Ryan Hackney is Penrith first grade player number 208 after making his first grade debut during the 2016/16 season.
At the completion of the 2020/21 season Ryan has passed 2,500 runs in first grade and already has 6 centuries to his name in the top grade.
Ryan is a contracted NSW Blues player and is looking forward to an exciting season ahead.
Let’s find out more about Ryan’s journey so far
Ryan batting for NSW 2ndXI
What year you were born?
1999
If you can share with our readers how you would describe yourself as a cricketer?
Batsman that should never have to bowl
What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket so far?
Many great moments already that I’ve been very grateful to have but would have to be winning the 2018/2019 Belvidere First Grade premiership with Penrith Cricket Club.
Most of the guys in the team have been playing together with since Green Shield and 5th Grade so to come through the grades together and win the top-grade competition only a few years later was very special.
I’m very lucky to have made lifelong memories and friends with those guys from our journey together.
Penrith Cricket Club - First Grade Premiers 2018/19
At what age did you make your first grade debut?
16
Who’s your favourite all-time cricketer?
Simon Katich
Who is the fastest bowler you’ve played against?
Mitchell Starc
Who is the best spinner you’ve played against?
Stephen O’Keefe
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Seen plenty of clean hitting but in terms of context it would have to be Tyran Liddiard’s 97 in the first-grade final mentioned above.
Team was in trouble losing wickets pretty consistently with a lot of work still to do, but Lidds dug deep and got us home 9 wickets down.
Think a lot of people at the club will remember that innings for a very long time and for me it was great to watch him go from a little 5th grader who couldn’t hit a boundary in front of square to single handily winning us the first grade final.
Tyran Liddiard
Who are the two players in NSW Premier Cricket you’ve come to admire most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
Ryan Smith
Been an absolute pleasure playing with Bomber for the last 6 years. Can remember countless times where he put the team on his back with ball (and bat) and won us the game. Seeing how hard he worked off the field it was no surprise to see how hard he played the game. Was a great leader and person who led by example for all our younger guys at the club and is someone we all aspire to be like.
Adam Semple
Always tough contest when you come up against him. Runs in hard all day and then comes in at the end of the innings and belts them everywhere. Wins games with both bat and ball for his team and has never not had an impact on the result in the few years I’ve played against him
Ryan Smith
Who was the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Baxter Holt- very rare day when he makes a mistake
Who was the best captain you had the good fortune to play with?
Matt Halse was a great captain with all the young guys coming through and he led a culture of playing hard all day and never giving up on a game.
Can remember plenty of games as a young fella when we won but had no right to by just staying in the game long enough with either bat or ball. The culture he led was a big reason why we won the competition only a few years later.
Can you recall some banter or an exchange on the cricket field that still makes you laugh today?
Debuting as young fella you definitely see and hear things that make you grow up pretty quickly.
Something actually that I remember clear as day was after we won the 5th grade final at Manly Oval in 2013/2014.
We had some pretty young fellas in our team, Tyran Liddiard and I were 14 with a good mix of older more experienced guys who had played higher grades.
After we won we got a mini bus back to Penrith to celebrate and I remember getting on the bus and everyone was already in their birthday suits with a beer in hand singing the song for the whole hour and a half trip back to Penrith.
At 14 coming from juniors and rep cricket in the morning to 5th grade in the afternoon it was a sight to behold.
Who’s been the biggest influence on your career so far?
Would have to be my dad. I owe a lot to him and probably a new shoulder for all the balls he has thrown to me over the years. He is always there for me when times are tougher and is always there to bring me back down to earth when things are going well. I still go to him for advice and is a big reason I am the person I am today.
Where do you find inspiration that gets you through challenging times?
I think just having the perspective that I am very lucky to even get the opportunity to go out and play the game with my mates. A lot of people in the world don’t even get close to the opportunity I do and have it lot harder in life. So, I just think having that perspective through tougher time keeps me grounded
Who are the three people in the world you’d love to have a chat to in person?
Elon Musk, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan
Tom Brady
What do you like to do to relax outside cricket?
I am at University and have to work pretty hard for my marks so that takes up a fair chunk of time. I love following American sports NFL and NBA during the day and the Penrith Panthers are going alright too
Who has the best nickname you’ve come across in cricket, what’s the nickname and do you know the story behind it?
A lot of nicknames I’ve found are pretty boring and generic, (ie Hackers)
One that stands out and always make me laugh is Lachie Hearne we started calling Joey Johns at the back end of last year because each morning when he arrives at the ground for a day’s play he looks like his coming off a 5-day bender and always looks slightly dusty.
What are you studying at University?
Studying Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin University
Do you have a favourite quote?
“The harder you work the luckier you get”
Can we ask, what would it mean to you to play for first class cricket for NSW?
It would be a dream come true. As a young kid I have great memories of travelling into the SCG to watch the Blues play Shield games and I remember idolising and wanting to be like those guys in the Blue cap.
So, for me it would be a great responsibility and an honour to represent the great players that have gone before.
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