Tasmania cricket team
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The Tasmania men's cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the
Tasmania played in the
Tasmania were finally admitted to regular competitions when they became a founding member of the
Tasmania play their limited overs cricket in a predominantly green uniform, with red and gold as their secondary colours, and have a
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
Introduction of cricket to Tasmania
Cricket almost certainly has been played in Tasmania since the time of European settlement in 1803. It was a popular pastime among marines, who were responsible for security in the fledgling colony. The first recorded match is known to have taken place in 1806, although it is most likely that unrecorded matches were already being played at this time. According to the colony's chaplain, and famed diarist, Robert Knopwood by 1814 the game had become very popular, especially around the festive season at Christmas.[2]
By the 1820s there had still not been any official club organisation, but matches were being played on a regular basis. Cricket is recorded as having been played in the settlements at
Many of these matches seem to have been organised between hotel licensees, in order to create profits through the sale of food and beverages, and through betting on the outcome. One such match that was arranged in March 1826 by Joseph Bowden, the hotelier of the Lamb Inn on Brisbane Street was played for a winner's purse of 50
There is no evidence to suggest an "official cricket season" during the first two decades of the colony, and many of these games initially seem to have been played around June and July, to coincide with the traditional English cricket season, rather than the Tasmanian summer. Accounts of such matches suggest games were often played in atrocious conditions due to winter rains and cold conditions. But by the 1830s, logic had prevailed and cricket seems to have reverted to the southern summer months. Club cricket had also become well-established by the 1830s. One of the earliest men responsible for organising cricket within the colony was John Marshall, who was established the Hobart Town Club soon after his arrival from England. Soon after in 1835 the Derwent Cricket Club was formed making it the oldest surviving cricket club in Tasmania, and in 1841, the Launceston Cricket Club was formed, making it the second oldest surviving cricket club in Tasmania, and third oldest in Australia. Cricket had soon also spread into many regional settlements throughout the Colony of Tasmania, making it one of the most popular pastimes there. Some matches were played as part of district festivals, with large banquets following play.[4]
Beginnings of first-class cricket in Australia
By the late 1840s organised cricket was doing well in both Hobart and Launceston, and was spreading throughout the colony. In 1850 the first "North" versus "South" match was held in Oatlands, midway between Hobart and Launceston, and won by the South. The success of the match prompted promoters to organise an inter-colonial match, and the inaugural first-class cricket match played in Tasmania, which was also the first ever first-class cricket match in Australia, was played in 1851 between Victoria and Tasmania in Launceston at the Launceston Racecourse. The game was billed as "The Gentlemen of Port Phillip versus the Gentlemen of Van Diemen's Land". The game featured four-ball overs and no boundaries, attracted a crowd of about 2500 spectators, and it was a timeless match, but only lasted for two days. Tasmania emerged victorious by three wickets.[3][5]
Geographic and social isolation
Despite winning the first ever first-class match in the Australian colonies, Tasmania felt its geographic isolation in the form of a lack of competition. Few touring sides wished to undertake the long sea journey to the island in the late 19th century. The game also developed more slowly, with Tasmanian clubs maintaining a belief in
Despite the problems facing Tasmanian cricket, local teams did occasionally play against competitive sides. The
The 1880s provided better progress for the colony. In 1880 the
In the 1890s, the colony was playing representative cricket against Victoria almost every year, and occasionally against
Sheffield Shield wilderness
Following World War I, Tasmanian representative sides usually had to content themselves with matches against touring international sides during brief stopovers, while they travelled by ship to mainland capitals. Occasionally Tasmania would play the odd game against mainland state sides, but it was usually only one first-class match per season.
The inter-war years proved a period of consolidation for Tasmania, as the state struggled to recover from the devastation of the war. Club cricket was hampered by rivalry between the south, north and north-west. Several exceptional cricketers emerged in this period, such as Laurie Nash, Jack Badcock, though a lack of opportunity led many to pursue cricket careers on the mainland. The quality of cricket in Tasmania varied from time to time, but after World War II the standard was high. Cricket resumed much faster than it had done after World War I, and excellent players such as Ronald Morrisby, Emerson Rodwell, and Bernard Considine emerged. This prompted moves to be made by the Tasmanian Cricket Association for further matches and recognition.
Despite the skills of Rodwell and
The arrival of
National competitiveness
Simmons had proved an inspirational captain for Tasmania, and although the side only won one of the twelve first-class matches under his leadership, that had more to do with the quality of the homegrown players at the time. His List A cricket record was more successful, leading Tasmania to six victories in eleven matches. He also assisted the TCA in modernising the administration of cricket in the state.
After making the Gillette Cup semi-finals in the 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons, Tasmania qualified for the final for the first time in the 1977–78 season, but lost to
The presence of Simmons, and the 1978–79 Gillette Cup victory, had brought attention to Tasmanian cricket, and soon other international professionals joined the state for brief stints to both help out Tasmania's development, and gain further experience in Australian conditions. Michael Holding, Winston Davis, Patrick Patterson, Richard Hadlee and Dennis Lillee were among the more notable players to represent Tasmania in the late 1970s and early '80s.
After finally being admitted to the Sheffield Shield permanently, the Tasmanian side initially struggled for success and consistency, and were the competition's whipping-boys throughout the 1980s and early 90s. The rise of a local hero in the form of
Despite their skills, the Tasmanian side struggled to win throughout this period. Regardless of the lack of competitive success, one exceptionally bright point came with the unearthing of a rare talent in Ricky Ponting, who would go on to become one of the world's best batsmen.[12][13]
Tasmanian Tigers era
A reshuffle in the administration and organisation of the TCA in 1991 did not have an immediate effect, but the mid-1990s brought a more professional approach, and the state's side re-branded as the Tasmanian Tigers, and with a new headquarters in the renovated Bellerive Oval, the state finally started to achieve more regular success. The side surged to the final for the first time in 1993–94, only to lose to New South Wales, but showed they were capable of successes at first class level. The 1997–98 season saw the Tigers qualify for the final off the back off a remarkable six straight victories, and they were desperately unlucky not to win the competition after such dominance.
In the late 1990s Tasmania continued to produce top level cricketers. Players such as Jamie Cox, Dene Hills, Shaun Young and Michael Di Venuto became stars of the state side, and can all be considered unlucky not to have found a place in the Australian side.
Recent success
The Tigers continue to remain competitive in all forms of the Australian domestic game, and in 2006–07 were successful in claiming their first-ever Sheffield Shield title. Five years later, they won the Shield a second time in 2010–11, and again in 2012–13. The Tigers have also qualified for the final on four other occasions in 1993–94, 1997–98, 2001–02 and 2011–12, but had to settle for second place.
The Tigers have fared better in the
Tasmania's recent successes at domestic level have been reflected in selection for the
Cricket Australia encouraged the state sides to recruit a foreign star for the 2009/10 season, in order to boost the appeal of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash internationally. Tasmania pulled off one of the biggest coups in this recruitment programme, when they signed Sri Lankan star Lasith Malinga.[15] Disappointingly for the Tigers, Malinga was forced to withdraw due to a change in international commitments for the Sri Lankan side. On 16 November 2009, Cricket Tasmania announced that Dimitri Mascarenhas would replace Malinga as Tasmania's overseas player for the 2009/10 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.[16] However Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan played instead of Mascarenhas. Ul-Hasan also played the following season of the Big Bash.
Home grounds
Tasmania have traditionally played cricket both in the state capital
When Tasmania was admitted to the
During the re-branding process of the early 1990s, the TCA was faced with a dilemma about their ground. The TCA Ground had a reputation for poor soil and windy conditions, and games were often played in blustery condition with chilly winds blowing off nearby
Logos, colours and shirts
It is not known what colour caps the first first-class sides of Tasmania wore, although claret and red examples survive from the 19th century. Sometime towards the middle of the 19th century, the state had also adopted
The cricket team quickly adopted dark green as their cap colour, and although this is similar to the more iconic Baggy green cap worn by the national side, the use of it by Tasmania pre-dates the national side doing so. Soon after the development of the flag of Tasmania in 1876, the red lion-passant that is featured in the state badge upon the fly was also adopted to feature upon the cap badge.
This cap, in dark green with a red lion upon a white disk was in use throughout the late 19th, and most of the 20th centuries. In 1991 the
In the 1995–96 season, all of the domestic sides in Australia re-branded with nicknamed monikers in the style of American sports franchises. It was a practice common in the countries football codes, but previously never done in cricket anywhere in the world. The Tasmanian cricket team naturally chose to adopt the
Squad
Players with international caps are listed in bold:
No. | Name | Nat | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batters | ||||||
9 | Charlie Wakim | 9 July 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
||
14 | Jordan Silk | 13 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Captain | |
11 | Jake Weatherald | 4 November 1994 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break |
||
33 | Mac Wright | 22 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break |
||
61 | Tim Ward | 16 February 1998 | Left-handed | – | ||
All-rounders | ||||||
16 | Mitch Owen | 16 September 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
20 | Beau Webster | 1 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break/medium |
||
30 | Brad Hope | 13 July 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
– | Nivethan Radhakrishnan | 25 November 2002 | Left-handed | Right-arm Slow left-arm orthodox |
Rookie contract | |
Wicket-keepers | ||||||
2 | Jake Doran | 2 December 1996 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | ||
32 | Caleb Jewell | 21 April 1997 | Left-handed | — | ||
13 | Matthew Wade | 26 December 1987 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | ||
Bowlers | ||||||
5 | Gabe Bell | 3 July 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | ||
12 | Riley Meredith | 21 June 1996 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | ||
27 | Lawrence Neil-Smith | 1 June 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | ||
37 | Billy Stanlake | 4 November 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | ||
43 | Sam Rainbird | 5 June 1992 | Right-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | ||
72 | Nathan Ellis | 22 September 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | ||
35 | Iain Carlisle | 5 January 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | ||
Spin Bowlers | ||||||
19 | Jarrod Freeman | 15 June 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break |
||
48 | Paddy Dooley |
17 May 1997 | Left-handed | Left-arm wrist spin |
- Source: Cricket Tasmania
Notable players
Tasmanian captains
All former players
Other notable former players
- Keith Bradshaw
- Kenneth Burn
- Greg Campbell
- Troy Cooley
- Joe Darling
- Winston Davis
- Charles Eady
- Richard Hadlee
- John Hampshire
- Neil Hawke
- Michael Holding
- David Hughes
- Khalid Ibadulla
- Tom Kendall
- Alan Knott
- Peter Lever
- Dennis Lillee
- Scott Mason
- Rod McCurdy
- Joey Palmer
- Patrick Patterson
- Mark Ridgway
- Gavin Robertson
- Franklyn Stephenson
- Shane Watson
- Dirk Wellham
- Neil Williams
Tasmanian Hall of Fame
- Jack Simmons (1972–1979)
- Roger Woolley (1977–1988)
- David Boon (1978–1999)
- Brian Davison (1979–1988)
- Peter Clough (1980–1984)
- Danny Buckingham (1983–1992)
- Jamie Cox(1987–2006)
- Rod Tucker (1989–1996)
- Dene Hills (1991–2001)
- Shaun Young (1991–2001)
- Colin Miller (1992–2000)
- Ricky Ponting (1992–2013)
- Michael Di Venuto (1992–2008)
- Gillette Cup Team (1978–79)
- Pura Cup Team (2006–07)
- Daniel Marsh (1996–2010)
Coaches
- Greg Shipperd
- Brian McFadyen (2002–2005)
- Tim Coyle (2005–2013)
- Daniel Marsh (2013–2017)
- Adam Griffith (2017–2022)[17]
Records
Team records
Honours
- Pura CupChampions: 3
- Pura CupRunner-up (since introduction of final in 1982–83): 4
- 1993–94, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2011–12
- Domestic One-Day CupChampions: 4
- 2007–08, 2009–10
- Domestic One-Day CupRunner-up: 3
- 1977–78, 1986–87, 2011–12
- Domestic Twenty20 Cup Champions: 0
- Domestic Twenty20 Cup Runner-up: 1
- 2006–07
References
- ^ D’Anello, Luke (23 November 2018). "Wade takes over Tasmania captaincy". Cricket Australia. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Robert Knopwood's Diary. Robert Knopwood. Hobart, Tasmania (1803–1838) [published 1977 by the Tasmanian Historical Research Association]
- ^ a b c d e f The Companion to Tasmanian History. Ric Findlay (2004) Hobart, Tasmania
- ^ a b History of Cricket in Tasmania. Ric Finlay. (date unknown)
- ^ "Tasmania vs. Victoria, 1850–51". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Inc. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ^ "Kenny Burn profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos".
- ^ Mr Charles John Eady obituary, Wisden, 1946 edition, page 439.
- ^ "Edward Windsor profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos".
- ^ "Tasmania v Indians at Hobart, 24-27 Dec 1977". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ "The Age - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Roger Woolley profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ ESPNcricinfo article [dead link]
- ^ "Ponting ends 2005 as world's best". 30 December 2005. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
- ^ "Australia call up Tim Paine as cover". Archived from the original on 18 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
- ^ "Tasmania signs slinger Malinga". ABC News. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
- ^ "Mascarenhas replaces Malinga at Tasmania". Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ Cameron, Louis (27 April 2017). "Griffith appointed as Tasmania coach". Cricket Australia. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
Further reading
- R Page, A history of Tasmanian cricket, Hobart, [1957]
- R Finlay, Island Summers, Hobart, 1992.