Welcome to the final Howzat Building Waratahs in History for the 2025/26 season. This Q & A is with Jay “Where’s Wally” Trevaskis.
Jay debuted for the “Tahs” in the 1999/2000 season. He scored his highest score for the club that season with 112no in fourth grade!
Jay was a true all rounder. He batted in the middle order and also became an opening batter. He would also open the bowling or be bowling at first change. In his last season for the club he took up spin bowling!
No one who was there will forget the legendary “Where’s Wally” event at Manly Oval with Jay appearing in full red and white stripy attire at several iconic spots near Manly Oval throughout the day.
A true legend of the “Tahs” we hope you enjoy the last Q&A for the season.
Our Waratahs in History series is proudly sponsored by Howzat Building Services. Visit Andrew Watkins and the team at www.howzatbuildingservices.com.au for all your building needs.
How did your love of cricket come about as a child? Who were your cricket heroes growing up?
I’ve been a cricket tragic for as long as I can remember. When I was born my father actually sent a letter to all their friends announcing my birth using Cricket terminology to describe the birth, so it seems that cricket was destined to be part of my life from the start. My earliest memories of watching cricket was the 1982-83 Ashes test series between England and Australia. I loved Dennis Lillee and had a big poster of his above my bed for many years. In the backyard I always wanted to be Allan Border when I played against my brother and so I had to teach myself to bowl left-handed to make it proper, but it was Steve Waugh who I would say was my all-time favourite from the time of his debut in 1985-86 and his back foot cover drives on the 1989 Ashes tour sealed it!
Tell us a bit about your junior journey on your way to playing at Manly?
I grew up on the Far South Coast of New South Wales and so all my juniors were played in Bega and then a little club based in a farming area called Angledale. The junior cricket at the time wasn’t strong in the area. I remember turning up to my first game of cricket and being so disappointed that it was only Kanga cricket. Other than that, organised cricket didn’t begin until U14s. I moved to Sydney for University when I was 17 and because I had a connection with the Freedman family I was initially graded at Bankstown but never played because of stress fractures. I ended up playing a couple of seasons for Western Suburbs. At University I did a group assignment with Craig Glassock and ended up going down to Manly for pre-season training at the start of the 1999-2000 season.
What are your memories of the club in the early 2000s? Both on and off the field?
The club was just a great place to be a part of. Everyone just enjoyed being at training and there was a great vibe. It felt very different to the other clubs I’d been a part of previously. The days on the hill for the First grade limited overs Semi-final and Finals matches were just great days. It was at one of those days I dressed up as Wally. Part way through the day someone suggested I should go sit amongst the St George players outside their change rooms because their shirts had red and white vertical stripes. It got a cheer from the boys on the hill and it just grew from there and ended up with me standing on the roof of the big building between Manly Oval and beach. I think I was there for about three seconds before someone at the ground noticed and the chant of ‘Wally, Wally’ went up! At one stage I got Andrew Rochford to wear the outfit and we drove down Sydney Road with Rochy hanging out the window while I was honking the horn. Matt Phelps was just facing up to bat and had to pull away. Those days at Manly Oval really showed how much fun the club was to be a part of.
You debuted for the Waratahs in 1999/2000. What do you remember about your grade debut for Manly?
My debut was fourth grade one-dayer at Grahams Reserve at the start of that season. Rusty Pearce was the captain of fours that season. I think there were a number of us making debuts that day – Craig Little, Ben Johnston, Jimmy Castrisos. I think it was against Parramatta and the club won all five grades that day and so the evening back at the Diggers on the Park as memorable as singing the team song for the first time!
Your top score was 112no in fourth grade against Fairfield 1999/2000. What do you remember about that innings?
I think I batted seven against Fairfield and had 116 run partnership with Mike Wrathall which at the time was a record partnership for the 6th wicket. The captain of the Fairfield team told me it was the worst 100 he’d seen. That kept me grounded.
My best bowling was the opening game of the season against UNSW and I’d just come back from England where I’d done so much bowling that just felt really confident starting the season. I think I took 6 wickets from 20 overs. The details are never as clear as the times I scored runs!
What do you think your strength was as a cricketer?
Adaptability. I started at the club predominantly as a bowler but ended up opening the batting in third grade while either opening the bowling or bowling first change. I also had a side strain in my last season of third grade and started bowling off-spin. I think my last game was a third grade semi-final at Grahams Reserve and I opened the batting, bowled first change seam up and then took a wicket late in the day bowling off-spin. I loved being involved!
Who was the best player at Manly that you played with?
Craig Glassock playing second grade when he was coming back to cricket after having Chronic Fatigue. He was just way too good in second grade.
What is the best innings/bowling spell you saw at Manly from a fellow player?
In 2001-2002 the Second grade team made the grand final against Northern Districts down at Hurstville Oval. We were set a total of 236 or their abouts from 37 overs. They had 8 fielders on the boundary from the get go. We started slowly but Craig Glassock went in and scored 50 of not many and really got things going. NDs leg spinner was pitching the ball outside off stump and Craig was bombing them over mid-wicket like he was facing his own bowling. It really got us going. Michael Cosentino and Craig Little then went out and were emboldened by that innings and almost got the team home with 6 or 7 runs from the last over but fell short.
Who was the funniest player you played with at Manly and why? Do you have any clean stories you could share with us?
Morgan Yeoull provided plenty of humour. His ability to mix metaphors at will was impressive and he always had a one liner or quip about something that was happening. I remember Yeoully introducing himself to anyone who would listen at the Steyne as Morgan ‘that’s a big M with a little organ’. No-one really knew how to respond after that.
Cameron Lawes was the other player who always made me laugh.
Who drove the standards at the club during your playing time?
The first grade squad in the early 2000s was so strong and they all put in a lot of effort at training with all their skills and so you knew the work you had to do to perform – Glassock, Bradstreet, Phelps, Moss, Heath, Procopis, Clemow, Pipe and so on. They just lifted the standard of the whole club.
Who was the person/people who really drove the on-field and off-field culture at Manly during your time?
Andrew Fraser had just stepped into the Presidency at the end of 2000 and he just took the club to another level. It’s amazing to see how much he’s done for the club over the years. As I just mentioned, the first grade squad of that era made sure everyone was working hard. Mike Pawley was the other person who put so much time in to making sure everyone had everything they needed to thrive. I remember he used to have the bowling machines set up on Friday afternoons at Graham’s for an optional hit. At times he would be standing feeding two bowling machines at once with his phone tucked between his chin and his shoulder. There were at times the odd ball that flew out unexpepctedly! I’ll also never forget the Kung-Fu sessions he organised, or the times at Manly oval he divided us in to two groups and had us hitting balls from one end of the field to the other at each other just to get us hitting more sixes! So much fun.
Who was the best Captain you played with and why?
I really enjoyed playing for Dicky Fry. He was very competitive, a great encourager of his players and made sure everyone was having fun. I remember playing a game at Northern Districts and we fielded first. They’d just top dressed the oval and so everything but the square was just dirt. They were doing renovations on the old grandstand and so it was closed off with steel concrete reo across the front. It was giving off vibes of what I imagined it would have been like playing in Rawalpindi. We took two wickets for the day, Graham Hanlon scored 100-odd not out and NDs score 346 for the day. Dickie had been really trying to keep us upbeat and getting from end to end between overs. I remember just after the afternoon drinks break where the cordial mix had been quite strong that Dickie just called out ‘boys, whose having fun?’ and everyone looked around and just put their hands up. The next week the team scored 350 to win. He’d made it an environment where people just wanted to do their best. The team went to within one over of winning the Second grade grand final that year. Everyone just wanted to be there for each other.
Best Nick Name?
Mike Wrathall being called Tickets was probably the best one. Gaeten ‘Pickets’ Juul or ‘Shooter McGavin’ because of his work with the AFP wasn’t far behind.
What does your life involve now, and do you keep abreast of how the Waratahs are faring?
I’m living back down on the Far South Coast between Bega and Tathra. I’m still involved with the local side I grew up playing for and have been back playing again. Playing in a team with my eldest son has been a great experience. I love checking in on the results from Manly each weekend online, and when I’m in Sydney I like to drop in to Manly Oval to watch.
