Andrew Millican was one of the leading wicket keeper-batsman in NSW Premier/Grade Cricket from the time he made his first-grade debut in 1984 for his beloved Randwick Cricket Club.
Millican, affectionately known as Spike, took 344 dismissals with the gloves on, 297 catches and 47 stumpings. He scored 7,069 runs at an average of 33.18 including 7 centuries and 40 x 50s.
He played for NSW 16 and Under 19's and represented NSW 2nd XI on several occasions.
Spike was also named Sydney Cricket Association First Grade Captain of the Year in 1993/94.
Welcome, Andrew,
What year were you born?
1966
Where did you go the high school?
Sydney Technical High School
Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?
I was 8 or 9 but no idea how I went or what happened.
Where did you play your junior cricket?
Ramsgate RSL
Which clubs have you played for?
Randwick, Randwick-Petersham and Sefton (UK)
How old were you when you first played grade cricket?
15 years old in 3rd grade at Randwick
What age did you make your first grade debut?
17 years old against Mosman at Rawson Oval
Who was the fastest bowler you kept to?
Mike Whitney at Randwick and Wayne Holdsworth in an NSW Second X1 game.
Who was the best spinner you kept to?
Nazir (Charlie) Javed. Played a season at Randwick after taking 5 for against Australia for the Pakistan Prime Ministers X1. He's the only spinner I couldn’t pick out of the hand.
Who was the best bowler you kept to?
Loved keeping to Whit. Especially after Imran Khan taught him how to get it to reverse. Was great getting a bird’s eye view of him working the old ball and making batsmen look pretty ordinary late on a Saturday afternoon. Got 7 catches one day against Nth Sydney and 4 were nicks off Whit after tea.
What is your highest score in any grade?
152 against Waverley (Easts) at Waverley Oval.
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?
Been bucket loads. Two big ones were:
Scoring a ton the Saturday after my dad had a stroke early on the Wednesday morning prior. Wasn’t going to play but the look in his eye told me that decision was going to be changed. I said, “what if I score you a ton”. His eyes lit up so I decided to play and got 103 not out against Gordon. We were 9 down and Scott Obey stuck it out with me to help me get there.
The second was putting on 320 with Martin (Moose) Hayward. I said, “let's get a quick 30 or 40 more and we will declare and have a few overs at Petersham tonight”. I then sat at the non-striker's end while he hit Wayne Mulherin (sorry Mully) for 6 sixes off the next over. I remember asking Mully after the 5th one whether he was going to toss up number 6 or bowl a dart? His reply was not publishable in this forum ha ha. Needless to say in true Mully fashion he gave it some air but Moose gave it just a little bit more and it sailed towards Petersham swimming pool. The last one brought up Moose’s double ton and I said “that will do us” and walked off.
Martin Haywood
Who’s been the biggest influence in your cricket career?
Des Doyle at Ramsgate RSL (Greg’s dad), Trevor Trotman at school and Ted Cotton who took me from Metro squads in Under 12s through to NSW U19s.
Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?
David Knox. Caught up with him 2 weeks ago and he’s still making me laugh.
Who is your favourite all time cricketer?
Grew up idolising Desmond Haynes and he was always my go-to in backyard test matches.
What was the best win you were involved in?
Tough one. Personally, it was probably chasing down 220 odd against Balmain at Coogee on a Saturday/Monday long weekend game. A storm hit Coogee on Saturday and the ground was under 2 feet of water in 20 minutes along with 15- 20 cars in Brook St (mine included). We turned up Monday and the deck was ok. We got them 7 down and I got 108 not out and the attack included Andrew Jones, Paul Sinclair, Adrian Tucker and Greg McLay.
What did you enjoy most about playing Premier/Grade Cricket in Sydney?
The mateship and long term friendships I have made. I was lucky to have mates at loads of clubs which meant we played hard on the field and also enjoyed some cracking times off the field as well.
If you’re in the middle seat of the middle row of Qantas QF1flight to London which team mates would you choose to on your left and right?
Brothers Chee Quee (Michael and Richard). There would be plenty of laughs, cards, gaming and money won and lost.
Did you have any cricketing superstitions?
Left pad first and 4 taps before each delivery.
Which ground in Sydney club cricket did you enjoy playing at the most?
Can’t go past Coogee Oval.
Who was the fastest bowler you ever faced?
Malcolm Marshall, Brett Lee, Andrew Jones, Wayne Holdsworth. Take your pick as they were all bloody quick.
Who was the best spinner you played against?
Adrian Tucker. Had some great battles over the years.
Adrian Tucker
What’s the best advice you ever received?
Give up bowling and stick to keeping (Des Doyle when I was 9 years old). Says a fair bit about my bowling ha ha.
Are you still involved in Cricket and if so, in what capacity?
Yes, I have coached my son’s junior team at Ramsgate RSL for 5 years, coached my school boys and girls State Knockout teams winning 4 State Championships and after many years coaching at Randy Petes I am currently in my first year coaching at Easts Dolphins and thoroughly enjoying it.
What advice would you offer a young 13 year old who has the ambition of playing test cricket?
Work hard, keep things simple, get to know yourself as a person and a cricketer as there are many ups and downs and make sure you have fun and enjoy the ride along the way.
What are your hobbies?
Spending time with my kids while they are still young enough to want to hang out with me, catching up with mates, golf, coaching and swimming/beaching.
What is your occupation?
Deputy Principal at a high school in South West Sydney
Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?
The importance of honesty, respect, teamwork, effective communication and above all maintaining a sense of humour (can be difficult as a Deputy but I’m hanging in there ha ha)
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