Victorian Premier Cricket: Prahran’s Adam Bull retires after 218 matches

The veteran right-hander will play Sub-District cricket after calling a close to his long career.

Paul Amy

@paulamy375

3 min read

May 6, 2021 - 11:30AM

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Adam Bull raises his bat after scoring a century for Prahran.

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They were two talented lads from Bairnsdale, and Dandenong Cricket Club stalwart Des Nolan took an interest in both.

He saw them represent Dandy in the old Dowling Shield in the late 1990s.

Nolan had a high opinion of Cameron White.

He also rated Adam Bull highly. In fact, he told one or two people at the club that Bull might be the better prospect.

Maybe he got that impression after watching Bull whack the ball through the off-side, always his favourite scoring area. At Dandenong, everyone knew Dessie loved “Bully’’.

Twenty or so years later, Bull remembers being told of the late Nolan’s remark.

Adam Bull drives down the ground at Toorak Park.

White, of course, forged an outstanding career, playing Test cricket, captaining his country in the short formats and leading the state to much success.

And Bull?

He never reached those heights. But after a slow start he went on to a worthy career in Premier Cricket.

It ended yesterday when, at age 37, he retired after 218 First XI matches, more than 5500 runs and six centuries.

“It probably should have happened last year but I decided to go around for one more year,’’ Bull said. “It was a challenging season. My line of work, being commercial property management, was really impacted by COVID, and so I rarely trained and just mentally found it hard to engage. But the people at Prahran were absolutely fantastic. If it wasn’t for them I would have checked out earlier, I reckon.’’

Bull’s games tally consists of 64 matches for Dandenong and 154 for Prahran.

He made his debut at Dandy in 2001-02, two years after White (they shared a house in Richmond when they came down from east Gippsland, just as they had shared long drives with their parents to training).

Adam Bull carves through point. Picture: Stuart Milligan

“Like anyone, you always wanted to play higher,’’ he said of his early ambitions in Premier Cricket.

“But it probably took me too long to shake the country tag. That’s one regret I do have, probably not committing wholeheartedly for the first five or six years, probably being a bit too relaxed.

“It wasn’t until I got to Prahran that I committed to Premier Cricket. And by then you pick up too many bad habits.’’

The move to Prahran came in 2008-09, after he returned to England and took a job closer to the city.

In his first game for the club he hit 126 not out in the Second XI (against a Carlton team that included future Prahran premiership captain Jake Hancock).

He had to wait a long time for his maiden First XI century; it came against Northcote in 2012-13, 101 against Northcote.

Bull finished with six centuries – and 31 half-centuries.

“It wasn’t until I got the cricket handbook at the Ryder Medal … 31 50s and only six hundreds … I think that’s the difference between the top players and blokes like myself,’’ he said.

Adam Bull hits out in 2017.

“The conversion rate just wasn’t there, and I just put that down to fitness. I don’t think I’ve ever been the fittest going around. I mean, I look at Jakey Hancock’s record and it’s something like 11 hundreds and 12 fifties. The conversion rate cost me an extra few thousand runs … that’s when you start talking serious players.“

For all his runs in the First XI, he made stacks in the seconds too; Dandenong people well remember some of those knocks.

“Geez, this is a knock and half, this is,’’ club captain Matty Lawrence said at Shepley Oval one Sunday as Bull went blazing through cover.

Bull enjoyed his time at Dandy, but he said the transfer to Prahran led to a “proper career’’ as he shed the country-lad tag.

“Because I’d been at Dandenong since I was 14 or 15, through Dowling, you sort of get comfortable. And so it was not really knowing anyone and being out of my comfort zone that sharpened me up pretty quick. And Schlittler (former captain Neil “The Hurry Master’’ Schlittler’’) didn’t take any shit, Captain Grumpy. He rattled the cage a bit.’’

In his last season, Bull played a part in Prahran’s premiership success, playing five matches in the First XI and in one of them sharing a double-century stand with Nick Blaich.

Bull has retired from Premier Cricket, but not cricket.

He’s joined former Prahran teammate James Wild at Subbies club Ormond, signing for two years.