Gary Gilmour facts for kids
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| Full name |
Gary John Gilmour
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| Born | 26 June 1951 Waratah, New South Wales |
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| Died | 10 June 2014 (aged 62) Sydney |
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| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 267) | 29 December 1973 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 12 March 1977 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 22) | 30 March 1974 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 20 December 1975 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971/72–1979/80 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 June 2014
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Gary John Gilmour (born 26 June 1951 – died 10 June 2014) was an Australian cricketer. He played in 15 Test matches and five One Day Internationals (ODIs). His career lasted from 1973 to 1977. He was part of the Australian team that came in second place at the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
Gary Gilmour was known for his "talented hitting" and powerful left-arm swing bowling. He was also a great catcher. People often compared him to another famous Australian all-rounder, Alan Davidson. Many called him Newcastle's best all-round cricketer ever.
Contents
Early Life and School
Gary John Gilmour was born in Waratah, Newcastle, on 26 June 1951. He went to Waratah Primary School. Later, he attended Newcastle Boys High School.
He was very good at sports in school. He received two special awards called "Blues" from the New South Wales Combined High Schools Sports Association. He got one for baseball in 1967 and another for cricket in 1969.
Gary started playing for Newcastle when he was still a teenager. At 16, he played for Northern New South Wales against New Zealand. When he was 17, he took 5 wickets for Newcastle against Metropolitan.
He was chosen for the Australian Schoolboys team. They toured the West Indies in 1969–70. In 1970–71, he was picked for the State Colts team.
Becoming a First-Class Cricketer
Gary Gilmour played his first major cricket game in 1971. He joined the New South Wales team in January 1972. In one game against South Australia, he scored 40 runs in his first turn at bat. Then he scored 122 runs in his second turn. He also took 2 wickets in that game.
He continued to play well in the 1972–73 season. He took seven wickets against Western Australia, including his first five-wicket haul. He also scored 72 runs in that game. People started talking about him as a possible international player.
In the 1973–74 season, he kept up his strong performances. He took seven wickets against Western Australia and six wickets against South Australia. He also scored 59 runs in one of those games.
His good all-round play for New South Wales against the New Zealand team helped him. He took seven wickets and scored 54 runs. Because of this, he was chosen for the Australian team for his first Test match.
Making His Test Debut
Gary Gilmour made his Test debut in December 1973. Australia batted first and scored many runs. Gilmour scored 52 runs without being out. New Zealand was then bowled out, and Gilmour took 4 wickets.
He found the second Test match a bit harder. He took 1 wicket and 3 wickets in the two innings. He also scored 3 runs. After this, he was made the twelfth man for the third Test. This meant he was a reserve player.
In 1974, Gilmour toured New Zealand with the Australian team. He played well, taking 2 wickets and scoring 52 runs against Auckland. He also took five wickets against Northern Districts.
He was a reserve player for the first two Tests there. But after taking six wickets against Otago, he was back in the team for the third Test. He took 7 wickets in that Test match in Auckland. This included 5 wickets for 64 runs in the first innings. His great bowling helped Australia win the game and tie the series.
He also won the "man of the match" award in the first One Day International (ODI). He took 2 wickets for only 19 runs. On this tour, Gilmour took 20 first-class wickets.
The 1975 World Cup
In 1975, Gary Gilmour was chosen for the Australian team that toured England. This was partly because his all-round skills were perfect for the World Cup one-day matches.
Australia was new to one-day cricket. Gilmour was a reserve player at the start of the tournament. But he was picked for the semi-final game against England. The weather was perfect for his type of bowling. He took an amazing 6 wickets for only 14 runs. This helped bowl out England for just 93 runs. This was the first time a bowler had taken 6 wickets in an ODI.
Australia was in trouble during their turn to bat, with only 39 runs for 6 wickets. But Gilmour came in and hit 28 runs very quickly. This helped his team reach the final. Australia lost the final to the West Indies. However, Gilmour still took 5 wickets for 48 runs and scored 14 runs.
1975 Ashes Series
After the World Cup, Gilmour played well in some tour games. He took 6 wickets against Kent. He also scored 102 runs in just 75 minutes against Sussex. Even with these great efforts, he was a reserve player for the first two Test matches.
He played in the Test match at Headingley. He took 6 wickets for 85 runs in the first innings. He took three more wickets in the second innings. This game was stopped because protestors damaged the field. Gilmour was then dropped from the team for the last Test.
Career Peak: 1975–76
The 1975–76 season was Gary Gilmour's best. He started strong, taking 5 wickets and scoring 40 runs for New South Wales. He then scored 65 and 75 runs and took three wickets against Western Australia. He also scored 74 runs against South Australia.
Gilmour was chosen for the first Test against the West Indies. He took 4 wickets for 42 runs and 2 wickets for 26 runs. This helped Australia win the match.
He stayed in the team for the second Test. Australia decided to play five bowlers, including Gilmour. Gilmour scored 48 runs, which was Australia's second-highest score in their first turn at bat.
He was a reserve player for the third Test. But an injury to another player, Dennis Lillee, brought Gilmour back for the fourth Test. In the fifth Test, Gilmour hit 95 runs very quickly. He also took 2 wickets and 3 wickets. In the sixth Test, he took 5 wickets for 34 runs. This helped Australia win again.
He ended the series with 20 wickets. This was his best season for batting too. He scored 708 runs and took 39 first-class wickets.
1976 Tour of South Africa
In 1976, Gilmour toured South Africa with a team called the International Wanderers. This team was managed by famous cricketer Richie Benaud.
In one game, the Wanderers were struggling. Gilmour came out to bat when his team was far behind. He hit 80 runs in just 64 minutes. This helped his team win the game. Richie Benaud said it was one of the best innings he had ever seen.
Later Career and Injuries
Gary Gilmour's performance dropped in the next season, 1976–77. He struggled to take wickets in early games. He was chosen for the first Test against Pakistan. During this game, he needed a runner because of an injured ankle.
Later, it was found that Gilmour had a small bone floating in his heel. He had been bowling with this injury all summer.
His weight also became a topic of discussion. He once shared a story about famous cricketer Don Bradman. Bradman told him, "If I was a selector you'd never play for Australia. You eat too many potatoes."
1977 Tour of New Zealand
Gilmour went on a short tour to New Zealand in 1977. It became clear that his leg injury was bothering him.
In the first Test, Gilmour scored his only Test century. He hit 101 runs. He and Doug Walters set a new Australian record. They made 217 runs together for the seventh wicket.
"I can't think of a better Gilmour innings for Australia," said captain Greg Chappell. "I know a lot of people thought he should be dropped, but that innings showed why he can't."
He also scored 64 runs with the bat in the second Test. But his bowling was not as good.
1977 Centenary Test
Gilmour played in the Centenary Test in Melbourne in March 1977. He later said he was "a fool" for not pulling out of the game. He scored 4 runs and then 16 runs. He bowled only a few overs.
Because of his poor form, he was not chosen for the 1977 Australian tour of England. He had an operation to remove the bone from his heel soon after.
World Series Cricket
Gary Gilmour decided to join World Series Cricket (WSC). This was a new cricket competition. He felt it would give him financial rewards for his years of playing.
Gilmour later said that joining WSC was tough. He felt that some cricket officials treated him and other WSC players badly. He said they were treated "like lepers." This was very hurtful to him.
Playing in World Series Cricket
Gilmour had mixed results in World Series Cricket. He was called into the main team when Dennis Lillee got injured in 1977–78. Gilmour took 3 wickets and 4 wickets in one game. He also scored 10 and 26 runs.
He stayed in the team for the next game. He took 1 wicket for 141 runs. In one-day games, he scored 23 runs and took 2 wickets. He also took 2 wickets in a final game.
In 1978–79, Gilmour started the season well. He took 5 wickets in a warm-up game. But he was suspended for being "a bit overweight" on a tour of New Zealand. He was given a month to lose weight, and he succeeded.
Highlights of this summer included scoring 75 runs very quickly with Ian Chappell. He also took a "hat trick" (three wickets in three balls) in a one-day game against the West Indies.
Gilmour toured the West Indies in 1978 with the Australian World Series team.
He once had a funny moment with Kerry Packer, who ran World Series Cricket. Gilmour yelled into a stump microphone asking for his jumper. He thought it would be cut out, but it was broadcast! Packer was not happy about it.
In 2003, Gilmour said that joining World Series Cricket was the right choice financially. But he wasn't sure if it helped his career. He felt that playing in WSC was the hardest cricket he had ever played. But he also thought it made him a much better cricketer.
Final Years in Cricket
After World Series Cricket ended, Gary Gilmour played only two more major games for New South Wales. He felt that the Australian cricket leaders did not want him to play anymore.
He started the 1979–80 season well. He took 5 wickets and scored 35 runs in a trial game. He was chosen for the first game of the season. But he was then dropped from the team.
He was called back to play in a one-day game. He scored 1 run. He also took 2 wickets in another game. He played one more first-class game. His first-class career ended at age 27. However, he continued to play for his local club team.
In 1980–81, he scored 59 runs for Newcastle against the touring New Zealanders. His heel injury caused his season to end early.
Life After Cricket
In 2009, Gary Gilmour became the manager of the Newcastle cricket team.
Awards and Recognition
Gary Gilmour was honored by his old school, Waratah Primary School. He was added to their Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was named one of the best 30 players to have played one-day cricket for Australia. In 2010, new training nets at Lugar Park were named after him.
Personal Life and Health
Gary Gilmour had health problems in his later years. He had a liver transplant in 2005. He passed away in Sydney on 10 June 2014.
His captain, Ian Chappell, said that Gary had a lot of talent. But he also said Gary had bad luck with his health.
Gary's older brother, Greg "Sleepy" Gilmour, was also involved in sports. Gary had three sons, Clint, Ben, and Sam Gilmour. His nephews, Mitch and Nathan Gilmour, also played cricket.
Gary was married to Helen. They had four children: Clint, Ben, Sam, and Brooke. Sadly, Clint Gilmour passed away before his father in March 2014.
What People Said About Gary
His teammate Kerry O'Keeffe said that Gary was a quiet person. But he was always ready for fun. He didn't seem to take cricket too seriously. Kerry felt that Gary's record showed he had even more talent than he fully used.
Another teammate, Steve Bernard, said Gary was the most talented player of his time. He had amazing skills in every part of cricket. Steve said Gary was a fantastic player. When he was playing his best, he was unstoppable. He could bowl a swinging ball, hit the ball very far, and was a great catcher. Steve also said Gary was a very popular person and liked by everyone. He played cricket for the enjoyment of it.
