Top 50 Darwin men’s cricketers since 2000 — 50 to 26 — including Nick Allen, Simon Lavers, Ian Redpath and Richie Hodgson
Darwin cricket has been blessed by big slogging batsmen, elegant No3s, deadly quicks and brilliant all-rounders. It’s been a challenge to rank the best of the best since 2000 but we’ve taken on the challenge. See who has made the cut from 50 to 26 in this first instalment.
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Putting names to Northern Territory cricket’s top 50 players across a quarter of a century will always be fraught with danger, complicated by factors such as longevity, interstate or overseas commitments, health reasons and performance.
There are too many “ifs”, “buts” and “maybes” in a sport where one delivery can decide a player’s afternoon and present a false dawn to excitable bowlers.
But there have been some extraordinary players in my time as a cricket writer or just as an average cricket watcher on lazy Saturday afternoons in Darwin.
Here are the top 50 male cricketers from Australia’s north country through the last 25 years, where superb dry season weather has traditionally brought out the best in batters, fast and slow bowlers, the fielders and the gloved men who stand behind the stumps for hours on end.
The list is based mainly on the longer two-day version of the Territory game, with 50-26 released first, and the Top 25 to come out next week.
50 - Ashley Williams (Palmerston)
Essentially a hard hitting middle order bat, Williams could bat anywhere in the top order and more often than not create mayhem with the willow in his hand.
He made a lightning 92 from only 100 balls in the 2011 grand final win over Waratah in another example of his game changing batting.
49 - Nick Allen (Tracy Village)
A top order bat with Tracy Village through the early noughties, Allen’s batting for the Villagers was always worth watching.
His shot selection was superb and he could feast on unsuspecting bowlers who relied too much on line and length bowling when variety can be the spice of life against an attacking batter like Allen.
His 553 runs at close to 40 per innings in the 2003 season and a superb 180 against PINT in 2002 were proof, if it was needed, of his ability.
48 - Greg Brautigam (Darwin)
If a bowler epitomised the value of moving the red and white ball around in Darwin’s tropical heat and lack of humidity through the 25 years this writer looked on from the boundary, it was the Eagles’ medium pacer Greg Brautigam.
Never one to seek the headlines or gloat over a bundle of wickets, Brautigam’s low economy rate and ability to take vital wickets made him an essential part of the Darwin lineup.
47 - Marc Calkin (Nightcliff/PINT/Darwin)
If there had been a popularity poll among Darwin cricketers through the first decade of the 21st century, Nightcliff’s Kiwi import Marc Calkin would have been top of the pops.
A hard hitting top order bat, Calkin loved to bat when the bowling side was on top, often recording big scores while others fell around him.
The 2010 and ‘12 seasons were his best when he scored 691 runs at 53 and 721 runs at 38 two years later.
46 - Coby Edmondstone (Tracy Village/PINT)
A batting all-rounder who had the tag “Mr Consistency” alongside his name every time he made it to the batting crease.
Edmondstone’s 496 runs at 41 almost won him the prestigious Wiese Medal in 2023 and he was no slouch with the ball, regularly grabbing 20-plus wickets a season with his leg spinners.
45 (equal) - Charlie Smith (Nightcliff)
One of the rising stars of Territory cricket with his big turning leg spinners creating havoc with batsmen through the grades until his Premier Grade debut in 2022.
Took 24 wickets at a fraction over 20 runs each in 2023 to showcase his ability as Nightcliff continue to shine with his spin bowling talents a big part of the club.
45 (equal) - Tom Menzies (Darwin)
The young Territorian has already proven himself one for the big time, and for that reason he was called up as the youngest member of the 2023 under-19s Australian side.
The all-rounder, who can bowl with both hands, has proved himself a valuable weapon in both club and representative sides.
Held his nerve in the final over of the 2023 Strike League final to seal the win for the Desert Blaze.
44 - Isaac Conway (Waratah)
The Red Caps skipper, opening bat and wicketkeeper, Conway played a vital role in establishing the Fannie Bay club as a powerhouse in Darwin cricket in his eight-season stay at Gardens Oval.
Probably unlucky not to make the top 20 in these selections, Conway continues to perform at a level most players aspire to, regularly passing the 300-mark in a season.
43 - Anthony Dent (Southern Districts/NTIS)
An enthusiastic cricketer with bat and ball, Dent was at home in club cricket or in the representative arena, where he performed consistently in both spheres.
He took 325 wickets in club cricket across a variety of clubs and could bat with a determination that frustrated rival bowlers and fieldsmen.
42 - Richie Hodgson (PINT)
Another big game performer with a right arm over the right shoulder and neck action that brought him a bundle of wickets.
Statistics only told a small part of Hodgson’s influence when wearing the green cap of PINT. His unbeaten 92 with teammate Tim Garner (103no) for the seventh wicket in the 2014 grand final win over Waratah was a case in point as his side made 6-313 in their second innings run chase.
41 - Michael Kudra (Nightcliff)
A clever gloveman with the Darwin and Districts Tigers who is equally comfortable taking the spin of big turners like Smith and the pace of his faster men.
A reliable middle order bat who can open the batting with equal efficiency, Kudra has become an important member of the Nightcliff side.
40 - Brad Schmulian (Waratah)
A batting all-rounder who arrived at Gardens Oval almost unnoticed in 2016, Schmulian captained Tahs in three successive finals series and was a stellar performer in all of those games.
A top order bat and clever leg spin, Schmulian’s best season was in 2017 when he made 759 runs with the bat and snared 38 wickets at the miserly average of 19.
39 - Simon Lavers (PINT)
Has there been a bigger hitter in Top End cricket than PINT top order bat Simon Lavers? The Greens’ talisman has been described as inconsistent, a nervous starter and an ultimately, a dominator, but on any given afternoon under cloudless Top End skies, “The Pieman” was a delight to watch.
He made two double hundreds in his first season with PINT, 260 against Southern Districts and 222 against Tracy Village, both of them on pleasant Saturday afternoons in 2004.
38 - Dean Fry (Southern Districts)
A bowler who could bat and a batter who could bowl, Fry was a valuable addition to a Districts side that has played regular finals cricket in the last decade and grabbed silverware in the last five.
He made 424 runs at 38.5 in Districts’ 2019 premiership year and thrilled spectators throughout with his brilliant ground fielding.
37 - Ian Redpath (Southern Districts)
“Redders” was at the tailend of his career in the noughties, but his classy batting and smart medium pace bowling were still on show for teammates and rivals to admire.
Two double hundreds, 16 centuries and 34 half centuries and 587 runs at 39 in the 2009 season were proof of his class with the willow and ability to bat in tense situations.
36 - Josh Kann (Sthn Districts/Tracy Village)
The “Hurrikann” was at his peak in red and white ball conditions, treating even the good balls with contempt as he peppered the boundary lines at district grounds around the Top End.
His 629 runs at 63 an innings in 2021 included a magnificent 162 from 153 balls against Waratah with nine boundaries and six sixes.
An entertainer, the Hurrikann was also a dominant player in the white ball game with his big hitting and aggressive fast medium bowling.
35 - Brett Gardiner (Waratah)
A top order bat with no pretensions to bowling, Gardiner was a key player in the Red Caps’ 2009 premiership side when he made 888 runs at 74 every time he reached the batting crease, including a golden run of centuries when he made 173 and 162 inside three matches.
Most notable were the 51 boundaries he accumulated through those innings, further proof of his elegant batting.
34 - Josh Clarkson (PINT)
The strongly built New Zealand all-rounder made a big impression in his 2019 season with the Green Caps.
He made 757 runs at 47, including 125 against Waratah and a blazing 106 from 77 balls against Tracy Village.
A back injury hampered the last half of his season, but the big fast bowler still grabbed 19 wickets at the miserly average of 20 to announce his arrival in Top End cricket.
33 - Matt Calder (Darwin)
If one innings defined the 2019 Darwin and Districts season, it was Matthew Calder’s 270 against PINT at Marrara’s DXC Arena.
Calder’s big fourth wicket partnership with Harry Chamberlain (194) decimated the PINT attack, with his 32 boundaries and 11 sixes a delight to watch on a day when bat dominated ball.
32 - Graeme Beghin (Southern Districts)
Premiership skipper and elegant top order bat Beghin was a key figure in his side’s breakthrough 2019 premiership win.
His 854 runs at the superb average of 94.89 dominated the season, including a double century (203) against Waratah when he hit 13 boundaries and 13 sixes.
In a twist Beghin made the double century and 109 against Tracy Village in successive weeks, before the glorious uncertainty of cricket struck when he made a duck and one Darwin and Nightcliff in the next two matches.
31 - Ben Reichstein (Darwin/PINT)
A useful left-arm medium pacer who claimed a lot of wickets with his ability to seam the ball away from rival batters, Reighstein could be just as effective with a bat in his hand.
His 827 runs at the healthy average of 59 in the 2013 season played a big role in Darwin’s surge to a grand final berth that year.
30 - Todd Pemble (Southern Districts)
A smart, fast medium bowler with Southern Districts, Pemble’s ability to take important wickets was a big force in Districts’ attack.
He grabbed a career high 43 wickets in the 2010 campaign at 15 runs a wicket in a season where Districts missed the finals despite his good work at the bowling crease.
29 - David Andrews (Darwin)
The man they called “Ronnie” after his football hero by the same name at AFL club Essendon, Andrews was the king of left-arm orthodox spin bowling at his peak through the 1990s and into 2000.
A spinner who hated being hit of the wicket square, Andrews’ change of pace and ability to out-think rival batters saw his wicket tally at 342 at less than 14 runs each when he called a halt to his career.
28 - Luke Zanchetta (Darwin)
An aggressive right-arm medium pacer who was a long-term performer in the Eagles’ attack.
Zanchetta had a big engine and an ability to move the ball around, even on flat wickets away from his bowler friendly Kahlin Oval.
A popular character on and off the field, he took 73 wickets in the 2017 (37) and ‘18 (36 wickets) seasons that paved the way for Darwin’s 2018 premiership when they beat Palmerston by eight wickets.
27 - Kieren Voelkl (Southern Districts)
A clever top order bat who made a habit of breaking opposition bowlers’ hearts in a Top End career that took in two premierships with district cricket Crocodiles.
His 671 runs at 56 in the 2019 premiership campaign was his best as a Districts player, including a fine 171 from 181 balls against eventual grand final opponents Darwin at Kahlin Oval.
Voelkl hit 25 boundaries and two sixes that day to stamp himself as a quality bat.
26 - Michael Miller (Palmerston)
A genuinely fast right-arm fast bowler who had batters from all the opposition clubs on the back foot with his high leaping incendiaries.
Queensland-born Miller joined South Australia in the late 1990s, but returned briefly to the Top End game after telling Redbacks selectors he had retired from first class cricket to go fishing in Darwin.
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Originally published as Top 50 Darwin men’s cricketers since 2000 — 50 to 26 — including Nick Allen, Simon Lavers, Ian Redpath and Richie Hodgson
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