Carroll conquered bowlers

Opening batsman Anthony Carroll was a member of all six flags, as well as the subsequent 94/95 and 97/98 premierships.

“ ‘Boofer’ (David Lane) was captain in those years and thought he was in control. He was too, I suppose, but we all played our part. At one stage he instituted a $5 fine if you got out playing the hook shot. I had to fork out a bit for that,” the man popularly known as ‘Psycho’ told The Free Press.

Carroll loved the big occasions and produced a career total 3514 runs for Corowa which included six centuries and 16 half-centuries; an average of 28.80.

“All the grand-final wins, but mainly meeting all the people I played against who I still call friends today” are his cricket highlights.

“Our team stayed together, only changing two or three every year so we all knew what we could do.

“ ‘Slack Mac’ Macpherson (team-mate) was one of the best cricketers I have seen. We also liked to see the back of Barry Grant (Wangaratta) leaving the field.

“John Macpherson and Paul Miegel would hold our batting together whilst the rest of us could play with freedom.”

Carroll had a good introduction for that style, from age 13-years when he joined his three brothers at Buraja, and being part of two premierships in 1982/83 and 1985/86 in his 12 years, finishing with 112 in a final.

Lea Hansen also started his cricket at Buraja. “Lea’s father Graeme was playing for Buraja at the time and we were short one day so Lea played for us,” Carroll explained.

Carroll was a star in the Rutherglen competition and captained the North-East’s 1981 U.21 Harvester Cup team. His undefeated 129 at Shepparton was the first century scored by a N.E player in the series.

With 274 runs at 91.32, he had shown the way and later belted 57 out of Rutherglen’s 108 against WDCA in an Ensign Cup final.

Becoming part of Corowa in 1987, Pyscho formed part of a developing team, playing alongside the likes of ‘Cyril’ (Paul Miegel), Boofer (David Lane), ‘Gull’ (Rod Gulliver), ‘Popeye’ (Paul Livingstone), ‘Reddick’ (Greg Hennessy), ‘Whale’ (Rod Lavis), ‘Harry’ (Rod Lane), ‘Keenesy’ (Merv Keenes) and later, ‘Stumpy’ (Paul Lavis) and ‘Puppet’ (Shane Norman), a club which was to dominate the competition. 

Among the many memorable innings was his brilliant, highest score of 153 against College in the 1992 grand-final, the week after College pacemen Barry McCormick and Ashley Gilbert blitzed Wangaratta.

College made a very defendable 284. Overnight, ‘unknown persons’ used hammers to vandalise the wicket. Play was delayed for some time to enable the wicket to be repaired, but still, Corowa had misgivings about beginning its innings.But Psycho set the game alight, belting 16 to the fence and one over, setting up Corowa’s 311. Chasing quick runs in their second innings, College set Corowa 131 to win. Pyscho’s unbeaten 59 ensured outright premiership glory.

He loved opening (“I didn’t like waiting around to bat”) and with his “lucky charm” faded red Buraja Cricket Club cap, mop of ginger hair, healthy beard, solid build and a perpetual grin – minus a couple of teeth – he proved a fearsome sight for bowlers. Psycho was a drawcard.

Psycho loved his two trips to Melbourne for Country Week, scoring a couple of important half-centuries and thriving on the lift in standard.

He played his 124th – and last – game in the 1997/98 Grand Final and chalked up his eighth flag, to complete a superb career with the Roos and subsequently be admitted, in 2017, to the WDCA’s Hall of Fame, following speedster Rod (Rocket) Lane in 2015.

Psycho’s good mate Lea Hansen also returned excellent figures for Corowa and at higher levels. Specifically, Lea sent down 812.5 overs which about a quarter (202) were maidens, took 138 wickets with a best of 6/8 against Wangaratta in 1991/92 at an average of 14.15 an economy rate of just 2.49.

These statistics - kindly provided by Shane Norman who was made to be patient by this star-studded line-up before making his presence felt playing seniors - also showed plenty of five fors and six fors by Hansen including a dominant 6/43 off 19 against Rovers United in the 1990 grand-final.

“Lea was a terrific bowler, left hand and could swing a ball and on his day as fast as anyone,” Psycho said. “With his red hair he was easy to fire up.” That sounds like the dynamic opening batsman!   

Hansen played Melbourne District Cricket for Footscray from 1993/94 to 1995/96, represented Victoria Country at the 1996/97 National Championships, with Queanbeyan then in 1998/99 the ACT Comets, competing in Australia’s domestic limited overs competition.

He featured in all six matches the team played and won the Comets player of the season award, taking 11 wickets at 15.63, which was the most for the Comets and equal fourth overall. Midway through the season he had the distinction of playing for the Prime Minister’s XI against the visiting England Test team. 

Hansen played for Australia A’s touring side in series against India A in the United States, playing in four of Australia A’s five matches on the tour. In one match he dismissed world renowned V.V.S Laxman, for a duck, and Virender Sehwag. 

Football was also very much part of the Carroll family. Beginning with the ‘Roos in 1976, as age 15-years, the fearless, tenacious and skilful on-baller Pyscho chalked up 208 games.

Psycho’s dad, Dinny, was a Corowa champion, a multiple best and fairest winner with the Spiders and named on a half forward flank in the combined Corowa and Rutherglen Team of the Century.

Carroll junior finished a five-time runner-up B & F and had represented the O & M 12 times, concluding his brilliant playing career as three-year Coreen captain-coach, where, in his first year 1991, won the league’s Archie Dennis Medal and led the Swans to the premiership. Psycho returned to the Roos, as chairman of selectors, for three years.

At the batting crease, the Corowa-resident all his life Psycho was hard to get out and is difficult to remove from the Federation Council works depot where he’s been working for the past 32 years. But the popular Psycho, a storeman, might retire next August, at age 60-years.

He welcomes all what’s new happening at Corowa Cricket Club. “It’s good to see Corowa in Provincial Cricket,” Psycho said.

“They seem to have picked up some good recruits and the new pavilion looks great.”