Obscure/Colourful/Quirky cricketers over the years - both within Australia, and overseas.

There have been some intersting cricketers over the years, often a quirky trait or characteristic was more notable than their actual cricketing ability.

A few I can think of..

AUSTRALIA - (didn't necessarily represent their country, so includes played Sheffield Shield)

- Peter Cantrell
- Colin Miller
- Greg Matthews
- Wayne Phillips (Victoria)
- Danny Buckingham
- Richard Chee Quee
- Peter Taylor
- Merv Hughes
- Doug Walters (I always thought the "Andy Cap" character was based on him)
- Damon(?) Reeves
- Trevor Hohns

OVERSEAS
- Dilip Doshi (worst fieldsman ever)
- Blair Pocock
- Dipak Patel
- Ewan Chatfield
- Abdul Qadir
- Kris Srikkanth
- Madassar Nazar
- Kapila Wijegunawardena
- Derek Randall
- Jesse Ryder
- Mike Brealey
- Mark Greatbatch

- Dilip Doshi (worst fieldsman ever)

Phil Tuffnell would be miffed at that comment

They would probably be level pegging, although perhaps with Dilip slightly ahead in the "worst" category

You can also include Ernie Jones , RedandBlack and Fred Spofforth
Great cricketers from a bygone era

Thanks Scrappy, I always enjoyed playing in the same team as the "Demon'.

Probably need to add as an "aside" as to to why these guys are in this category. Some are obvious...of course!

Derek Randall - as a kid I thought he was Gilligans from Gilligans Island. I remember watching him try on hats belonging to members of the crowd whilst fielding near the boundary. Brilliant innings in the Centenary Test.

Kris Srikkanth - started smashing the ball in early overs of one dayers before it became commonplace.

Mike Brealey - looked like a businessman, not a professional cricketer. Apparently only in the side for his captaincy, not so much his batting.

Blair Pocock - tall Kiwi opening batsman, looked to have not much of a personality. Barely scored a run in a tour to Australia in the early 90's.

Ewan Chatfield - NZ medium pacer, looked 10 years older than he actually was. Everything seemed to be a strain for him.

special mention of Joe........

''Joe the cameraman''

I reckon Randell covered more ground dancing around the crease than running between the wickets. Was a funny character and his antics were good for the game.

And yes I also reckon they plucked Brearley from Oxford business school.
An unlikely looking cricketer.

Kapila Wijegunawardena. Does this guy get in just on his name alone?

Was Brearley the first to wear a 'helmet'.

He wore a metal contraption that covered his temples, IIRC?

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:Kapila Wijegunawardena. Does this guy get in just on his name alone?

Yeah perhaps so.

And perhaps because he was a "nobody" who went on to smash the Aussies all around the park and made big scores against us in (what I think was) his first game against us.

Trevor Hohns - I remember watching him bowl at Adelaide Oval 25 or so years ago in a Sheffield Shield game.

Every time he would appeal, he would say "How about that one then!".

Peter Taylor - the "Danny Kaye" look-a-like - debuted in his 30's, became a successful one day player, and sometime Test player. Virtually plucked from NSW Grade cricket if my memory serves me correctly.

And did Matthews bowl in the cap, just so more of his hair wouldn't fall out?

Peter Cantrell - Dutchman by birth I think. Tall opener from Queensland - had a full beard from memory, at a time when it wasn't really in fashion.

Damon Reeves - from NT, played for SA - was very quick by all accounts, but I don't think he had any idea where it was going. Strange action too.

redandblack wrote:Was Brearley the first to wear a 'helmet'.

He wore a metal contraption that covered his temples, IIRC?

Mike Brearley was one of the first
Graham Yallop might be the first Australian to wear a helmet
Tony Grieg was also an early user

The first accredited user of the helmet was Patsy Hendren in the 1930s
He wore a type of helmet in the 1930s, similar to the Brearley helmet

Viv Richards and Bayman refused to wear helmets in thier careers

FOOTYfollower wrote:Peter Cantrell - Dutchman by birth I think. Tall opener from Queensland - had a full beard from memory, at a time when it wasn't really in fashion.

He was born in Gunnedah, Northern New South Wales. He did somehow manage to represent the Netherlands in one day international cricket and later coached them. So like Tom Cooper, he may have had some Dutch heritage.

I have two main memories of Peter Cantrell. One is the blinding catch he took in the gully whislt fielding as a substitute for Australia to dismiss Alec Stewart in the first test of 1990-91. It was slightly controversial because the Australian 12th man was Carl Rackerman. Australia chose to use Cantrell rather than Rackerman. Carl wouldn't have seen the ball that Cantrell caught. The Poms had used the best available fieldsman as substitute for at least 60 years, but it didn't stop them squealing about Cantrell.

My other memory involves Cantrell in a one day domestic match. Ian Chappell previously had been very critical of Cantrell and stated that he wasn't up to first class standard. When Cantrell reached his century in a later one day match that was televised he bent down and spoke into the stump mike, "shove that up your a**e, Ian Chappell."

Chappelli must have seen the funny side of that because from then on he was quite effusive in his praise of Cantrell.

FOOTYfollower wrote:Peter Taylor - the "Danny Kaye" look-a-like - debuted in his 30's, became a successful one day player, and sometime Test player. Virtually plucked from NSW Grade cricket if my memory serves me correctly.

i always wondered when he got selected if they got him mixed up with Mark Taylor