‘Cricket has given me everything’: Former Australian cricketer Jimmy Maher awarded life membership

It’s been a long journey for Maher, who is as Far North as it comes.

He was born in Innisfail, spent his formative years in Babinda, Gordonvale and Cairns – where started his cricketing journey – then went on to carve out a career in cricket in which he represented Queensland and Australia on the highest stage.

Even after his retirement in 2008, Maher has remained a key part of the game with the formation of the Bulls Masters, which seeks to develop cricket in regional Queensland.

You could sense the pride Maher felt as he watched regional Queensland’s best cricketers go head to head at Cairns’ Griffiths Park as part of the recent Bulls Masters Country Challenge.

The humble batsman is still just as much in love with the game as the man who famoulsy steered Queensland to a drought-breaking Sheffield Shield triumph.

“Very proud coming from this region and cricket was something I just loved from the very beginning, it resonated with me and I just enjoyed the game so much.” Maher said.

Maher’s contribution was also recently acknowledged in the formation of a new honour, the Pike-Maher Medal.

Named in honour of Queensland and Australian representatives Maher and now Queensland Cricket chair Kirsten Pike, the Pike-Maher Medal is awarded annually to a Queensland cricketer for their outstanding achievements and noble community contributions.

Maher was overwhelmed by the honour.

Fellow life member and uncle Kev Maher praised his nephew for the breadth and depth of his contribution.

“Ever since Jimmy was a little boy all he ever wanted to do was play cricket,” he said.

“He’d tell his father, he’d tell anyone who’d listen, I want to play with Allan Border.

“His pin-up was Allan Border and as it turned out he got to play with Border and win the Shield with his idol.”

As a country kid Jimmy Maher was in awe of his cricket heroes.

“Going to the XXXX Cup games was amazing when I was young,” Jimmy Maher said.

“There’d be 6000 to 10,000 people watching Cairns versus Townsville and you’d have Border, Thomson, Chappell, Ritchie, Rackemann and McDermott playing on either side.

“I remember being 10-years-old and meeting Greg Chappell and getting Border and Thommo’s autograph. That was so special.”

Maher is country Queensland personified and his passion for the state and his heroes emboldened his elusive quest for a Sheffield Shield.

By 1994-95 a young Maher was living his dream playing for Queensland alongside his idols like Allan Border and Carl Rackemann, and after 68 years of trying and failing his team lifted the Shield.

“Getting to play with blokes like Border, Healy, Tazelaar, Rackemann, Barsby, when I was only 18 or 19,” he said.

“Some of my heroes were trying to win the Shield for our state for 15-20 years.

“To be part of something big for them on the back end of their careers and to break the drought. It was a huge deal and such a humbling experience.”

It was just the beginning of a dominant Queensland Bulls era that would go on to win five Shields in eight years.

“The nucleus of our Queensland team for 15 years was a successful, tight-knit team,” he said.

“We were great mates, we trained bloody hard but it was a great environment to be a part of for life.”

By the time Maher finished his first-class career he had the impressive resume of 206 first class games in Australia and England, and captained a Sheffield Shield final win in which he made a double century. He also represented his country 26 times in ODI cricket and was part of a World Cup-winning squad in 2003.

Maher has continued to give back to the game with the creation of Bulls Masters in 2010.

The idea was to keep that golden Bulls era together and ensure cricket had the presence it did when Maher was a kid at the XXXX Cup games.

Fellow Bulls Masters foundation member and former Australian cricketer Michael Kasprowicz said Maher is Queensland royalty.

“That passion for Queensland really comes through,” Kasprowicz said.

“An infectious character, ever since I first met him he’s brought energy and humour on and off the field.

“He’s now putting time into making cricket better through the Bulls Masters.

“(For Jimmy and I) it’s not just about connecting with and inspiring the kids and players, but engaging with the volunteers and everyone involved.

“That’s the special sauce the Bulls Masters provides.”

Maher was delighted that it was Healy who presented him with life membership.

“Ian Healy was my first captain at Norths Cricket Club in First Grade when I went down to Brisbane,” Maher said.

“I’ll never see a better wicketkeeper in my lifetime.

“He’s a trenches bloke, if you’re going to war and you need someone, Healy and Andrew Symonds would be two of mine.

“To have him present me with the achievement, I was absolutely stoked about it.”

It struck Maher that his era was forged on country characters, which helped to form the basis of what the Bulls Masters is all about.

“(Ian Healy) coming from Biloela is an example of why we do Bulls Masters, we’ve seen these journeys where players have started in a town like Hayden did in Kingaroy, or Rackemann from Wondai and Murgon or Martin Love from Mundubbera.”

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Maher said how coming from regional Queensland gave him an edge and what cricket means to him.

“Coming from the regional centres, it’s a harder road than the city kids,” he said.

“Cricket has given me everything, family, going around the world, it’s not just the perks it’s so much more than that.”

Originally published as ‘Cricket has given me everything’: Former Australian cricketer Jimmy Maher awarded life membership