In-Focus with Jock McIllhatton

The Bradman Museum’s ‘In-Focus’ series gives us a chance to tell the stories of some of our people; celebrating what they do to make the Bradman Centre such a special place.

 First up is Jock McIllhatton. The Bradman Centre’s Coach and Cricket Officer, he is a ‘Jock of all trades’ – with responsibilities as broad as his perennial ear-to-ear grin.

Jock is one of the most beloved people at Bradman

With nearly sixty fixtures on the hallowed turf every summer, Bradman Oval is arguably the busiest cricket ground in Australia. Of course, not a ball could be bowled on it if it weren’t for the tireless dedication of the Bradman Centre’s Coach and Cricket Officer, Jock McIllhatton.

Having moved to Bowral from the regional town of Young, Jock’s relaxed and affable nature endears him to all that have been through the Bradman Centre. He laughs when asked just how long he has been involved with the team at Bowral.

“I don’t actually know!”

Sticking his head into the next room, he asks Executive Director Rina Hore for confirmation, before returning to the phone.

“Let’s go with six years.”

As it relates to Jock, time is perhaps a less relevant metric than the impact he has had on the Bradman Centre and its people. A touch overwhelmed when trying to synthesise his role, Jock’s cricket season runs all year round. Responsible for organising all matches on Bradman Oval, this task starts in the off-season. It can prove a delicate balancing act, too, considering so many people treasure the chance to ply their trade where The Don did a century ago.

“I organise bookings for Crest Member matches, corporate events and local grade cricket and have to try to keep everyone happy,” he smiles. “We do nearly sixty fixtures a year most of the time… that’s a lot of cricket!”

Though he has become the Southern Highlands’ most proficient cricket administrator in this sense, Jock’s true passion – and one of the key reasons for his move to Bowral – is coaching. Back in Young, he had his own sport coaching business, balancing cricket and tennis coaching with some work for Cricket NSW in the local regions.

“When I first moved here I was working for myself, trying to build a coaching business,” he recalls. “That’s what I’m good at and that’s what I really enjoy doing.”

Jock has always loved coaching (image: Southern Highlands News, 2014 - pre COVID)

Once he assumed the role with Bradman, however, his personal coaching had to take a bit of a back seat as the demands of his new job ramped up. That said, his new role provided the chance to impress the importance of sportsmanship – as well as skill – on a new generation of youngsters. He remembers the early days and running Steve Waugh Cricket Clinics on Bradman Oval.

“We used to have kids from everywhere, we would run two residential camps a year for a week at a time,” he said.

As the program evolved and the Bradman Foundation took on the responsibility of providing their own clinics, Jock now runs school holiday programs with an emphasis on playing cricket in the right spirit.

Coaching young cricketers allows him to maintain an enduring connection to the sport he has always loved. Though humble in his recollections, he was once a first grader in the country regions of NSW.

“I was a bit of an all-rounder. Let’s just say middle order in everything,” he quipped, as he tried to divert the conversation away from his cricketing prowess. “I was handy, playing around the local leagues.”

Preferring to talk about his role as coach and mentor rather than player, the prevailing lockdown across NSW has ironically allowed him a chance to get back to the one-on-one style of coaching he loves. With the Museum closed and Bradman Café trading as a takeaway option only, Jock has found that the locals are heading to the nets to get their cricket fix.

And they are after a coach…

Business has been steadily growing at the recently refurbished Bradman Oval nets, as Jock has been reconnecting with an extensive network of families and youngsters.

Bradman Oval is the perfect spot for some lockdown exercise

“For me personally, it (the lockdown) just feels like going back to my old sport coaching days,” he laughed. “I’ve actually enjoyed it – being at home in the morning and then heading to the nets to start work of an afternoon.”

So, with his trusty Sidearm (the cricket training aid that doubles as a dog thrower) in hand, Jock takes all of his students through a steady three-pronged progression.

“Teach the skill, practice the skill, then put the skill into practice in a game-sense setting,” he recites.

Jock’s no-frills lesson plan allows for expansion and flexibility for players of all abilities. That said, he has one non-negotiable.

“There is always time for some fielding in an hour-long session,” he cautions. There will be no one-dimensional players on his watch.

Such has been the demand amongst the locals, that it has become a real family affair at Bradman Oval, as Jock’s youngest son, Sam, has been giving soccer lessons in the green space next door to his father; earning some extra cash before his own season can get underway with Sydney Olympic FC.

“Sometimes the personal trainer is in the lane next to me training the mum, I’m throwing cricket balls to one boy, and Sam is over the way with the other! People are just desperate to be exercising and doing something.”

Imbued with boundless positivity and an unyielding passion for cricket, it is no surprise that Jock and the team at Bowral are doing everything they can to keep the community engaged during the prolonged NSW lockdown. With cricket season looming, Jock thought outside Bradman Oval’s perfectly manicured square, to give the locals a sense of the summer.

“We are setting up a Kookaburra cricket pro-shop in our pavilion,” he smiled.

The Kookaburra gear has arrived!

An exciting partnership with one of Australia’s most iconic brands, Jock is thrilled to give the cricket-loving community access to some of the best gear, at a time when they otherwise might not have had the chance – unable to get to Kingsgrove Sport or the like in Sydney.

Stocking a range of junior bats, right through to the top of the line gear, Jock can’t wait to get started. In addition to English Willow, the Bradman pop-up store will also be home to ice creams, soft-drinks and fresh juices, just in-case any budding young cricketers are keen to call “tea” on their shopping spree.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Jock declared.

“You’ve got about 300 kids training here a week across all grades once community cricket starts up again. We’ll operate in their hours to fit their schedule; after school and through until it gets dark.”

When it comes to catering for the kids, Jock can speak with a unique authority; he is responsible for the weekly running of the Bradman Foundation’s Coverdrive program. A multi-sport program that engages young people with disabilities, Jock takes in excess of 70 students from Bowral and Mittagong High Schools through a range of sporting activities each week.

Making it a priority to form a connection – and indeed a friendship – with each of the students under his direction, Jock is looking forward to getting the program back up and running once restrictions allow for it.

“It has had to stop during the lockdown, and with these kids, it is crucial that we can get it back going again as soon as possible,” he said. “Getting back into the routine, getting them comfortable with yourself and the program.”

It is Jock’s desire to connect on this deeper level that makes him one of the Bradman Centre’s most cherished people. It is heartening, too, that for a man who has given so much to the game, he has been able to create some special memories since arriving at Bowral. Having met a range of past players, dignitaries and cricketing superstars as they pass through to soak up Australia’s cricketing history, one night in particular stands out for Jock.

The Museum was hosting an on-site Level 2 coaching course and the curator, David Wells, decided to open the archives and bring out some of Sir Donald’s personal equipment.

“I put on the white gloves and got to hold Bradman’s bat!” Jock beamed. “I remember thinking that was pretty special for any cricket fan.”

As he reflects on these happy memories, Jock is hopeful that the rest of the cricket-loving public will be able to share in the history of the Bradman Museum again soon. With the up-coming Ashes summer for the men and women, he, along with the rest of the team at St Jude Street are looking forward to welcoming patrons back before too long.

Whenever things do get back to resembling something like normal in Bowral – and in The Don’s home town that means cricket on Bradman Oval is front and centre – one thing is for certain; Jock will be at the heart of it all. He has even made a promise to don the whites should a team be a player short in season 21/22.

Here’s hoping for an errant RSVP in that case, because for all that he has done at the Bradman Centre and for generations of sport-loving youngsters, Jock deserves the chance to raise the bat himself sometime soon.