TAMWORTH’S first test cricketer, John Gleeson, is being remembered as a man whose unrivalled talent with a ball was matched by a sharp mind off the pitch.
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Gleeson, one of the city’s greatest sporting products, died in Tamworth on Friday night at the age of 78.
His career saw him take 93 wickets in 29 test matches between 1967 and 1972 as the 42nd Australian to wear the baggy green.
News the city’s first test star had passed away sent shock waves through the community, as local cricketers wore black arm bands and held minute silences during weekend matches.
Among those paying tribute was former teammate and close friend Peter Virgen, who kept for Gleeson when he returned to Tamworth club cricket in the early 1970s.
Gleeson first moved to Tamworth for a job as a telephone technician after playing low-grade cricket for Western Suburbs in Sydney in his late teens.
He came to be known as the mystery spinner, borrowing the bowling style of legendary Australian spinner Jack Iverson, by training himself to spin the ball both ways using a table tennis ball.
“It was very hard for me to pick which way out of his hand,” Virgen said.
“I had to concentrate hard as his wicket keeper so I wouldn’t look like a goose.”
It was his face-off with renowned all-rounder Richie Benaud in a Gunnedah match in 1965 that helped carve his way to success, with Benaud coaxing him to the Balmain Club.
He went on to play in Canada, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as taking 430 wickets in 116 first-class matches.
He returned to Tamworth, where he captained West Leagues, but continued to play in South Africa in the off-season.
“He stood out,” Virgen recalled.
“He took his club cricket still very seriously.
“I was very, very nervous going in keeping for him. I didn’t want to be made a fool of, but it improved my keeping because I had to concentrate so hard.
“I’d be so excited (when I took a catch) for him and John would just look at me as if to think, well, that’s your job.”
Gleeson, while a tough and determined sportsman, mellowed out in his older age and forged strong friendships off the pitch.
“As a cricketer, he was our very first Australian and was known as the mystery spinner,” Virgen said.
“But he had a very sharp mind and would talk about philosophy, literature, theology to politics, as well as cricket.”
Virgen recalled a softer side to Gleeson when he would cut out articles from England’s Marylebone Cricket Club newsletters to forward to Virgen’s nephews.
“I’ll miss him; his friendship, listening to his stories,” Virgen said. “He was modest, but if you got him talking, he’d talk to you for hours.”
Cricket Australia CEO said Gleeson’s talent “captured the imagination of cricket fans everywhere as he bamboozled batsmen with his odd bowling grip”.
Gleeson is survived by wife Sandra. He had three children.
‘A fierce competitor, but a great mate’
“HIS nickname was Cho for cricket-hours only,” Terry Psarakis laughs as he remembers close friend John Gleeson.
Gleeson, Tamworth’s first test cricketer, was known in his early years as a fierce competitor who had high expectations of himself and his teammates. But those closest to Gleeson also remember him as a loyal friend, who was full of knowledge.
Gleeson tragically died on Friday after a string of health problems.
Psarakis was playing for South Tamworth as a late teen when he fronted Gleeson, who had returned from his Sydney career to play for West League.
“John was obviously a very good cricketer, but he had a very high standard,” Psarakis said.
“He was very determined, he knew what he wanted. He didn’t like fools.”
Gleeson was respected and feared in equal parts. He earned the nickname Cho because he was never one to socialise after a game, but he was still “very well-liked”.
Despite his tough exterior, Gleeson did all he could to share his passion of the game.
“He actually started my cricket memorabilia collection,” Psarakis said.
“He gave me an Australian signed team sheet of 1966/67 when they played against South Africa.”
Psarakis was among a group of locals who would have lunch with Gleeson once a month to trade stories.
“He’ll be remembered in Tamworth as the first cricketer to play for Australia,” Psarakis said.
“He was a pioneer as far as that went.”
