Mark Ridgway - a lions heart and terrific team mate

Mark Ridgway and I played many years of first class cricket together for Tasmania. Mark was a very fine and big hearted fast bowler who was able to threaten with both the new and old ball. Hard yet fair, Mark led the Tasmanian attack through the 1990’s on at times a very flat Bellerive Oval wicket and I rated him one of the fastest bowler I have the pleasure to keep to.

Mark made his first class debut for Tasmania in the 1993/94 season and he went on to play 46 first class games taking 161 wickets at an average of 33.60, with career best figures of  6 for 29 versus South Australia. He took 5 wickets in an innings 6 times.

With the bat his highest score was 70 as he scored 462 runs at an average of 11.84.

He also played 23 one day games for Tassie picking up 29 wickets at 32.48 with best figures of 4 for 37.

A great character and a terrific team mate it was great to catch up with an old mate to ask him some questions

Welcome Mark

How did you get into cricket?

Followed my Dad around to his cricket matches in Warragul as a ‘young boy’ and commenced playing U/16s when I was 10 with St Andrews Cricket Club in Warragul.

What are your memories of your junior cricket days?

I will always remember standing at ‘cow corner’ in a pair of shorts, short sleeve polo shirt, white socks and the Dunlop volleys in the pouring rain fielding as a bloke called ‘George Grossek’ made 100 and wouldn’t go off the ground until he actually made the 100!!! It was my first game of competitive cricket

When did you come to grade cricket and how did it come about?

I was and always will be a ‘bush boy’ so played for many years in Warragul until I got asked to go to Collingwood in Melbourne by Trevor Laughlin who was the coach of Collingwood at the time. I travelled with one of my best mates Michael Vick every Thursday night from Warragul to Victoria Park to train and then back on a Saturday to play.

The round trip was 4 hours back then so a bit of a ‘slog’ to get there and back. Only played the 1 season as didn’t enjoy the travel or the city so went back to the Bush. Then a few seasons later the late John Scholes asked me to come and play at Fitzroy Doncaster which I did. I moved to Melbourne for 1 year and travelled for 3 seasons. Now, that as a tough slog. Lived in Warragul, worked in Traralgon and played at Doncaster. Many kilometres travelled but wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

John Scholes

How did you progress through the grade ranks?

I didn’t really progress through the ranks, I just went from Warragul to 1^st grade at Collingwood and Fitzroy/Doncaster. A few personal awards along the way which helped my progress I suppose.

Did you have any mentors or coaches who were assisted your cricket and if yes how did they help you?

I had a few. Bob Baldry whom played for Collingwood and Victoria and is from Warragul came back to my local Cricket Club and helped my find my way to Collingwood. John Scholes was a mentor and friend and he believed I was good enough to play at that level. I was bit of a ‘mad bugger’ on the field and he was able to control me but also give me the freedom to be who I was and my Tasmanian State Coach in Greg Shipperd was enormous for me and still is to this day a great friend and mentor.

Greg Shipperd

What were your cricketing ambitions?

I didn’t really have any great Cricket ambitions as was more interested in AFL Footy and played at a reasonably high level. I love to tell the story of playing at Drouin U/16s with the forward line being Gary Ayres, Gary Ablett snr and myself in the other forward pocket.

I always had tell them both to ‘clear out’ and get out of my way as I was the goal kicker hahahaha Cricket sort of fell in my lap as I was probably to lazy to make the grade in AFL

Why did you move from Victoria to Tasmania?

I moved to Tasmania with my work when I was appointed as Tasmania State Manager for McPhee Transport. Cricket was going to be a bonus to be honest.

Describe the circumstances the led to your Sheffield Shield selection for Tasmania?

I did the pre-season when I arrived in Tasmania with no guarantees at all from Tasmania’s coach Greg Shipperd. I must have done something right as I was selected to go on the pre-season tour of SA and WA. I did ok and was selected to play in the Mercantile Mutual Cup game against WA at the end of the pre-season tour.

It was a day/night match with a crowd of about 15,000 there. Amazing!!! I remember my 1^st over bowling at Geoff Marsh and Danny Buckingham was the keeper. I roomed with Danny on that trip which was a great experience.

What do you remember about your first-class debut?

It was at the SCG against NSW. I thought ‘how good is this’ someone had put money into my bank account to play cricket’,

We were staying at the Hilton Hotel and I was playing cricket against ‘blokes’ I had watched on TV.

My first over was to Richard Chee Quee and I do remember batting against Greg Matthews and he bounced me and said ‘welcome to the brotherhood’ I had no idea what he was talking about.

I do also remember U2 playing at the Football Stadium and warming up on the Saturday afternoon with their song ‘Under a Blood Red Sky’ and then Neil Maxwell who played for NSW got us tickets to go to the concert that night. I then thought ‘how good is 1^st class cricket’

Richard Chee Quee

What were the challenges of playing first-class cricket and how did you deal with them?

Many challenges. I had a full time job so doing that and training was always difficult as I was married and 2 little children so trying to fit everything was a challenge.

Getting fit enough to last 4 days of cricket was a significant challenge. Thinking “are you good enough” is a challenge, warming up every morning during a game is a challenge, touring and travelling is a challenge. The many back injuries were a challenge which included herniated L4 and L5 disks, 3 facet blocks, 2 epidurals and then the rehab is a challenge to get back on the field and also living in a different state with no support network was also very challenging.

What are your recollections of your time in the Tasmania?

Greatest time of my life. Once we ‘became’ locals we were adopted by the state and its people. I could not have enjoyed my life anymore. The Tasmania Cricket Association were tremendous and gave me opportunities in life that I would not have been given anywhere else.

I am forever grateful for everyone in Tassie who helped me during my 12 years down there. Not only did they provide me the opportunity to play but also work as the Sales Manager for the TCA which was truly amazing experience.

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

I do remember it well. It was my 3rd first class match and it was against Victoria at Bellerive. Les Stillman was the Coach of Victoria and he had sacked me from the Victorian State Squad the year I won the Ryder Medal so I was a bit fired up.

Lucky enough I got 6 for 26 in the first innings and after every wicket I gave Les a little as he was sitting in the grandstand behind me whilst I was bowling. It probably wasn’t a traditional wave but more like a 1 fingered salute!!! I got 3 wickets in the 2^nd innings and we won outright which was just unreal.

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

I got 70 in the same game as above and batted a long time with Rod Tucker as he made a great captains 100 and helped set up the win.

Rod Tucker batting in a one day game for Tasmania

How did your first-class career end?

It ended like most players careers end. I was NO GOOD and knew that my time was up as I was lucky to get the ball to the other end by the time I was finished.

I went to Greg Shipperd and Jamie Cox in Adelaide and told them this was my last tour as I was finished and they agreed with me hahahahahah. My last game was at Bellerive against the Vics.

I was lucky to walk let alone bowl and the ‘pills’ were not working anymore so I just had to retire.

My last wicket was Ian Harvey and I got him out LBW and it wouldn’t have hit a 2^nd set of stumps but my old John Smeaton was umpiring and he gave him out and it gave me a nice retirement present hahahahaha.

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

Best time of my life and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I was still playing. Made some of the best friends and they are still friends today.

What preparation went into your game and why?

We trained really hard both physically and in the nets in preparation to play. Lots of meetings that Shippy loved. We were not very good when I first started but after we all had a played a few games together and then Boony came back from the Australian team we became really competitive and started to win more than we would lose.

Who were the teammates you particularly admired and why?

Loved them all and once we crossed the white line I would have died for them all and would have and done anything and everything they wanted me to do to win the game.

I’m sure I ‘crossed the line’ many times trying to win a game of Cricket for Tasmania but I saw no point in being nice to the opposition and the ‘spirit of the cricket’ wasn’t a high priority back then so it was ‘on’ all of the time. 

I got reported quite a few times and cost me some money in fines but I would do it again in a heartbeat. As I said I loved all of my team mates.

Who were the opponents you particularly admired?

They were all tough. People should remember most Test players played Sheffield Shield Cricket a lot more than they do now. You always had the opportunity to play against the best players in Australia and it was hard and tough cricket.

The Tasmanian team also got to play against the Touring teams so to play against South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka was just the best. I remember when we played Sri Lanka in Launceston and Ricky Ponting got a double hundred in that game and was then selected to play his first Test against them in Perth. To be involved in that celebration is something I will never forget.

What would you do if you were running Australian Cricket?

I’d like to see more time and effort go in to Sheffield Shield Cricket and the National Players make themselves available more often. I understand that this is difficult as their schedules are very busy.

I would also love to see the Shield players go back to their Grade Clubs and play more often. I will leave the rest up to the experts to sort out.

What advice would you give to yourself as an 18 year old?

I would have been more committed to getting myself off to Melbourne to play Grade Cricket a lot earlier and who knows what would/could have happened.  I may have gone further than Shield Cricket but who knows. I’m satisfied with what I have been able to achieve with limited ability.

Are you involved in cricket now and in what capacity?

I am Victorian Selector for the Shield and Futures teams and have been in this role for the past 5 x seasons which is rewarding and a task I love.

I also Coach the Vic Country Team in the Australian Country Championships and lucky enough we won the title this year which was held in Toowoomba. It was a great time, great blokes and the cricket is pure and innocent.