Premier Cricket 2018-19: Sam Taylor retires from Monash Tigers

Monash Tigers great Sam Taylor reflects on his career after more than two decades at the Premier Cricket club.

Sam Taylor in his trademark pose. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

Sam Taylor has fond memories from his first game in Premier Cricket.

It was Round 16 of the 1996-97 season and former Test quick Merv Hughes had returned to finish his career at Footscray.

“He bowled me for a golden duck in my first ball in Premier Cricket,” Taylor recalled.

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Another duck followed in the 1999-00 grand final triumph against Melbourne but in between and thereafter, Taylor established himself as one of Monash Tigers’ greats.

Sam Taylor watches the ball onto the bat. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The decider that season included five international players (Brad Hodge, Paul Reiffel, Andrew McDonald, Shane Harwood and Simon Cook) and a further five first-class cricketers (David Harris, Jason Arnberger, Ian Hewett, Allan Wise and Warren Ayres).

The former club captain considers himself fortunate that a player of “limited ability” got to play in the company of some of the country’s top talent.

“As an opening batsman back in the day, Shane Harwood used to terrify me — he was an unbelievable first-class cricketer,” he said.

“Clint McKay, who I happened to play against on the weekend in my last game, back in his prime was an extremely good player and bowler.

“I guess it’s why someone like me would stick around and play Premier Cricket for as long as I could and that’s my best chance to play with and against first-class cricketers.

“I’m certainly not going to do it at the next level so it was a great opportunity and experience.”

The 38-year-old also got the opportunity to play alongside England Test batsman Paul Collingwood.

Paul Collingwood goes a pull shot in his season in Premier Cricket.

The Durham all-rounder spent 2000-01 at the club on his way to winning the Ryder Medal before making his Test debut in 2003.

Taylor could also count Cameron White and Dan Christian as teammates in his time at the Tigers.

“To play with a guy like that (Collingwood), watch him train, be at the other end when I was trying to lay bat on ball while he was whacking them, that was a great experience as well,” he said.

“He was a great guy, great player and I’m sure there are lots of things that meant he would have made it but I’d love to think Richmond Cricket Club helped him in a small way.”

The semi-final defeat against Essendon brought an end to his 19-year career at First XI level (he also spent three seasons at Upwey Tecoma in the Ferntree Gully and District competition).

In 293 games, he returned 7137 runs, including seven centuries, and also took 133 wickets.

“He built a career on two shots — the cover drive and a cut. Very strong square of the wicket like most left-handers and anything else he just found a way,” coach Shannon Young said.

“His commitment to wait until you got it wrong and got into his area was as good as anyone.

“He was very disciplined in his approach. He was quite happy to say to guys that basically on those two shots that he built a game around.”

Sam Taylor bends his back. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Young said Taylor’s preparation and commitment had given him the longevity in his career.

“It’s well known around Richmond circles that young blokes are eating hot dogs and whatever and Sammy’s got blackberries and hommus chips. He hasn’t eaten anything out of a packet in two years, I reckon,” he said.

“He’s always been able to rely on his body … he’s realised what an important resource it is, but mentally he is the toughest bloke I’ve come across. The standards he set for himself and encouraged others to follow, that’s probably the thing that set him apart.”

Taylor spent the first few years of his career commuting from Traralgon and Bendigo before moving to Melbourne on the last day of Year 12.

His first game at the club came in 1993-94 when he was just 13 before working his way up to the First XI.

“I couldn’t wait to get down because it was all about the cricket for me,” he said.

“I was pretty involved with the club and I wanted to have a full crack at it and I thought the only way to do that was if I was living in town.”

Sam Taylor gets the competitive juices flowing while celebrating a wicket. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Taylor said the time was right to step aside and let Monash’s burgeoning crop of cricketers forge their own careers.

“I think in our semi-final, I think I had four teammates who weren’t born when I’d made my debut, which they were certainly keen to point out to me every chance they got,” he said.

“That’s probably another reason I retired — I’m sick of getting sledged by my teammates about how old I am.”

He rated Monash’s ability to produce top young cricketers as the best “factory for talent in Australia”.

“If you look at the number of clubs and the percentage of players we have in the under-17s and 19s systems, I don’t think there is any club going around that could match us,” he said.

“It’s a big credit to the area and the local cricket in the outer and inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne because there is obviously some pretty good associations that are doing good things.

“We’ve got some of the best talent in Australia at the moment and I just feel lucky. I’ve had absolutely nothing to do with that, I just get to go along for the ride and enjoy watching them go about their business.”