Can you tell us a little about yourself outside of cricket?
Pretty knock-about bloke. Love watching any sports, having a beer, and playing golf when I can. Managing director of Australian Transformer Services which enables me to travel all over Australia and PNG for work. Married to my lovely wife Laken and have two gorgeous kids, Cody 7 and Holly 4.
Can you give us a quick rundown on your playing history for the lions?
Started out playing green shield in 2002-03. Progressed the following year to be graded in 5th grade. I played in every grade up until when I made my 1st-grade debut in the 2008-09 season. I then finished up my playing days at the end of the 2017 season due to my new work commitments (travel).
Any fond memories around the club that you can share with us?
All the years I played at the lions were great. Back when I was coming through the grades the training nights were probably more enjoyable than game day. The culture at the club was unreal.
A couple of key moments would have to be winning the 1st Grade T20 comp in the 2012-13 season. The side had a great bunch of blokes in it and the after-party at the Dorans was a night to remember.
Also, the season beforehand we made the Limited overs Grand Final but lost to Randy-Petes at Coogee, even though we did not get the win the night in the City was a good one.
And lastly, my 1st-grade debut is a day that I will always remember.
Do you remember your first game for the club?
Yes, I do. It was 5th grade at Punchbowl Oval against Bankstown, the first game of the season. Our captain was Gary Rowe (who still is a police prosecutor) and when I turned up, he said to me don’t worry about the bullet holes in the away shed door, I’ve probably put the bloke that shot the gun away in jail already.
From memory, I got 30 odd and we won the game.
Is there anyone who you’ve admired regarding the presence they had or the way they go about their business in a game?
I got to play with and against a lot of great players. Guys like Lambos and Benny’s professionalism and performances were always at the forefront and something that I tried to incorporate into my cricket.
Anthony Clark was my captain in 1st grade. The thing that I admired most about him was how competitive he was and losing was not an option. This taught me a lot in my first season as I could see that most players are happy to play first grade, but Clarky wasn’t just happy with that, he wanted to win and always win no matter what the circumstances were in the game.
Any standout performances you’ve seen someone put together?
I opened the batting a fair bit with Lambos, so I had the best seat in grade cricket. I witnessed him score plenty of 100’s.
Ben Rohrer scored two double hundreds in one season which was unbelievable. One of those was in a one-day game at Coogee. The ball striking was incredible.
Any teams you looked forward to playing the most?
I’d have to say, Mosman. Not because of the team as such but playing at Allan Border Oval. I just seemed to score runs there. It just felt comfortable batting there. No matter if it was PG’s, 2nd Grade (where I shared a record partnership with Dean Hayes) and ironically it was where I scored my first 1st grade 100.
Are there any individual performances from yourself that stand out?
My 224 against Campbelltown at Raby. Just one of those days where every shot I played came off and went in the gaps. When I think about that day now it feels like it was an out-of-body experience.
Any advice for any young players trying to make their way up the grades, or find their feet in grade cricket?
Take in the club culture. Always enjoy your cricket. Be patient with the whole grade cricket process ( you don’t have to play the highest grade possible just because of a couple of good performances. Your time will come). And probably the most important as a cricketer and this applies to any level of cricket – Be able to accept failures, as there is a lot in cricket but using these failures to motivate you will definitely make you a better player in the future.
