Catch of the day
IT WAS a spell made possible by a dropped catch, finished in fitting style and celebrated with brews from fishing gear.
Greg Markwell poetically claimed a caught and bowled to complete his 10-19 grand final rout in 1978-79, but a missed opportunity earlier in the day is the hidden story behind the freakish effort.
Former Mudgeeraba lower grade player Neville Taylor, who would go on to act as president of Cricket Gold Coast for 18 years until 2009, was there to cheer on his clubmates the day of Markwell’s mighty haul against Palm Beach Currumbin.
“There was a catch dropped at second slip off (fellow opening bowler) Des Ward in about the second or third over and of course if that had been taken Greg wouldn’t have got his 10for,” Taylor said.
“Greg obviously bowled well and the last wicket was caught and bowled; Greg then threw the ball up on to the hill at TSS (to celebrate).
“People were jumping up all over the place.”
And then the party started. “We ended up back at one of the homes and we celebrated long into the night,” Taylor said. “Greg owned a sporting goods store and he had these fishing waders.
“So people were wearing these fishing waders around and they were full of beer: that’s what we were drinking out of.”
Teammate Greg Curtis said Markwell’s spell was as good as any you’d see.
“You lose count how many times he’d beat the bat – he was quicker than most people
PEOPLE WERE WEARING THESE FISHING WADERS AROUND AND THEY WERE FULL OF BEER
thought,” he said. “That day he just caught the edge.”
Markwell would finish his career recognised as a star on the Gold Coast circuit and representative team regular.
“He would definitely be in the best Gold Coast team of the past 40 years,” Taylor said.
“He was quite slippery.”
NEVILLE TAYLOR ON CELEBRATIONS