Kyle Nonny chats with Central West cricket legend, Matthew Tabbernor
This week we sat down with Central West cricket legend and sports administrator Matthew Tabbernor. Whilst Matthew is now long retired from the beautiful game he has stayed in touch through becoming a qualified umpire but also more importantly he is now heavily involved with junior training and pathway programs.
- Tell me about yourself, who is Matthew Tabbernor away from cricket?
Away from cricket I am a sports lover really enjoying watching cricket, rugby league and AFL on TV. I also umpire local AFL matches on the weekend to stay fit and stay involved in sport after my playing days.
I am also a husband and a father to 3 kids so try and spend as much time as I can with them. I enjoy bike riding with my son, doing Lego with them all, playing the X-Box and playing board games. I also have 2 bird aviaries in the back yard that keeps me busy each day.
- You are heavily involved in junior development in the region, how did this come about?
I was a little different to most kids growing up. Instead of wanting to play cricket for Australia, I wanted to be CEO of Cricket Australia. That dream quickly evaporated but I am very privileged and honoured to work for Cricket NSW as a Cricket Manager.
I had such a great experience growing up playing cricket and when I finished junior cricket, I wanted to give other children the same opportunity. I became a coach of club and representative sides as well as holding various committee positions at club and association levels. I also worked casually doing school programs in my early days and ran some after school programs.
In the end I was passionate about cricket and giving children the same opportunity, I had in this great sport. I am a huge believer that every child should play sport and at least a team sport as it teaches so many life lessons and good for physical and mental health.
- What is your long-term plan to grow cricket and develop future stars from our region?
I look at this differently to a lot of others and think that you need to grow the base, so the top of the pyramid is bigger. The more children we can get playing cricket at 5-8 and then the more we can keep playing at 12-13 means that the tip of the pyramid is bigger and means our talented players have more competitive competition and need to keep improving to get selected. The key to this is to allow the children to have fun and try new things. Some basic technique principles need to be employed for safety and some success but what is wrong with allowing children to see how far they can hit a ball, bowl as fast as they can, spin the ball as far as they can. In the end, I believe children will have fun doing that, learn from their mistakes and continue to want to play the game because it is fun and engaging.
Another focus is to expand our playing network to incorporate more of the community in the sport. For example, having female competitions, programs and pathways across the region is paramount for this which allows us to not only grow the clubs but also expand our volunteer and coaching network whilst providing more opportunities for everything. There is also more work we can do with the Indigenous, multicultural and disability community to make cricket accessible and popular with this section of the community.
Our coaching team at Cricket NSW has done a great job recently in doing webinars with club coaches to upskill them in different aspects of cricket such as fast bowling, effective training sessions and athlete centred training. Club coaches are some of the most important people in Australian cricket and are a key ingredient in keeping cricket strong in the region.
Lastly, cricket will only grow with a strong and viable volunteer base so I am keen to work with them to give them the skills and training they need to not only make their job easier and efficient but also allow them to recruit and retain players and other volunteers.
- You are also a qualified umpire, how different is that experience from being a player?
It took a bit of transition from playing to umpiring especially when I did it in the same town. The biggest hurdle I had was that I was umpiring players that I used to play with or against so to separate that and stay impartial took some time to get used to.
I did miss that social interaction that you get playing as most of the time you are umpiring by yourself so it can be a lonely place during the day especially on a tough day. I was fortunate that I do a lot of reading on sports people and figures and was able to take those learnings on routines, visualisation and emotion control to help myself as an umpire.
The other thing that I missed was the competitive element of playing and mentoring the younger players in the team. I was fortunate towards the end of my career to be a senior player or captain various teams and the chance to mentor or assist younger players kept me going for the last 2-3 years.
I found umpiring was a good way to stay involved in the sport after playing and I encourage players when they retire to get into umpiring or even umpire junior matches. You learn a lot and see the game in a different perspective. I believed I grew as a player after doing my umpire certificate as I had a better idea on the laws of the game, especially the more obscure rules.
You never know, if my kids end up playing cricket when they get older, I might have to don the whites again and have another run around.
- What was it that first drew you to the game of cricket?
That is a very interesting question as my parents did not have a cricket or sport background. I started when I moved to orange when I was in the early 1990s and I think the thing that got me interested was watching state one-day matches on TV. Back then, each weekend and some evenings saw the domestic one-day competition on TV and somehow just started watching it and getting hooked.
I had 2 sisters who were into music and dance so a lot of my afternoons were in the backyard by myself hitting a ball in a stocking of the clothesline and seeing how many times I could hit it in a row. The other past time was throwing the ball against a wall and catching it.
The thing that I love most about cricket is that there is a big individual element in a team sport but each individual needs to change their game each week for the team to succeed. I love stats and numbers and there are not too many sports that has as many individual and team stats as cricket. Cricket is also great that it can cater for everyone, no matter your ability, physiological size or personality.
- You have played a fair bit of cricket in your time, what is your cricket story?
I started playing when I was 8 in what was back in the 1990s called kanga cricket. I played club cricket all the way until I was 32 or 33 mainly for 2 clubs – Centrals Cricket Club in Orange and Dubbo CYMS Cricket Club. I was limited in my ability mainly playing lower grades but believe I was very good at the strategy and reading different situations in the game and what might happen – I am very analytical.
I did get to play some rep cricket for Orange in juniors and both my primary and high school but was no where near first picked – I often joked I was just making up the numbers which may be a little true – but I did enjoy the experience and challenging myself in different conditions.
I was lucky enough to play in some very good sides for Centrals over the years, especially in the mid-2000s when there was a great rivalry between Kinross and us which saw both teams play in 4 straight grand finals and from the memory the ledger finished 2-2.
I would not swap my cricketing life for anything and I believe I got the most of myself and my ability. I really enjoyed the social aspect after the games back at the pub talking about the days play and that is where you can learn a lot about yourself and the sport.
- What’s the best and worst thing about playing cricket in country NSW?
The best thing is the friendships you can make as cricket in country towns are a close-knit community. I remember when we were playing after some games, both teams would stay back at the ground or visit each other’s pubs to discuss the days play and socialise. Unfortunately, that started to change towards the end of my time, but it is great to see it start up again. I still talk to people I played with 20-25 years ago and remember the stories of the games back then.
Another positive is that the pathway offered in the country is similar to that in metro NSW meaning that talented players can stay in country areas longer which means the standard improves in country cricket. Talented juniors have a great opportunity in country areas to play senior cricket at an earlier age to challenge themselves than those in metro areas.
A drawback is that you can continue to play against the same team a few times each season which can get monotonous. But it is great to see that local committees are looking at ways to keep people interested by offering different formats to play (T20, one day etc) as well as re-establishing the Bathurst-Orange competition again and a more region based approach for rep cricket to cater for the talented players at both junior and senior level. Of course, this brings in another drawback which is the travel required to play in these games with a minimum of 40-minute drives to get to games.
- What chances and opportunities could that an Orange club could offer to a potential international recruit ?
There is plenty of opportunities that could be offered to an international recruit if they choose to come to Orange.
On the field, the Bathurst – Orange competition is very strong with a good standard of cricket being played. Both towns have 35-40,000 players and a strong local competition which means you can improve your cricket and test yourself in different conditions, against different players in different formats. The opportunity to play T20 cricket under lights is an opportunity many cricketers don’t get a chance to do but can be offered in Orange each season.
The region also has a strong representative competition with orange participating in the Premier League competition, playing 50 over cricket with other towns in the region. From there a team is picked to play in the NSW Country Championships and there are numerous examples of international recruits being selected to play in these championships.
Off the field, there is a great opportunity to develop your leadership skills in several ways. Clubs are always looking for junior coaches to assist with their teams, so it is a great way to mentor the next generation of players. With all clubs being volunteer based, there is also an opportunity to be involved on the committee or other aspects of the club.
I was lucky enough to coach a side on a tour to New Zealand and Vanuatu and after doing thought I missed a great opportunity to visit another part of the world to work and play cricket to learn about a new culture but also develop myself as a person in a different environment.
- What are some of your most fond memories from playing cricket?
My fondest memories were the opportunity to win some competitions with some good mates that I still have today. I was fortunate to be a part of the team that won an u16 rep competition as well as some lower grade titles at Centrals. I was only talking to some of those members of those teams a few weeks ago and it is also great catching up with them. The 3-4 grand finals in 2nd grade against Kinross in the mid-2000s was a highlight and they were tough, uncompromising games but were played in a great spirit with both teams having respect for each other.
Personally, having limited ability, one of my greatest achievement was taking a 5-fa in 1st grade as well as the opportunity to play a few games under lights at Wade Park. I was also fortunate to get former NSW player Don Nash out when he joined a Collegians tour that visited rural NSW – won’t mention he was trying to hit me out of the ground and got caught at cow corner.
In an umpiring sense, the opportunity to umpire 2 Bonner Cup night finals and a 1st grade grand final is something I will cherish and feel honoured to be part of those games.
- What are some key pieces of advice that you would give a talented player coming through the ranks??
My key advice is to have fun. If you are not having fun or enjoying the game, then when times get tough you will tend not to work to get out of these tough times. Cricket is sometimes more of a mental game than it is a physical game so enjoying the game, laughing and having a smile on the face is just as important as your batting and bowling skills.
Secondly, if you don’t get selected in a rep team at 12-13 years old it doesn’t mean you will not make it. There is plenty of examples of players not getting selected or told they are not good enough that go on to make it. I am sure we all know the Glenn McGrath story when in Narromine was told he would not make it in cricket to go on to become arguably the best fast bowler Australia has produced. I always say to kids that miss a rep team to seek feedback, work on areas you need to and prove the selectors wrong for not picking you.
Lastly, always strive to improve. No one has ever played a perfect game, had a perfect innings or bowled a perfect spell so it is important to continue to strive to get better which the above 2 points will help you achieve this. The best piece of advice I got was to listen to feedback and thoughts from all your coaches, give it a try and find what works and doesn’t work for you. In the end, you are responsible for your own game and pathway so make sure you enjoy it, try new things but most importantly play the game you want to play it.