Saturday March 8 was possibly the last time Tym Crawford would lead the Gordon First Grade side onto Chatswood Oval. I say ‘possibly’ only because Tym is not officially retiring but rather moving to the UK with his fiancée Amelie for a minimum of three to four years. Amelie, who originally met Tym on one of his cricketing trips to England, is a veterinary surgeon and has returned to the UK to study to become a Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Liverpool and Tym will join her in July this year. He plans to continue his teaching career and hopefully play cricket at a nearby club. Whether he returns or not, we know Tym will make the right decision. He is that sort of person.

Early Talent

In 2005, Mark Carmichael and I were asked by the North Shore representative team management to act as selectors for their Under 14 squad. Rather than conferring over each player, we decided to watch from different ends of the practice area. The plan was to rate each player on a 3/2/1 basis and compare at the end of the session.

As we met up again to select the team, I said there was one player I had to give a 4 rating and Mark said he had done the same. The player, of course, was Tym Crawford. All I can say is that Mark and I must be good judges.

Rise to First Grade

It wasn’t until the start of the 2013/14 season that our paths crossed again when Tym was selected in second grade for Gordon. Prior to this, Tym had spent 3 years playing a handful of games for North Sydney in the lower grades while at the Shore School. He then played 10 first-grade games for Lindfield in the 2012/13 Shires competition with his brother Peter, both scoring centuries in First Grade and the Frank Gray Shield.

After five games in seconds, including a century against St. George, Tym was promoted to First Grade and was presented his cap by Mark O’Neill, who became a great source of technical knowledge that Tym acknowledges helped him significantly in his own coaching approach.

In that same season, Tym scored his debut first-grade century with 102 against Wests. During this match, Tym formed a long partnership with James Packman, who was playing his last match for Gordon before retiring. With Harry Evans, Steve Colley, Elliot Richtor, and Reece Bombas making up the balance of the top 6 batters, Packman was comfortable he was leaving the team in good hands.

Consistent Performance

Tym continued his good form in the 2014/15 season, scoring 676 runs with a top score of 74 against Blacktown. While “only” scoring 523 in the next season, it included an excellent knock of 128 at Chatswood against Bankstown. He peppered the Chatswood fence that day with 17 fours and one six. One of his productive partnerships was with Cam Eccles, who scored 93, both helping to win the match by 200 runs against a strong Bankstown side.

While Tym didn’t score a century over the next three seasons, his contributions of 485, 653, and 467 runs made him a valuable team member.

Peak Years

The 2019/20 season was a big one for Tym with 750 runs including two centuries. The first was a magnificent 169 against Penrith at Howell off just 165 balls. He followed this with a blistering 113 off just 72 balls in the final match of the season at Chatswood against Fairfield, which was unfortunately washed out after only 25 overs of Gordon’s innings with the score at 3 for 174.

The 2020/21 season brought two more centuries: an amazing T20 innings of 101 off 52 balls (surely a Gordon record) where he hit 8 fours and 7 sixes at Waverley in a 3-run win against Easts, and 107 off 83 balls in a one-day match against Mosman at Chatswood.

Unfortunately, a persistent knee injury kept Tym out of the 2021/22 season, but he returned for 2022-23 with another total of over 600 runs (640 at 33.68), including an excellent 144 against Easts in Round 6. The highlight of that season was the T20 competition where Gordon finished top of the Sixers Conference but unfortunately went down by 2 runs in the Conference final. Tym was part of an exceptional partnership with Dale McKay, putting on 144 for the 2nd wicket against Randwick Petersham.

Record-Breaking Season

If anyone thought that was the best Tym would produce, they were not prepared for the 2023-24 season. Tym had an extraordinary season with the bat, smashing the Gordon 1st Grade Batting Aggregate Runs record with a mind-blowing 1303 runs. This ranks 10th on the all-time ladder for runs scored in a season in Sydney Grade Cricket/NSW Premier Cricket and was the most runs scored in Premier Cricket competitions across all States and Territories in Australia for the 2023-24 season.

The most remarkable aspect was that, for the first two months of the season, Tym’s performances could be described as “mediocre” at best! It was only during the Saturday/Sunday fixture against North Sydney in early December when the “switch turned.” By the end of the season, he had scored 5 centuries.

Tym was duly selected to play in a NSW Second XI game later in the season. He won the O’Reilly Medal for the “Best & Fairest” player in NSW Premier Cricket and was selected as Captain of the SCA’s 1st Grade Merit Team. Then, to cap off the various awards at the SCA’s Annual Presentation Night, he was named the 1st Grade Captain of the Year.

During the season, Tym also delivered just the third double-century in the history of the Sydney first-grade Limited-Overs Cup competition at Chatswood Oval. He sent 10 deliveries sailing over the boundary rope and 14 along the ground on the way to an unbeaten innings of 205 runs from only 140 balls against the Penrith bowling attack.

While most First Grade batsmen would be happy with a season of 607 runs, the 2024-25 season was not Tym’s best, with a top score of 49, as he just wasn’t able to get past the 50 mark as he had done so easily in previous seasons.

Impressive Legacy

If this is the final match for Tym in Gordon’s First Grade, he will leave with an indelible mark on the club’s batting records with a total of 7,232 runs in First Grade, which now moves him above James Packman (6,705 runs) and into third position overall in 129 years of cricket at Gordon. Those above Tym are Charlie Macartney on 7,984 and Sid Carroll on 11,322. I am disappointed in you, Tym—at a rate of 650 runs per season, you could reach Sid by the 2031 season!

Here are some statistics that indicate his impact on the Gordon District Cricket Club:

• Tym played 231 matches for Gordon (8 Poidevin Gray, 59 T20, and 164 grade games) over 11 seasons.
• Since his first grade debut, Tym has played 159 consecutive games in 1st grade for Gordon and has never been dropped over this period of 11 seasons (other than in 2021/22 when he didn’t play because of injury).
• In that time, he has scored 13 centuries, 44 fifties (and 17 ducks) in 229 innings with an average of a 50 or higher in every 4 innings he has batted. One of his hundreds was scored in a T20 match against Eastern Suburbs.
• 9 of his 13 centuries have been scored at Chatswood Oval.
• As a true all-rounder, Tym has also taken 91 wickets at an average of 38, with a best of 5-55, and has taken 129 catches.

Beyond the Statistics

Tym has been a fantastic player for Gordon across the last decade, along with being one of our most committed clubmen. He has always been an absolute match-winner with the bat—invariably if he plays well, his side wins. He hits the ball as hard as anyone I have ever seen and can take down any bowler when in full flight. Tym has worked really hard on his game and has developed into a multi-dimensional player in all formats since his first-grade debut. It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t given an opportunity at a higher level, particularly in white ball cricket.

While Tym has been a wonderful batsman and occasional bowler for the GDCC, his major point of difference is the role he has played in helping shape the next generation of Gordon players both as a coach and as the Club Captain. Even while he was out injured for a whole season, he remained heavily involved with the club, being an inspiration to all the players and officials. He is a person who has shown those old-fashioned traits of loyalty, respect, and leadership. Legendary players like Tym appear very irregularly, and in the years that follow, we know Tym’s name will sit alongside team men at Gordon like Charlie Macartney, Ginty Lush, Brian Taber, Dick Guy, Frank Iredale, James Packman, and Harry Evans.

Congratulations, Tym, on a great career with Gordon that is hopefully not over, just yet.

 

Paul Stephenson