Kim Evetts had a very celebrated career playing in Brisbane and represented Queensland through the youth teams, Colts, 2nd XI and was part of the Queensland Bulls State Squad for many years.
We really appreciate Kim taking the time to share his cricketing journey and here's a quick snippet before we get stuck into a few questions
From Kim Evetts
Thank you for asking me for a contribution.
I think one of the things that made our time in First Grade cricket in Brisbane during my time from 1985 to 2000 particularly special and a high standard was that every second week we were playing against the Test and Shield players. (It was awesome)
For this reason also I am leaving out International Players like Allan Border, Matthew Hayden, Craig McDermott, Andrew Bichel, Carl Rackemann, John Maguire, Dirk Tazelaar, Greg Rowell, Adam Dale, John Maguire and Jimmy Maher when I consider my answers to the questions below.
Gardner Vaughan are proud sponsors of South Brisbane District Cricket Club
Welcome Kim
What year you were born?
1968
Can you remember your first game of cricket?
I was 10 and useless. (I tried to put my box down the side of my shorts like a thigh pad and couldn’t work out why it wouldn’t fit)
12th man and we made 32 before bowling the opposition out for 9 and 16.
My top score during the next two seasons was 7.
Tell us briefly about your cricketing journey?
- Wests juniors Mackay age 10 to 16
- Walkerston Seniors Mackay age 13 to 16
- QCA Colts 1987
- South Brisbane 1986 to 1994
- Wynnum Manly 94/95 to 1999.
- Tonge Cricket Club Bolton UK 1990
- Back to Walkerston as captain/coach 2000
What other sports do you play?
Not anything at present but I did play a lot of Soccer at representative level in the Bush, Baseball, Athletics and Motorcycle Trials.
Who is your favourite sports movie or documentary?
“The Natural” and “For the Love of the game” and “Backyard Ashes”
What’s the one thing about you most people don’t know about?
Dicky Tazelaar tells me he bowled the best bouncer of his career at me during a Grand Final at the Gabba, Souths vs Wests. My jaw was wired together at the time, (I had it smashed at the Gabba nets the week before) and I had no helmet. The ball hit my gloves in front of my face and bounced over keeper John “Dinger” Bells’ head for a single and I got to the other end and started physically shaking.
What’s your highest score in senior cricket?
I think 125 thereabouts in Brisbane First Grade, I’m not sure of the exact score as there were a few around it but not as many as there should have been.
I git 181 in the Souths vs Sandgate under 18 Final and 154 not out in the Souths vs Valleys under 19 final same year.
Ken Healy and I put on 436 unbeaten for the second wicket vs Wynnum earlier that same year.
What has been your best bowling figures in senior cricket?
I can’t recall anything great in Brisbane First Grade except a couple of 3 wickets for but 5 for 2 in A grade in Mackay when I got back home.
Can you tell us which players in the club we should be looking out for in terms of higher representative honours?
I am out of touch in terms of the current First Grade scene in Brisbane but as Director of Coaching in Mackay for the last 6 years hopefully we’re having some positive input into developing some very good players to eventually play in Brisbane or Qld Country.
Mitchy Doolan and Fletcher Russell in Toowoomba on scholarship, my twin boys are also on Scholarship at Ipswich Grammar Hayden and Jackson.
Hayden and Jackson Evetts
Zane Newton is now on scholarship also at Ipswich Grammar and my favourite is Ryleigh Wotherspoon who’s also in Brisbane and going very well in the First Grade ladies comp.
Recently Mackay 16s boys won the Bulls Masters State Championships.
Who have been the best three fast bowlers you have played against so far?
Amongst the Internationals Patrick Patterson (WI) was the fastest, Wayne Holdsworth (NSW, fast and a skidder) and Craig McDermott, fast, accurate and a beautiful late outswinger.
Eddie Marriner was really quick (you did not know what to expect) and there were outstanding swing bowlers in Harry Frei, Bob McGhee, Craig Jesberg , Michael Mainhardt, Mark Schakel, Scott Williams, and Brendon Creevey always troubled you.
Who has been the best three spinners you have played against so far?
Trevor Hohns what else needs to be said? (Superb Flipper which got both Stuart Law and I out on the same day I think from memory at Sandgate)
Brett Henschell the best off spinner closely followed by David Short Souths, Mark Chamberlain and Trent Ryan both from Sandgate. (Brett had this habit of bowling you a bouncer mid over just to make sure you were awake)
Steve Storey (Easts and QLD) was a very good left arm orthodox who turned the ball significantly and was a good competitor. (He scored a double ton one year also)
Phil Tufnell in Brisbane Grade was a pain in the arse as a competitor but a major challenge. He used to get very good drift into you and then spin it away. To his credit when I hit him for 6 one day he still had the professionalism to say “good shot”.
Who has been the best 2 batsman you’ve played against?
Too many classy bats to be fair. (Leaving out the Test greats, Allan Border and Matthew Hayden )
#1 Stuart Law, #2 Greg Ritchie #3 Peter Clifford #4 Glenn Trimble #5 Martin Love (all pure class)
I want to mention Mal Freeman at Easts as he always had our respect. He was always hard to get out, consistent and always got the job done in tough conditions.
Sam Scuderi was an outstanding talent who returned home too soon to look after the family farm.
Matty Goggin, Ken Healy, Peter Skuse, Mark Tooley, Peter Cantrell and Geoff Walker all outstanding records. (I know there are others)
Who played the best innings you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
Martin Love
We had an attack of Scott Prestwidge, Adam Dale, Michael Dan, Scott Oleary, and David Short and had University 2 for 0 I think on a damp wicket and overcast day. Martin batted the next 6 hours to score 110 thereabouts not out and scored them all in ones and twos with a rare boundary occasionally and Uni batted all day. (Temperament personified)
Martin Love
Who has been the best wicket keeper you’ve seen firsthand playing with or against?
I don’t want to answer this one. I played in an era where every club had a keeper good enough to play Shield Cricket.
Wests had John Bell and later Paul Everingham, Sandgate had Gavin Fitness, Souths had Brad Ruddell, Valleys had Peter Drinnen, at Wynnum we had Ian Duncan, Norths had Dom Ovenden and of course there was Ian Healy and Peter Andersen. I am going to sit on the fence between Heals and Ando as being the best two and can’t separate them. To me both were very different styles but both just as effective.
I think a shame they were both around together because I think Peter would also have had a great Test career.
Who has been your funniest team mate?
Ken Healy (lunatic and got me into that much trouble it was not funny)
Who was your childhood hero?
Greg Chappell, Viv Richards closely followed by Gordon Greenidge.
Who are the three sports people in the world you’d most like to meet?
Casey Stoner, Mike Hussey, Virat Kohli
Who’s your favourite cricket commentator?
How do you go past Kerry O’Keefe, no contest. Of the serious guys I loved Richie Benaud and enjoy Mark Nicholas.
Who are the two players you admired most in terms of skills and competitive spirit in the competitions you played?
Scott Prestwidge to me was a natural and he was never beaten.
Glenn Trimble dominated First Grade cricket and retired too young and I’m sure much to the relief of all grade bowlers.
Glen would arrive at cricket and state “I think I will score a hundred today” and usually did.
I was at the non-strikers end with Peter Parker one day at the Gabba when “Chips” hit Michael Jeh out of the ground and across 4 lanes of traffic into the old carpark on the full. (3 people on the TV towers witnessed this)
There are so many good names I have left out from all clubs. I think 1985 to 2000 was a golden era for talent and would be very hard to surpass again.
What do you enjoy most about playing cricket?
In Brisbane it was certainly the challenge of the week in week out and the very healthy competition from every single side. There were no easy games or easy competitors. It was tough physically and mentally and just good hard healthy competition that really tested your skills and determination. Playing against the Test and Shield players regularly really made the competition.
What has been your most memorable moment in cricket?
I loved receiving Maroon caps from juniors up to 2nd eleven and being selected in the Shield Squad, and broke my heart to be dropped.
Breaking my jaw was a turning point unfortunately. {I wore a helmet afterwards).
What’s the best win you’ve been involved with?
Souths Vs Wynnum 50 over game. Wynnum scored 348 (Gaskell, Broad, Tooley etc) and we scored 349, 9 down I think winning off the very last ball.
What are your hobbies?
I love watching my boys grow and improve and seeing their love for the game develop and now having a crack in Brisbane testing themselves.
Coaching the representative juniors here in Mackay now is a pleasure.
My 150 acre cane farm is a large hobby for me also. (Graeme Rogers another outstanding First Grade player at Souths used to always say “you can’t take the country out of the boy”
Kim on the tractor
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Stuart Law made a very simple point to me one day and it’s always stayed with me “hit a four, score a single”
What are your cricketing ambitions?
For now I am very content to work with the junior representative cricketers here in Mackay and hopefully assist them in becoming the best they can be and ideally some will graduate to the Mackay and Brisbane First Grade competitions, the rest is then up to them.
Who can remember "The Season of Reason"
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