As the discussion wound up, Courtice, in his inimitable style, joyfully probing for all the right answers to an incredibly

broad range of topics, Lehmann became a little melancholy at the raising of the topic of Shane Warne. He sat back in

his chair for a moment, paused, considered his response, and shared that Warne was pure genius and a player that

changed the game. While a controversial and colourful figure about whom we should believe everything we read and

hear (and add 250% ...), Lehmann simply said Warne could control an entire Test match, something he has never seen

and will likely never see again.

9

For all his achievements, Darren Lehmann was a tremendously humble and generous guest and clearly an enthusiastic

supporter of club cricket, which meant this UQCC Breakfast was one the finest. Lehmann took on the national

coaching role with the team in crisis at the sacking of the

previous coach, not 12 months later managed Australian

cricket at the elite level through an emotional episode never

seen before in it’s history, only to then personally accept

responsibility for the actions of others during the darkest

episode in Australian Test match history. He has certainly

packed a lot into five years and an illustrious cricket career

(to date). Despite the cricket fans in the room lacking a Test

match to attend, we were treated to an incredible tour of

Australian cricket’s recent tumultuous times by Darren

Lehmann, the man very much in the middle.

And he’s certainly spent some time there.

Figure 3: Darren lehmann at the 1999 ICC World Cup.

Run chases and big scores

First Grade’s recent incredible run chase in scoring 4-426 chasing down Sandgate Redcliffe’s 424 raised the question

of whether it was the largest chase in UQCC’s history. As with most of the club’s records, there are gaping holes in

the statistics offered in the annual reports. However, in trawling the records, it is safe to say that it was indeed a

record.

There have only been nine successful chases over 300 in the top grade and five in Second Grade. This drops away

quickly in the lower grades, with Thirds, Fifths and Under 16s achieving the feat once each. The fact that the new

record was achieved in one day makes it even more amazing.

The Fifth Grade result is notable in that the 319 chase in 1990–91 was achieved one wicket down thanks to centuries

from Greg Rudolph and Gary Boyd. Sixth Grade would have been on the list had they not lost their final wicket with

the scores tied at 310 against Souths in 2016–7.

There have been a number of scores higher than 426 in First Grade, 12 in fact, but none of these were all scored in a

live run chase. Some interesting facts come out of the statistics. Not surprisingly, most of the scores on the lists are

from the last 30 years. As well as the sketchy statistics before 1970, the era of covered pitches has provided most of

the batting records in the club, just as the bowling records tend to come from the earlier era of uncovered pitches. The

notable exception is the 12th highest score in history: the 6-427 scored in 1976–7 against Colts, when Bill Buckle and

Tim Crommelin put on 305 for the first wicket, a record that survived until 2012 when Michael Brundle and Hamish

Gardiner put on 329 in the second innings of the grand final to ensure victory. This was the same game that provided

the highest score in First Grade history — 605.

Another interesting fact is that two of the top 20 scores were achieved by the premiership team of 1992–3 in

consecutive weeks — the semi final and grand final. The same team was responsible for two of the successful chases

over 300 as well. This was the season of Andrew Courtice’s record 959 runs, who no doubt contributed to these

successes. All in all, the top two grades have provided the majority of large team scores. First Grade have passed 400

on 17 occasions and 500 a further four times, with the 605 being the only 600 plus score. Second Grade have passed

400 12 times and 500 twice, with 625 being the sole score above 600. In the lower grades, scores of 500 are rare,

although Fifth Grade stands out with 13 scores above 400, with the next highest being Third Grade with six.

There are numbers that will surely be hard to surpass. It is possible that Fifth Grade’s 2-669 against Sandgate in 1981–

2 could be challenged, although Don Crosby’s 398 not out in that total looks safe. The partnership of 450 between

Don and John Foster remains the highest partnership in the club’s history. The Women’s First Grade score of 5-400 in

2017–8, courtesy of centuries from Laura Harris and Haidee Birkett, was scored in a 50 over match. Second Grade’s

625 in 1999–00 maybe could have been higher if Peter Buttrum hadn’t retired for 200 to go to a wedding. The Under

16 Lord Taverners’ highest score of 8-559 in 1994–5 may be difficult to surpass considering it is now a 50 over

competition. The previous season, a 355 run partnership between Tony McIntosh and Joshua Dearing contributed to

an unrecorded total. More research needs to be done here.

No doubt there are plenty more runs to be scored and records to be broken in the future.

David Biggs

10

HIGHEST RUN CHASES BY GRADE GRADE RESULT SEASON

First Sandgate Redcliffe 424 vs UQCC 4-426 2018/19

Second Toombul 4/378 vs UQCC 483 1989/90

Third Valley 5/365 vs UQCC 6/371 1994/95

Fourth Western Suburbs 8/291 vs UQCC 8/297 1990/91

Fifth Souths 319 vs UQCC 3/468 1990/91

Sixth Souths 5/310 vs UQCC 310 (Tie) 2016/17

Under 16 Valley 6/303 vs UQCC 433 2002/03

Women Sandgate Redcliffe 4/211 vs UQCC 6/214 2013/14

HIGHEST TOTALS BY GRADE

GRADE SCORE OPPONENT SEASON

First 605 Wynnum Manly (Grand Final) 2011/12

Second 625 Toombul 1999/00

Third 5/492 Redlands (Semi Final) 2007/08

Fourth 8/463 Western Suburbs (Semi Final) 1981/82

Fifth 2/669 Sandgate Redcliffe 1981/82

Sixth 5/412 Toombul 1992/93

Under 18 442 Sandgate Redcliffe 2001/02

Under 16 8/559 Valley 2002/03

Women 5/400 Gold Coast 2017/18

HIGHEST RUN CHASES (ALL GRADES) TO WIN GRADE OPPONENT SEASON

425 First Sandgate Redcliffe 2018/19

379 Second Toombul 1986/87

366 First Gold Coast 1992/93

366 Third Valley 1994/95

364 First Redlands 2007/08

350 First Valley 1994/95

324 First Souths 1995/96

324 Second Sunshine Coast 1995/96

320 First Valley 1991/92

319 First Sandgate Redcliffe 1992/93

316 First Valley 1989/90

312 First Northern Suburbs 2005/6

304 Under 16 Valley 2002/03

11

HIGHEST TEAM SCORES > 450 (ALL GRADES) SCORE GRADE OPPONENT SEASON

2/669 Fifth Sandgate Redcliffe 1981/82

625 Second Toombul 1999/00

605 First Wynnum Manly (GF) 2011/12

568 First Toombul 2006/07

8/559 Under 16 Wynnum Manly 1994/95

527 First Gold Coast (GF) 1992/93

527 Second Northern Suburbs 2007/08

8/520 First Gold Coast 2016/17

5/515 Fifth Northern Suburbs 1981/82

509 First Beenleigh Logan 2006/07

500 Second Toombul 2011/12

5/492 Third Redlands 2007/8

490 Second Gold Coast 2010/11

483 Second Toombul 1989/90

479 Fifth Eastern Suburbs 1980/81

9/476 Fifth Wynnum Manly 2014/15

7/475 First Gold Coast 2012/13

8/470 Second Toombul (SF) 2000/01

468 Second Souths 2011/12

3/468 Fifth Souths 1990/91

6/463 First Sandgate Redcliffe (SF) 1992/93

8/463 Fourth Western Suburbs (SF) 1981/82

452 Second Souths (GF) 2009/10

9/451 First Gold Coast 1995/96

Old Boys news From: Lawson Barney To: Ian Elks Ian Congratulations on your life membership. Well deserved. I am guessing you are the second TSS Old Boy along with Lew Cooper (editor’s note — Buck is also a life member with a TSS pedigree).

In September I played in the over 70s Interstate Veteran’s Carnival on the Sunshine Coast. I turn 70 just before Xmas, so eligible to play. I have decided that is a good time to call an end to my long cricket career. My first game of cricket was for the Southport State School against TSS in early 1961. Up until then, cricket for me was a game with Dad on our yard in Kirribilli and in the school yard at the Milson’s Point Public School. My parents decided to move the family to Main Beach at the end of 1960. In 1962, I started at TSS. As one of a few dayboys I took awhile to adjust to the new environment! After finishing at TSS, I played both at Uni and with Southport Cricket Club on the Gold Coast. Buck and Rubbie also played, and we won a premiership together at the Southport Cricket

12

Club in 1973–74. The three Uni Old Boys are in the back row — on the left me (with Uni cap), Rubbie with the beard and of course Buck. I continued playing with the Uni Old Boys and had some memorable tours under the guidance of John Biggs. All the best for the coming season. Cheers Lawson

Editors note — I have been doing a little more research into Lawson’s cricket career:

He was in the TSS first XI from 1964 to 1967 (repeating Senior) and was captain for three years out of the four (unprecedented)! The 1967 TSS team included Gary Salmon and John Anning, who later played at UQCC. In that year, TSS was the only undefeated team with seven wins and a draw, but Churchie somehow wrangled the premiership? TSS went on to win six premierships in the next nine years — I believe, a record for any GPS school in any GPS sport. In 1969–70 season on the Gold Coast, Lawson won the four major trophies — most runs, highest batting average, most wickets (shared with Ross Wallace) and best bowling average. I believe he is the only player ever to achieve this. Sir Bruce Small presented the trophies in that year.

21 October 2018

Over 40s University -v- Gators ‘Battle of the Bayou’

continues

Sunday, 21 October 2018, the 18–19 season opener once again saw a ‘Failing’ of Uni over 50 somethings (generally) do battle against a ‘Congregation’ of under 50 somethings at Swamp 4, Gaterville. As Gators appeared from nowhere, Uni lost the toss — Gators to bat. New firm of Redacliffe and Rosbrook to open the bowling. With no pre-season training (designed to avoid those pesky pre-season injuries), the first hit-out for our opening pair was a bit much. The deck was generally unresponsive, although it did occasionally keep low, but seemingly only when pitched outside the stumps. New firm toiled manfully, and an early wicket for Tommy R — bowled — our first wicket of the season, 1-11. We're in business. No — more slop. Then a double change — Ravenhill and Partridge into the attack. Mercifully another early wicket to Ravenhill, who regularly hit his length. After the brief excitement, more steady Gator scoring, culminating in a dropped tracer bullet on the boundary by yours truly (very tuff catch'n ground) — time to regroup, at drinks 2-70. Slow bowl'n time — enter former captain Grieg (retained for this game by new King of the North) and immediate success — 2 in 2 balls, with only a thin bottom edge denying the hat trick. The run rate dipped momentarily. Peters chimed in with some tidy tossed-up early bowling. The Gators then got on top of Greig/Peters, and sadly, despite their guile, the Gators found both sides of the boundary rope regularly. Parto brought back to stem the tide with Ross Walker. Parto rewarded with any early one to remove the Gator top scorer, and late in the session, Walker removed the other pre-historic, 2nd top scoring beast — 6-139, game in the balance. Your correspondent then entered as the death bowler. Mixed bag, but run rate dipped (as the good batsmen had been sent packing), and then the one that our fast bowlers look on with disgust — half (if that) tracker from the very part-time spinner, about to bounce twice, but on line — batsman tried to hit it into tomorrow — LB, 1-4 off the first over. Then the leg spinner's/keeper's dream dismissal — tossed up, drifted, landed, turned, charged — stumped (victors write the history, and I am sending this extract to my kids). 2-6 off 2. That's where the good news ends for me. Honourable mention at this stage to the very fit looking Ross Walker (he is set to get the gig in the new movie ‘Universal Student’ replacing Van Damme), who can still throw a cricket ball faster than any other living Uni Old Boy. Near the end of the innings, diving full length to cut off an easy second, he managed to pull both quadriceps — or, as it was later revealed, mild cramps.

Our intrepid scorers had assumed the position – never look back.

Universal Student and Mark Clayton – looking the goods

No more wickets fell and the Gator score climbed steadily to their final score of 177 — possibly around par, with a few short boundaries. Distant but approaching ominous storm clouds were in front of us as we left the swamp. With no home team catering (although had they, Gators would no doubt have produced a 10-day-old, rotting drowned cow from the bottom of their swamp), and with by now green storm clouds rising faster than Bill Shorten's election hopes, Uni openers padded up, Universal Student bravely stating, ‘Still happy to bat — I'll just swing at everything.’. Full of childish expectation and both looking like the epitome of effervescence, our fully kitted out openers were on the field ready to go — no dark cloud can forever prevent the sun from shining on a Uni player. But with no umpires or opposition in sight, all eyes turned to the west and the apocalyptic storm which was almost upon us. Sanity prevailed, and the game called off with no balls bowled in the Uni innings. Creditable draw. Soft tissue injury count – Ross Walker – 2 quads. Thought for the day Geoff Rossbrook – AKA ‘Dr Dirt’ or ‘Dirt’ — had we played on in the rain, his name would have been ‘Mud’. John Arlott, An Eye for Cricket

Cricket is a most precarious profession; it is called a team game but, in fact, no one is so lonely as a batsman facing a bowler supported by ten fieldsmen and observed by two umpires to ensure that his error does not go unpunished.

Executive summary

Creditable draw, but we may have been a chance, given that we scored 205 at the swamp in a previous game.

PS – This is the 2nd report written about this game. The first report (not published, other than to Chicken) was based on the erroneous viewing of the previous Uni v Toombul match. Needless to say, Sandgate copped a caning for their scorebook not matching to my recollection of the game. Nonetheless, it was a bloody good report on a fictitious innings. Pink has decided that, henceforth, the writer of the match report can select any previous or future game, or indeed any fantasy game, to report on and slot it in as current — let’s face it, who other than the players would know, or even care. This liberating development should make for some wonderful future reports. Yours in Cricket Paul Davis

The beer they drink out there!!!

Gator's innings

Full of hope Uni scoring page

19 November 2018

Over 40s University -v- Wynnum

‘Big Bash on #9’

Second game — back on hallowed Uni turf of Oval #9 (next to Uni entry) — well maybe? This is the pitch that confronted the combatants. What other than a ski-field in summer is so sloped and so green? But to be fair — it actually played well, something in it for both batters and bowlers. After the shock of the pitch and then being informed by Red & Pink Herring that there were no pre-game savoury muffins, it was looking like a tricky afternoon. The other news was that former captain Grieg had been omitted (the excuse by new King of the North — ‘he was unavailable’ — believe what you will). In the game of thrones, you either win or die. Uni won the toss and elected to bat. Claytons openers

sent out — far from it — Mark Clayton and Universal Student took the first over to settle in, and bashed thereafter to set the tone for the whole innings, until Universal Student was gunned in the 5th — LB for 17 off fewer balls. Better news for Clayton and the huge support crew on the hill. Ground capacity of 10, and there must have been 12–15 spectators care of Clayton, Walker and Tony Willans — wives, kids, relatives — unheard of! What’s more, David ‘Harold’ Grogan appeared from nowhere, dressed in all black, just to ensure that no one would mistake him for a cricketer. Clayton unbeaten, retired 50 in about as many balls — super innings to all parts of the ground. Openers then more than ably supported by King of the North (48), Shades (30), Pink (17), Red (23) and a patient Dougy Rae (16). The worm was never much below 7, and at around the 25 over mark, the stats gurus were searching memory banks for record high scores (thought to be around 280). But of course, on cue, a few mystery LBWs dashed those hopes, but not of winning the game. Cameos by Rosbrook and Davis bumped the final score to 242 off our 35 (@ 6.9 per over) — always going to be tough to topple. The now famous, between innings Uni home ground catering extravaganza effortlessly appeared. Didn't disappoint — seemingly endless chicken rolls, ham/cheese and chicken/real egg mayo sangers on hot juicy white bread — not many of them left!! Worth the price of admission. As the lunch settled, we're on, and by now, the not so new firm of Rosbrook/Redacliff to open the bowling. Tommy R worked up good pace and regularly found the G-spot on the responsive pitch — just ask the Wynnum opener, who after the game was seen showering, trying to wash off three welts on his left rib-cage. Dirt tight as ever, and the visitors in trouble — 2/25 after 7.

Short of photos, so I put this one in. Harold the ‘All Black’

The visitors were then kept quiet until the 11th, when Tony Willans entered the attack — first over in 20 years, in front of his family, including son who is currently the Uni A Grade opening bowler. A ‘Harmie’ to open the account. And then, a second ‘Harmie’ — surely to just to send them off the scent. Then a bit closer, but still a wide and then yet closer — still wide. So the good news is that he still has 6 pills left in his comeback over. Tony manfully stuck at his task, although the remainder of this and a second over, when someone (could have been the son) in the knowledgeable crowd yelled out ‘Nice spell’ — and time was called on his bowling comeback. But to be fair, and for most the game, the umpires were like over-officious international rugby refs on their wide calls (but who doesn't love a technically correct ref injecting themselves into the game). All the while, Parto and then Red slowly but surely ramped up pressure. Runs slowed and a few Wynnum men departed. Jed then got another chance and, after a triple bouncer, produced a full bunger, which the lefty smashed to Red lurking at cow corner, into a slight head-wind, and Red, with one foot in the air, just inside the boundary, held his ground, took a screamer (would have been 6 just about any other ground). Jed then found a length and finished with 3-24 off 6 — Red ‘The worst three-for I have seen’ — he should get out more often. Universal Student and Doug R then shut down out the Wynnum dreams in the 34th — 192.

Soft –tissue injury count

Pink Herring – Baker's cyst behind the knee King of the North – calf strain Reddacliff - torn meniscus

Fielding highlights Ball hit by Wynnum to just inside square leg boundary — to get the ball back, it almost required a triple

underarm relay ‘throw’ Only one catch dropped — impossibly difficult low, 2nd slip attempt by the new King of the North keeper

Thoughts for the day Neville Cardus

A true batsman should in most of his strokes tell the truth about himself.

Robert Mugabe Cricket civilizes people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe; I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen.

Baker's cyst explanation – all follow-up questions to Parto Chicken – not looking very kingly

Executive summary

Very strong Uni batting line-up, which for once lived up to their own expectations by posting an imposing total, and the result was never in doubt, despite a brief mid innings rush from Wynnum. Yours in Cricket Paul Davis

13

Club sponsors