Burt Cockley - no limits

Burt Cockley played first class cricket for NSW and Western Australia. He played T20 Cricket for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL and for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

He played NSW Premier Cricket for Randwick Petersham

In first class cricket Burt took 44 wickets in 14 games at an average of 28.40 with best figures of 5 for 76.

As a fast bowler Burt had speed (over 140km) and muscle and he loved nothing more than the freedom of bowling as fact as he could. Unfortunately consistent injuries curtailed his career.

Despite the setbacks and frustrations Burt has found a new path and there are no limits.

Suttons City Motors are one of the proud sponsors of Randwick Petersham Cricket Club

Welcome Burt,

Firstly, what year were you born and where?

I was born in Waratah, Newcastle (Australia) on the 3rd of April, 1986.

Where did you go to high school?

Callaghan College, Jesmond Campus, Newcastle

Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?

My earliest memory was playing out the front of my house with my next door neighbour, I honestly don't remember what age I was but I was probably 8 give or take. We would use the telegraph pole as the stumps, the neighbour’s front fence as the wicketkeeper and slips. I recall we would play out our heroes and had to bowl an over of that player’s skill or play mini test matches or ODIs. So it was good for skill development. Our household never owned a computer or mobile phones to keep us occupied plus dad would always tell me to get outside and play and stop watching TV!

Where did you play your junior cricket? 

Elliotts Lambton Cricket Club. My first season I was 10 years old.

Which clubs have you played for?

I went from my juniors club (Elliotts Lambton) into seniors where I played for Waratah Mayfield District Cricket Club at the age of 17. I debuted in first grade at 18. Sydney I played for Randwick Petersham. I spent an off season in Darwin and played for Waratah Cricket Club. When I moved to Perth with Midland Guildford CC and Scarborough.

How old were you when you made your first grade debut in Sydney?

I always wanted to move to Sydney and give it a crack. I had a few good seasons in first grade in Newcastle and represented the Newcastle senior rep team, NSW Country Colts, NSW senior country team at the Australian Country Champs. I was only going to move to Sydney if I had a couple of good seasons to prove I could progress to that next level. Billy Anderson and Mike Whitney came up to Newcastle to get me down to play for Randwick Petersham Cricket Club. I worked at AMP Control as an electrical Technician and met them at the local McDonald's. They were great people which made the decision to play for them really easy. I moved down just after my 21st birthday and debuted in the first game of the season with RPCC.

What about your first class debut for NSW, what’s your memory of the game?

I got picked for my first class debut after half a season of playing in Sydney. We played against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval. I remember it being really cold and Tasmania having a really strong line up (Michael Di Venuto, Dan Marsh, George Bailey, Tim Paine, Travis Birt, Jason Krejza, Luke Butterworth, Ben Hilfenhaus, Tim McDonald, Brett Geeves). NSW also had a really strong team (Phil Jacques, Phil Hughes, Peter Forrest, Simon Katich, Beau Casson, Dom Thornley, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Matt Nicholson, Mark Cameron) and I was at first a little overwhelmed that I was picked for NSW but also to be playing along people I idolised and looked up to. I had a few nerves and soon found out the difference between grade cricket and first class. The experienced players had so much time and discipline and knew their games so well. I remember bouncing Di Venuto a few times and him pulling me in front of square to the fence. It was something I didn't see happening too often in grade cricket! My first wicket was Travis Birt and I think I got 2 for the match.

What was your best performance with the ball and what do you remember about it?

My best bowler performance was against Victoria in my third shield game at the SCG. We had just come off a one day game against them at North Sydney Oval where I had gone for a few runs and was down on confidence. We started the shield game and basically things didn't change for the first day of our bowling innings. I’m typically really aggressive and I got hit around and lost more confidence. As I was still trying to establish myself within the team, I started the negative loop in my head of “do I belong and am I good enough for this level?” which didn’t help and with my inexperience I struggled to detach.

At the end of the day's play I remember being pretty down as Victoria had put up a good score with only a few wickets down. My mentor and great friend Billy Anderson called me up to see how I was going and gave me some advice as I wasn't looking like myself during the game. Next day I came out in the first session and took 4 for 20 odd in my first spell of the morning and went on to take my first 5 wicket haul. For me this was a defining moment. That game laid down the platform for the rest of the season where I ended up being the leading wicket taker for NSW in Shield cricket.

What would the speed gun have registered at your peak?

I was never recorded on a speed gun when I was at my peak. I was essentially playing grade cricket and shield cricket where no speed guns were set up. I was recorded in the mid-140s in a Ryobi cup in one of my last games. That was after my back injuries and ruptured ACL in my front knee, I was nowhere near my peak at that stage and my body was never the same. It would have been nice to see what I would have clocked at my peak but I honestly wish I stayed fitter for longer to play at that level longer!!

Who would you consider the top 3 batsman you bowled to in first class cricket?

I have been pretty lucky with the amount of quality batsmen I have got to bowl at. To name a few; Kumar Sangakara, Mahela Jayawardena, Youvraj Singh, Shane Watson, David Hussey, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds, David Warner, Brad Haddin, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Simon Katich to name a few. The stand outs that stick out was against Younis Khan when he was the overseas for South Australia, Martin Love for QLD who peeled of a double hundred at the Gabba (I still remember him sledging me after what seemed like 3 whole days in the field with “not bowling quick now youngsta…” he was right, I was cooked! …. and last would be Phil Hughes when we would play against each other when we played in NSW Country cricket. He was so good and had so much time. The talk about him before I’d ever met him was this prodigy who had peeled off so many hundreds.

Did you have any mentors or coaches who assisted your cricket?

My dad was amazing with his support and sacrifices for me to pursue my sport, without him doing so I would never have fulfilled my dreams and aspirations. The big one would be Billy Anderson who is still heavily involved with Randwick Petersham CC. I was very raw when I arrived in Sydney. I would sprint in and try to bowl 100mph every ball with a very “rough” plan. Billy took me under his wing, sorted out accommodation for me to live in, took me and other players out for dinner every Friday night before games and was very good at simplifying cricket and harnessing my strengths and you always felt he had your back and would back you in no matter what.

How did your first-class career end?

Not the way I had hoped or planned. After my bad knee injury it was never the same. If I landed in a strange position my knee would hurt and ache but I had learned to dial things back and operate at a level that I could still compete and do my job.

We were playing against England in a tour match for WA prior to the 2013 Ashes series. I remember being frustrated as I was still trying to get my bowling speed back and get back to my old bowling action before I went through all the action changes from the prior injuries. So I went out with a mindset of “F#$% it, stop worrying about your knee and let go”, I bowled rockets for 3 overs before I landed awkwardly at the crease and tore my meniscus. I had another surgery on my knee (the 5th) and I never played professionally again. I was 27.

What do you think looking back on your first-class career?

It is filled with some of my best memories and topping it off with fulfilling my dreams, but I only played 14 games and I really don't think I got to fulfill my potential. My biggest frustration was I was never stringing enough games together as I was always injured or coming back from injuries.

Once I’d hurt my back on multiple occasions, rupturing my ACL and went through multiple action changes I was never the same even though I got back to playing first class cricket with Western Australia.

I still get frustrated watching cricket and would love nothing more to strap my boots on and charge in again. For me I was free and didn't have to worry about anything else in the world. In saying that I am very thankful for my experience as they have helped to shape me today and give me many valuable life experiences on and off the field.

Who were the teammates you particularly admired and why?

I played with some of the world's best players and saw some phenomenal innings and bowling spells. The era I was at NSW has some of the best talent and they all went on to play for Australia (Simon Katich, Usman Khawaja, Phil Hughes, Moises Henriques, Steve Smith, David Warner, Phil Jacques, Brett Lee, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mark Cameron to name a few. They all possessed many great qualities but one that stood out was work ethic, discipline and time dedicated to their craft. I feel very lucky to be around NSW during that period. If you could handle that environment and hold your own you could do ok! Training sessions were crazy. Basically we had a heap of quicks charging in bowling over 145. Good times!

You played in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab, what was that experience like?

It was amazing. To first be picked up by the franchise when I hadn't gone into the draft and to be involved in the tournament and be around guys I looked up to was surreal. It was an incredible 8 weeks!! Our team at Kings Xi Punjab was star studded, so every training session or team dinner was pretty cool as I was hanging out with modern day legends of the game. I remember the opening ceremony was at some fancy hotel with Circus De Soleil performing and Snow Patrol, the after party every South African sporting stars were there. I remember seeing Francois Pienaar (the captain of SA in the Rugby World Cup) and giving him a big cuddle on the dance floor and talking about the World Cup Final. Awesome memories!

You’re now the Strength and Condition Coach at USA Cricket, how did that job come about?

We moved to Kansas to be closer to my wife's family due to her father being diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had used some of my connections at Cricket Australia to connect me to USA Cricket.

After finishing playing I have been working hard to get back into professional cricket to apply my knowledge and give back to the next generation of crickets coming through. I initially went along to selection combines and training camps.

My first engagement was at the start of 2018 when the USA men's team was preparing to play and gain ODI status in Namibia. The team was the first USA squad to gain ODI status and I have been with the organisation ever since.

I was very thankful they gave me an opportunity to be involved as I feel I am in a very fortunate position with the games growth and development over here right now.

From moving to the USA with no plans it has all seemed to work out pretty well and landing this position with USA Cricket plus going to the University of Kansas to do my Masters.

Where are you living in the US and is that the home of cricket in the States?

I currently live in Lawrence, Kansas. It is a big college town and home of The University of Kansas.

Famous for the invention of Basketball by one of the teachers or something like that! There is virtually no cricket in Kansas and nearly everyone has no idea about Cricket!

I like to remind Americans that Baseball originated from Cricket, but it is strange having grown up my whole life with Cricket and now living in Kansas feels pretty bizarre!

In the USA there are a few big hubs with the main ones being New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, and Los Angeles. It is basically strong where families formally from the Commonwealth countries where cricket was part of their youth before moving to the USA, or first and 2nd generation children with the main population being from the Carribean, India or Pakistan.

The typical”American” kid dreams of college and playing in the NBA, NFL, Baseball, and Olympic sports so Cricket isn’t high on the list.

Tell us more about USA Cricket, are they stand alone nation or form part of the Associate Cricket Nations?

USA cricket is still an Associate cricket nation. The organisation has come a long way since my involvement. The old organisation was originally governed by USACA but eventually suspended by the ICC which led to the creation of USA Cricket and a whole new governance.

I recall the team being in division 4 but now their sitting 2nd in Division Two ODI standings. The top 3 progress to the World Cup. We are fortunate to have Julia Price (ex-Australian Women's player) as Head Coach for the Women's team. Plus we have some great people heading the organisation with Iain Higgins as our CEO who worked for the ICC for over 10 years and Richard Done as Operations Manager who also worked at Cricket Australia heading up the Centre of Excellence and went on to work for the ICC as the high performance Manager. We are in good hands to move into the future.

Do they get funding from the International Cricket Council?

I am not 100% sure on the whole governance and funding. I believe we get more funding for being promoted to division 2. We also had a joint venture with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) which will help fund and set up minor/major leagues (similar to Big Bash model in Australia) to help push the cricket in the USA and also internationally.

Who does the USA Cricket teams play against and what format do they play, is it just 50 over cricket or T20?

At the moment USA cricket plays T20 and ODI cricket. The Men are competing in Division 2 with the aim to make the top 4 teams and progress to the World cup. Our opposition in division 2 are Nepal, Scotland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Oman, and UAE.

Who’s playing, is there a high percentage of expats or are American’s embracing the game as an alternative to say Baseball?

Very high percentage of expats, the team is currently a mix of Indian, West Indian, South African, and Australians. Most Americans grow up wanting to play baseball, NFL, basketball and Olympic sports and go to college which is the typical pipeline into professional sport in the USA. Whereas Cricket is all club based.

So tapping into that market is difficult. If we can tap into baseball, javelin throwers, lacrosse players we could find some good talent and develop them. But introducing the sport into schools and starting development programs will be a big step in introducing the sport to youth but also having a system in place to foster their development as they progress through the age groups into senior teams.

What surface is cricket in the USA mostly played on, Turf, Artificial or other?

It is very location dependent. Mostly synthetic around the USA but with the new joint venture a huge effort has been placed into building cricket facilities and having proper turf wickets across the nation in prep for the minor/major league starting.

In your role of Strength and Conditioning Coach how many players, teams and or clubs do you like after?

I currently take care of the Men, Women, under age squads.

What’s the vision for USA cricket for the next 5 years?  

I would love to see the Men’s team keep progressing in Division 2 and make the ODI world Cup in 2022 and also gain full member status. With the creation of the Minor/Major Leagues it would be great to see increased participation and the Major League be very successful and similar to the Australian Big Bash league.

The further development of the women's game and increased participation from grassroots levels. Would love to see them qualify for either the T20 or ODI women's World Cup. Further development and growth of the underage programmes and also see the U19s progress to the U19 world cup.

What advice would you like to give a young 15 kid in USA who’s thinking about playing cricket?

Round up your mates and go to your local club and give it a try. Cricket is a great game and I think provides a different sporting environment than most traditional sports in America. Who knows, they may be the first USA team to participate in a World Cup or Olympic Games.

You’re still young enough to play, are you playing or do you have a desire to make a comeback?

I am not playing currently. I live in Kansas and there is no cricket anywhere, except for the odd kids having a hit at a local baseball field. I do miss playing and have thought about playing again. To qualify I need to serve a 3 year wait while living in the USA (currently 2.5 years in). With my current position it would be a big decision. I am enjoying having no aches and pains!

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

Debuting for NSW hands down. But a very close second is spending years out of first class cricket rehabbing from my back, knee, side strains and dealing with all the low periods I went through to rebuild my body. I worked my backside off to get back and play first class cricket again. I think I spent 3 years between games. For me it was a sign I could get through anything and to have a true appreciation for my health and physical well-being.

Who’s been the biggest influence in your involvement in cricket?

My dad. I grew up in a single parent family with my dad being on a disability pension (hurt his back on the railway). He took me to all my practice sessions, games, rep carnivals. I wouldn't have made it without his support and guidance.

Who is your favourite all time cricketer growing up?

Brett Lee. I wanted to bowl like him since my earliest memories watching cricket. Playing backyard cricket I would replicate his action and run up.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

I got similar advice from my Dad and mentor Billy Anderson. They would always remind me to relax like a sprinter. My cues were - Relax and think you're a 400m sprinter, and hit the top of off as hard as you can.

What are your hobbies?

I love being active and being outdoors. Every day I work out in my garage gym, I go for daily runs with my dogs and I just got into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have a hard time sitting still!

Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?

If you put your heart and mind to what you want, you can accomplish and achieve anything. Ever since I can remember I have always had a very fixed and driven mindset, I would let nothing get in its way. After cricket finished I transferred all my energy into educating myself and setting myself for a career as a coach. I was one of the worst students in primary school and high school academically, I only enjoyed it because of sport and activities.

I never dreamed of going to university, I wanted to be a carpenter and if I was lucky, then play professional cricket.

Thankfully the later worked out! Fast forward and I now have a bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science, nearly completed my Master’s Degree at The University of Kansas in Sport Science and nearing completion of my Thesis which is in collaboration with Cricket Australia.

My paper is on fast bowling in Test match cricket and looking at indicators of performance decline utilizing GPS technology.