The Bear Essentials

The Bear Essentials

By Bayswater Morley Districts Cricket ClubSportsCricket
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The Bear Essentials episodes

  • Bob Massie: Bassendean to Lord's

    Host David Baird talks with former Australian fast bowler Bob Massie about his journey from a young player-administrator at Bayswater Morley to his historic Test debut at Lord's. Bob shares candid stories of his early struggles, the tactics behind his famous 16-wicket haul against England, and his move into a long commentary career with the ABC. It's a reminder of how unpredictable elite sport can be, and of the lasting value of loyalty to your grassroots club.

    In this episode
    • 1:00 Realising at 18, after going wicketless in his first state match, that he had to lift his standard
    • 3:31 Playing club cricket in Scotland, for his father's heritage and regular practice with a Dukes ball
    • 6:05 Filling in as scorer for Bassendean, a fourth grade call-up, and 71 wickets in 10 games
    • 8:57 Earning his Sheffield Shield debut by winning a bowl-off against Bruce Yardley at the WACA
    • 11:08 Hearing he had been picked for Australia on the 8pm ABC radio news while visiting a friend in Sydney
    • 16:39 Lord's: the plan, hatched on the flight over, to bowl around the wicket to John Edrich
    • 18:15 A quick and frustrating end to his Test career after losing rhythm in the West Indies
    • 21:50 A long broadcasting career with the ABC, including calling the 1992 World Cup Final in front of 85,000 people
    • 26:50 Coaching: teaching swing to future Test bowlers Wayne Clark and Bruce Reid, and taking Bayswater Morley to a WACA grand final
    • 31:08 Why Greg Chappell was the best batter he ever bowled to
      • Quotes

      "I went out on the ground expecting a booming loudspeaker announcement. Nothing happened. Walked out to the center square, stood at the edge of the center square, looked around at the pavilion and the stands. Not a soul."

      "I was about to change and I thought, hang on, instead of you chopping and changing, just stay here for a bit and see what happens. And, of course, they just kept nicking me."

      "I just said, Alan, I'm not coming down the WACA anymore. I've had enough of this selection stuff. If you want me, you know where I am. But I won't be coming down to training anymore."

      32 min
    • Ryan Campbell: still here

      Host David Baird talks with former Australian and Western Australian cricketer Ryan Campbell about his career and his long association with Bayswater Morley. Ryan reflects on switching from wicketkeeper to opening batter, the highs and lows of his club days, and his unexpected move into international coaching. Above all, he speaks with deep gratitude for his life and family after a near-fatal cardiac arrest in 2022, which has shaped how he coaches and lives without regrets.

      In this episode
      • 2:08 How a Country League Grand Final for Kalgoorlie got him recruited by John Moore and Ray Robinson
      • 6:59 Adam Gilchrist arrives at the Cricket Academy, and Rod Marsh turns a backup keeper into an opening batter for WA
      • 9:57 The 1995-96 premiership, and taking 1 for 0 in the grand final with Jo Angel's "secret squirrel" slower ball
      • 11:52 1998-99: First Grade and one-day premierships for Bayswater Morley, and a Sheffield Shield for WA
      • 13:49 Regretting the move to Scarborough after a clash with the coach over training loads
      • 18:32 Stuck behind Gilchrist, and wishing his playing days had lined up with the T20 franchise era
      • 20:47 An unplanned coaching career: Hong Kong, the Netherlands national team and Durham
      • 23:50 His 2022 cardiac arrest at a UK theme park, a seven-day coma, and a new focus on family and enjoying life
        • Quotes

        "I slept the night with my Gray-Nicolls Elite beside me and thankfully it came good for me the next day."

        "I have always tried to replicate what Bayswater had and what I had at Bayswater with everything, with every environment I've been in ever since."

        "The franchise world, I think, was absolutely perfect for me. You know, opening the batting, being a wicketkeeper, scoring fast."

        "I don't know why … but I'm still here and I'm going to try and make sure that I really enjoy whatever I have."

        29 min
      • Mel O'Neil: 100 not out

        Host David Baird sits down with club legend Mel O'Neil, who shares his memories of the club's formative years in the 1940s and 50s. Mel recounts his journey from a resolute lower-grade batsman to First Grade captain, and his 20 years as Secretary and WACA delegate. It's a story of grassroots loyalty and administration, and how one man's dedication helped turn a struggling local team into a district club that produced Test cricketers.

        In this episode
        • 0:03 Introducing Mel O'Neil, a foundational figure of the Bassendean Bayswater Cricket Club
        • 1:08 Joining the club during World War II, and rising from the thirds to First Grade by resolving never to get out
        • 4:51 Surviving WACA team reductions, and Mel's refusal to leave the club despite offers from rivals
        • 7:05 Partnering with Bayswater and moving to the high-quality wicket at Hillcrest Reserve in the early 1960s
        • 10:02 Using the rulebook to claim a forfeit win when Midland failed to provide stumps in time
        • 11:06 District cricket and junior development, which stopped rival clubs poaching the best young players
        • 12:32 A thrilling one-run win over North Perth, who collapsed needing two runs with five wickets in hand
        • 19:31 The struggles and eventual triumph of Bob Massie, the club's first Test player, and Mel's advocacy to get him into the state side
        • 21:12 Touring regional Western Australia, and managing the state team in the days of budget train travel
          • Quotes

          "I made up my mind then I was never, ever going to get out, so they would have to promote me, and that's what I did."

          "I said, Bassendean is, I live in Bassendean. I'm not leaving Bassendean."

          "My ambition was so that players could get to, first of all, into the state side and then into the test side."

          28 min

        About The Bear Essentials

        From the publisher's feed

        Stories from the clubrooms. Players, life members and friends of the Bayswater Morley Districts Cricket Club talk cricket, club history and life in Perth's eastern suburbs.