When Nick McLachlan came into grade cricket, no one was quite sure what to make of him.
He had amazing whippy action that could have been anything, but he was so raw and unassuming that it wasn’t clear as to what his cricket future held.
We can’t say he was the worlds smoothest cricketer, but there was something about him that impressed everyone. He worked hard, had a surprisingly aggressive nature on the field, and was a great team man.
Indeed, 5th Grade skipper Simon Lyon actually called him a “minor sensation” in the Annual Report in his debut year.
That was in 2007/08. He took 6 wickets across 3 matches and showed some definite potential.
Fast forward 11 years, and Nick has just joined some amazing Manly Cricketers in claiming a Quest Manly Milestone of 300 or more wickets for the Waratahs. He joined the 300 club with his 1st wicket in Blacktown’s 1st innings, going on to take another 3 wickets during the day.
In the process he has moved past Jamie Heath (300 wickets) into 27th position on our all-time wicket takers list with 303 wickets.
At just 25 and with plenty of cricket in-front of him, he could potentially end his career as one of our highest ever wicket takers.
He has actually had an amazing career. With the exception of his 3 game debut year and injury shortened year last season, he has taken no less than 22 wickets every season in his career. That was 8 seasons in a row.
He is one of only a few people at the club who have played in every grade for the Tahs.
It’s not surprising that he grew to be 1st grades go-to-man for many years, and is on his way back to that form.
His greatest season was in 2014/15 when he topped the wickets in the entire 1st grade competition, helping us to our first 1st grade premiership in 25 years. He took 59 wickets at an average of 15.36, and it took him just on the edge of professional cricket.
His best figures are 7/37, amazingly in a losing 1st grade match against Bankstown back in 2013/14.
Nick has grown to be a huge part of our club both on and off the field, growing into a great leader and passing on his experience to those coming through the grades.
Congratulations to Nick on an amazing achievement from everyone at the Manly Warringah Waratahs, and here’s to many more.
