Spin king is fondly remembered

CRICKET

By LIAM DURKIN

CRICKETERS across the region awoke Saturday morning to the shocking news Australian cricket legend Shane Warne had died.

Selected as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century, Warne took 708 Test wickets to be regarded as the greatest spin bowler of all time.

Tributes flowed for the leg spinning maestro, with club cricketers across the country sporting

black arm bands during matches at the weekend.

Warne had some connection to the Latrobe Valley, with fellow Test cricketer Peter Siddle of Latrobe Cricket Club overlapping the start of his Victorian career with the back-end of Warne’s.

Morwell Cricket Club overseas player Chris Yates also played with Warne for English county

Hampshire, while Willow Grove and Trafalgar players Rob Phoenix and Rhys Holdsworth played premier cricket for Warne’s club St Kilda.

Yates shared his experiences with the spin king.

“I was lucky enough to share a taxi with him, go clubbing with him, net with him and even field a ball off his bowling,” he said.

“(We) talked about music and family one night, (he was) so down to earth and never felt like I was speaking to the best spinner ever to play the game, just a humble man interested in you.

“What a legend and such terrible news. RIP Warnie.”

Sale-born cricketer Ian Wrigglesworth crossed paths with Warne a few times, both as part of the Victorian squad and overseas.

Wrigglesworth, who played a number of First Class and List A matches, came across a young

Warne at a time both were looking to forge their careers.

The year was 1991, and the destination England. Warne was playing for Accrington in the

Lancashire league and Wrigglesworth was a drive “just five minutes away”.

From there, Warne went on an Australia A tour of Zimbabwe, and two years later, bowled the ‘ball of the century’.

Wrigglesworth and Warne, as well as James Sutherland, were part of a group of Melbourne-

based players in England at the time, and would have a hit most Wednesdays.

Wrigglesworth recalled even at an early age Warne imparted more rip on the ball and had more control than any spinner he had faced.

“He just didn’t bowl rank leg-spinning half trackers,” Wrigglesworth said.

Those who have seen Wrigglesworth bat will attest to him being a quality player of spin, but even he said there was always an element of uncertainty when facing Warne.

“I could pick him out of the hand, but he made the ball drop quickly so you had to check your shot,” he said.

As well as cricket, the Melbourne cricketers would often play social tennis or pool, with Wrigglesworth saying Warne’s “incredible hand-eye” allowed him to excel at both.

He remembers Warne hardly played pool (eight ball) before the England trip, but was one of the best players by the end.

Wrigglesworth believed Warne was the greatest stock bowler of all time, and that his greatness lay not entirely in his wicket taking ability, but in the fact his bowling was of such quality and durability it meant Australia could play six recognised batsman and no all-rounder for most of his Test career – a time that saw Australia completely dominate world cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In remembering the champion, Wrigglesworth said he was not only a “fantastic team player” for Victoria but a “good bloke”, always willing to sign autographs or pose for photos with kids, something perhaps lost in the age of tabloid newspapers only running stories detailing his trials and tribulations off the field.

“I couldn’t speak highly enough of him, he was always genuine, very personable,” Wrigglesworth said.