Obituary – Bert Alderson

[By Tom Wood – Parramatta District Cricket Club Historian]

Last weekend Parramatta (Central Cumberland) District Cricket Club legend Albert ‘Bert’ Alderson passed in Lismore Hospital.

Bert Alderson, who in his playing days was an outstandingly productive left-handed batsman for both the Parramatta District Cricket Club and the Sydney University Cricket Club, on Saturday 14^th December 2024 celebrates his 100^th birthday – thus becoming the fourth former Parramatta player to reach that milestone, the others were Jack Anthony, Bill Smith and Alan Cramond.

Bert Alderson was literally a run machine – one of only a handful of batsmen to top 14,000 runs in grade cricket – of which 10,731 were made in 1st Grade with Central Cumberland and Sydney University. Right from the start of his career he was an intelligent batsman, who played with strong application, measured aggression and ‘understood what was required to be a consistent and prolific run-maker’. Parramatta District Cricket Club – First Grade player No. 269.

It remains a great mystery that how as successful a 1st grade player as Bert, wasn’t ever chosen to represent NSW in the Sheffield Shield competition – like many other Central Cumberland players over the years, the State Selectors didn’t seem to notice him.

Small in stature he was a compact left-hander who spent much of his early career as an opening batsman. Bert’s batting was well organised, based on a tight defence, fluent on-side play and a strong appetite for runs. He possessed a sharp eye as befits a talented State Baseballer and he was severe on any wayward bowling. By all reports his fielding ability was of the first order, and he was a more than handy back-up wicketkeeper in his younger days.

Bert first came to notice as a member of Cumberland’s A.W. Green Shield team of 1939/40 and made some fill-in appearances in the Shires and 4th grade teams that season – Shires skipper Jack Tenie was obviously a good judge of a player when after only four innings he wrote – “B. Alderson, a product of Parramatta High, came into the side late in the season and revealed possibilities out of the ordinary. Natural ability he has in abundance which, when blended with experience, should mould in him a potential first grade cricketer. The four innings he played realised 29, 20, 12 and 87 not out. The last innings particularly stamps him a batsman with a complete repertoire of strokes.”

His lengthy grade career began in earnest from the 1940/41 season and concluded as it started with some fill-in appearances to assist Cumberland in the 1973/74 season, this timeframe was punctuated by Bert’s secondment to Sydney University’s 1st grade team in 1951/52 to 1952/53 (whilst completing his Engineering degree) and again as captain between 1961/62 and 1965/66.

Bert played 20 full years of 1st grade for Central Cumberland between 1941/42 and 1973/74 – scoring an imposing 7,740 runs @ 28.04 - plus 7 seasons for Sydney University – and in total he peeled off a gargantuan 11,016 runs @ 31.21 for the Parramatta based club, this included 6 1st grade centuries (best – 135 v. Manly in 1945/46), 4 in 2nd grade and 1 in 3rd grade. 

Entering 1st grade whilst still a teenager, the determined left-hander immediately made his presence felt in the top grade and was at the zenith of his powers for Cumberland during the entire 1940s. Despite being young and inexperienced he was the club’s most ‘bankable’ batsman during the unstable days of World War II. During those seasons he regularly took out the team’s batting honours – indeed he produced a rich vein of scoring with best seasonal aggregates of 560, 611, 672, 607, 509 between 1942/43 and 1949/50.

After acting as fill-in captain in Richie Benaud’s absences in 1955/56, Bert captained the Cumberland 1st grade team in a diligent and capable manner during seasons 1956/57 and 1957/58. In 1961 he transferred his allegiances to Sydney University, whom he captained for the next five seasons. However, ‘once a Cumbo always a Cumbo’ and Bert re-joined the club in 1966/67, initially just wanting a game in the 2nd grade side, but after just 4 innings for 301 runs he was elevated back into 1st grade for the remainder of the season. The next two seasons saw him elect to play in the club’s 3rd grade team and help the development of a group of promising youngsters, after that he took on the valuable role of 2nd eleven captain between 1969–72, continuing to bat productively and utilizing his vast experience to groom batsmen for 1st grade.

Away from the cricket field Bert had risen in his professional capacity to become the Holroyd Council’s Chief Engineer and was honoured with the Merrylands Oval Grandstand being formally named the ‘Bert Alderson Stand.’

The Alderson family were well represented at the club with Bert’s brother Ken playing in the lower grades, and in the 1970s his sons Greg (left-handed bat and right-arm leg-spinner) played 2nd grade and made a few appearances in 1st grade, whilst Doug also a left-handed batsman and part-time off-spinner played 1st grade with good success prior to following the pursuit of a career away from the cricket field.

At a Parramatta District Cricket Club fund-raising Legends Luncheon in 2008, Richie Benaud a playing contemporary of Bert Alderson had this to say:

·         “I had the great fortune to play in the same Central Cumberland side as Bert in 1946. 

He and his family did tremendous things for young people – he was a mentor to me because they had a concrete practice pitch with a mat out Northmead way and we would practice there. The whole family welcomed the Benauds, and it was a tremendous thing.”  

Bert Alderson’s Playing Career Statistics with Central Cumberland (Parramatta) District Cricket Club.  

Grade	Inns	N.0.	H.S.	Runs	Average	Catches	Stump.
1st	310	34	135	7,740	28.04	119	3
2nd	46	16	125	1,456	48.53	13	0
3rd	33	6	125	1,107	41.00	25	8
4th	3	0	95	123	41.00	0	0
5th	12	6	42	133	22.17	2	0
Shires	15	4	90*	457	41.55	3	0
Total	419	66	135	11,016	31.21	162	11

Many of his contemporary cricketers were puzzled that Bert was never selected in the NSW Sheffield Shield team.

Albert H. ‘Bert’ Alderson remains a cricketer of special standing with the Parramatta District Cricket Club – a Life Member – the leading all-time run-getter with Club – one of just three players to score more than 10,000 runs for the club – and in 2015 was named in both the 1950s and 1960s Teams of the Decade for the club.  

Bert was Club President in 1969/70 when Cumberland won the Club Championship for the first time, a role he continued in until the close of the 1971/72 season.     

Vale Bert Alderson you played a magnificent innings.

Obituary – Greg Haire

[By Tom Wood – Parramatta District Cricket Club Historian]

Sadly, the Parramatta Club lost another past player with the recent passing of former lower grades allrounder Greg Haire, who was the younger brother of ex Parramatta first-grade player and well-known NSW Premier Cricket Coach Michael Haire.

Greg was only engaged in a relatively brief career with the club – 1976/77 to 1981/82 but he proved to be a popular and well liked person amongst his fellow clubmates.

He showed himself to be a more than capable allrounder, an accurate and clever right-armed medium-pacer and sound right-handed middle-order batsman whose performances, in his stay with the club, suggested that he possessed the potential to establish himself in the higher grades had he remained longer with the ‘two-blues’ – he did played a Second grade game in 1977/78.

Greg commenced his association with Parramatta with the Fifth Grade ‘B’ team in 1976/77 and was an instant success proving to be the team’s leading player in its drive to annex the Minor Premiership. He starred with the ball grabbing 41wickets at praiseworthy 12.49 – highlights being 6/46 v. Mosman, 5/22 & 4/29 v. Sydney University ‘B’, and 5/30 v. Cumberland ‘A’ – and his batting produced a useful 262 runs @ 32.75 (H.S. – 62 v. Bankstown [SF] and 55 v. Cumberland ‘A’).

In 1977/78 strong early season form in Fourth Grade - 259 runs @ 43.17 and 14 wickets @ 8.29 – featuring a sensational performance against Sutherland – 92 with the bat and 7/14 with the ball, earned Greg promotion to Third and Second grade.

His Overall Playing statistics with Parramatta were:

Grade	Innings	N.O.	H.S.	Runs	Ave.	Catches	Runs	Wickets	Ave.
5th Grade	15	5	62	311	31.10	7	619	49	12.63
4th Grade	9	1	92	283	35.38	4	220	23	9.57
3rd Grade	4	-	4	7	1.75	3	128	4	32.00
2nd Grade	1	-	15	15		-	-	-	-
Total	29	6	92	616	26.78	14	967	76	12.72

Vale Greg Haire – rest in peace.

Obituary – Bob Simpson

[By Tom Wood – P.D.C.C. Historian]

On Saturday the 16^{th of} August 2025 Australian cricketing legend Bob Simpson passed away at 89 years of age.

The Parramatta District Cricket Club was privileged to have a person of Bob’s stature in both Australian and World Cricket to lead the club’s coaching programme for three seasons:

2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09.

Bob Simpson forged a monumental cricketing career after debuting for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield competition at 16–years -of-age he when on to become one of Australia’s foremost opening batsmen and captains – playing 62 Tests, scoring 4,869 runs @ 46.81 (H.S. – 311), claiming 71 wickets @ 42.26 (B.B. – 5/57) and pocketing 110 catches –  and later  Australia’s first full-time head coach, accredited with re-establishing Australia as a powerful force in international cricket.

Simmo at Parramatta training.

He brought a great wealth of cricket knowledge and know how, shaped from his international playing and coaching days, to his role at Parramatta. Bob introduced upgraded standards and processes to the club’s training programme – emphasising the importance of fielding, and the need for application and thought to be key elements of batting and bowling.

He was readily available to all players for discussions on how to enhance their cricket and lent his support to club by attending its major fundraising events during his tenure at the club.

All officials and players at the Parramatta Club were proud to have had such a cricketing giant associated with their club.

On a personal note, I certainly enjoyed many long conversations on cricket and travel with Bob, whilst sitting under a tree and Old Kings Oval watching Parra and my son Michael play.

Vale Bob Simpson from all at Parramatta.