Jason Penrose - enjoy the game

Jason Penrose played NSW Under 19 in 1986 as a stylish opening batsman and made his first grade debut in the same year.

Jason’s played cricket in Sydney, U.K, Hong Kong and Brisbane, he’s worked as the marketing Manager for Cricket NSW and is a premiership winning captain with the Balmain Tigers (Sydney Cricket Club)

Jason strongly believes cricket is a game to be enjoyed with your mates.

Welcome Jason

What year were you born?

1967…wow, that‘s a while ago!

Where did you go the high school?

In the Blue Mountains…Springwood High

Do you remember your first ever game of cricket?

Can only remember it vaguely…after all, it was a while ago! First formal cricket was for the Balgownie under 10’s in Wollongong. Pretty sure it was the 1976/7 season, so I’d have been 9. Can’t recall how I went in that first game, but we did have a strong team…made the final I think. I was an opening bowler and middle order bat in those days.

Where did you play your junior cricket?

Started in Wollongong, with the Balgownie Magpies from U10’s to U12’s. Then relocated to the Blue Mountains and played my first season there with Springwood Cricket Club (alongside Andrew Bennett and Jason Gapps); U14’s to U16’s I went down the hill to play with Penrith RSL Cricket Club.

Which clubs have you played for?

In Sydney Grade I played with Penrith (83-88 and 89/90), Wests (88/89 and 90/91) and Balmain/Sydney (96-06). Played a season in the UK (Hertfordshire League) with Old Millhillians in 1991 and then had a stint in Hong Kong from 1991-4, where I played with HKCC (Optimists), Kowloon CC (Templars) and Vagabonds CC. In 1994/5, on return from Hong Kong, I played half a season with Toombul in Brisbane.

Jason Penrose batting in Hong Kong

How old were you when you first played grade cricket?

I started in 5th grade at Penrith in 83/4, so was 16.

What age did you make your first grade debut?

I got a couple of games in 1st grade at Penrith in 1985/6, when I was 18.

What is your highest score in first grade?

Not that many I’m afraid…and I don’t have a great memory for exact scores. I made a handful of 50’s, I think the highest was 70 or so for Toombul in Brisbane (94/5) against Qld University. Michael Kasprowicz was in their attack.

Michael Kasprowicz

Who was the fastest bowler you ever faced?

Plenty were too quick for me! Warwick Adlam as an 18/19 year old was rapid. I played Andy Bichel in Brisbane, he got them through. Richard Stobo nearly killed me one day, I think I got him angry. And I remember some net sessions when I played NSW 19’s alongside Paul Stepto and Chris Killen…they were both quick.

Who was the best spinner you played against?

I played one game against Mo Matthews, he was incredibly skillful…but didn’t bat long enough to fully judge! Ian Burge and I had a great tussle with David Freedman, after he dropped back to lower grades for Bankstown, on a “Bunsen burner” at Ryde Oval; I got 60 odd and it was a fantastic challenge…Freddy was a great bowler. Probably the best I batted against, although I didn’t play against was Tommy Shiner in my early days at Penrith…he was literally unplayable at times.

David Freedman

What was the best innings you’ve seen in Grade Cricket?

1989-90 for Penrith v Balmain at Drummoyne Oval…Phil “Skid” Marks and Greg Hayne put on north of 250 for the 3rd wicket. Skid made about 150 and barely missed the middle of the bat all day…I fielded in the covers mostly and never spent so much time picking balls out of the boundary gutter! That’s the best I saw…Phil was an underrated player. (The postscript to this was after fielding all day on day 1, Trevor Bayliss came back from NSW duties for day 2 and I dropped back to 2nds and fielded all day again!)

What’s been your most memorable moment in cricket?

Two stick out…firstly playing for NSW U19’s in 1986 versus New Zealand U19 on the SCG, I made 83. Then in 2000/1 when I captained Balmain 3rd grade to a premiership with a really outstanding bunch of guys…all still great mates to this day.

Balmain Tigers 3rd Grade premiership winning team 2000/01

Jason Penrose - seated far left

Who was the funniest cricketing team mate?

Haha, impossible to narrow down to just one…there’s been 100’s of weird and wonderful characters! At Penrith, my great mate Michael Wholohan was unpredictable, but not as much as Darren Morris…those two together were gold! They still are.

A great bunch of guys were at Wests during my time there…Brad Wilson was a great mate, and hilarious…sometime unintentionally! Mark Tudehope was definitely the most eccentric guy I played with…he bowled in Dunlop Volleys.

Lots of belly laughs at Balmain too. Phil Clune was unique…crazy and a fantastic competitor, remains one of my best mates to this day. Rod Chapman was the most creative and funniest sledger I played with and Terry “Swampy” McMahon had rhyming slang for every occasion.

But, if I have to pick one it’d be the late great Chris “Lard” O’Neil from Wests…loved every minute playing with Lardy, he always put a smile on my face.

Who is your favourite all time cricketer?

That’s easy… as a young fella I idolized Viv Richards. The best and most destructive player I’ve seen, by quite some distance. When I worked in Hong Kong in the 90’s I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks with him and Ian Botham touring their after-dinner speaking show across Asia and the Middle East. An eye-opening fortnight to say the least…Viv’s off-field work was outstanding also!

Viv Richards

What was the best win you were involved in?

In 2002-3, when I was captaining Balmain 3’s, we knocked over Manly outright in the semis. John Warn was their skipper (we dueled a lot over the years), they’d only lost one game all season and I think 9 of their 11 had played 1st grade…away from home that was some team song!!

Do you recall a Friday night Pepsi challenge that went haywire when the rain cleared and you had to play the next day?

Haha, yeah…there were a few. The most memorable was actually a Saturday night, during a Sat/Sun 2nd grade game for Penrith v Waverley (as they were then) at Howell Oval. Some of the Waverley boys stayed over in a caravan next to the ground and we did the right thing as hosts, taking them for a cultural experience at Penrith Panthers across the road. I ended up sleeping wrapped in Greg Sheens’ BBQ cover on the paving at the back of his parents’ house. Batting 4 the next day I required a couple of unscheduled visits to the toilet whilst padded up. Went out and got a 2nd baller…not my proudest moment.

If you’re in the middle seat of the middle row of Qantas QF1flight to London which teammates would you choose to be on your left and right?

Well I did that with M Wholohan in 1991…never again!! I’d probably pick a couple of mates from Wests…if I could bring him back, I’d have Chris O’Neil on one side and Wayne Levy on the other.

What did you enjoy most about playing grade cricket?

Definitely the mateship…on the field, before and after games. There’s a unique depth of shared experience with your teammates through cricket I believe; lots of these guys are still my closest friends today.

In the latter part of my Grade career, I really enjoyed the challenge of captaincy…tactically and the leadership aspect. Probably what kept me playing for the last 4 or 5 seasons.

Jason and Tim McMahon at SCG

Did you have any cricketing superstitions?

Always put my left pad on first.

Which Grade Cricket ground did you enjoy playing at the most?

The beach grounds – Manly and Coogee – were always highlights of the season.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

It’s funny, I don’t actually recall getting a whole lot of advice in my early days of Grade…I think this was a combination of things being different then, you were just expected to watch and learn. Plus, like a lot of young blokes, I wasn’t a great listener…thought I had all the answers.

Are you still involved in Cricket and if so, in what capacity?

Yes, the past two seasons I’ve gotten involved in Masters (over 40’s, even though I’m the wrong side of 50 unfortunately!) cricket with Roseville CC and have captained the last season and a half. After a long lay-off it’s been terrific to get back involved. We’ve managed to assemble a strong side with quite a few ex-Grade players, have won a lot more games than we’ve lost but, mostly, has been fantastic to get involved in the team culture and competitive atmosphere again.

The aches and pains last for days now unfortunately!

Centre please

You used to work for Cricket NSW as the Marketing Manager. When was that and how has the marketing of the game changed from then to now.

I worked at CNSW from 1996-2000; Brian Hughes was CEO at the time.

This was when formalised marketing of cricket was still very much in its infancy. We created the “Blues” identity during this time, launched a junior supporters club and ramped up fan, media and sponsor engagement. And it was when the internet was just emerging as a communications platform…I remember having a dial-up modem under my desk!

It’s so totally different…there was only 3 people in the CNSW marketing team then, there’s probably a dozen or more now. The digital revolution, the introduction of 20/20 and the BBL, professionalisation of State cricket are the biggest changes, along with the prominence of the women’s game now.

Are you a fan of technology in cricket?

Yes and no…I definitely think it has an important role, but would prefer that it’s taken out of the players’ hands. Unfortunately the “player review” system has, I think, undermined the umpires’ authority and decision-making confidence…we saw a lot of that in the last Ashes series!

How do you value the pathway programs for young cricketers against the currency of runs and wickets in grade cricket?

Honestly, I think performances in Grade should trump anything in the pathway programs. But this is subject to Grade being strong, and first-class players being on the field more. 

I remember one of my early 1st grade games versus Wests, them having four Test players (Wellham, Matthews, Dyer and Gilbert) and three Shield squad members in their 11! Would never happen now.

Dirk Wellham

What advice would you offer a young 17 year old who has the ambition of playing test cricket?

I’m probably the least qualified to provide that advice! But, if asked, I’d suggest they do plenty of listening and observing, note the habits of the best players around them and adapt these to improve their skills (physical and mental) day-by-day…don’t get too far ahead of yourself.

But, like for most of us, that ambition is incredibly difficult to realise…enjoy cricket for what it is. A game with your mates!

What are your hobbies?

Well, I’m still getting out on the cricket field every 2nd weekend in summer…probably one more season in me I think. Golf is an irregular and constant frustration, as is tennis with some old cricket buddies (who are all much better than me).

What is your occupation?

I run my own consulting practice (Jamecam Consulting), helping organisations to optimise their supply chains and the value they derive from supply partners…it’s slightly more interesting than it sounds.

Are there any lessons from your time in cricket that you take into work or life in general?

Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, recognise and maximise the strengths of those around you. Captaincy certainly taught me that a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership doesn’t work; you’ve got to understand each of your team/work mates as individuals and support them in the way that brings the best out of them.