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With typical modesty David Hussey says he was a “terrible” junior cricketer, but he had his moments and even as a 12-year-old was a matchwinner.
While his brother Mike may have advanced quicker, David also had a full repertoire of shots and the ambition to succeed, as shown by his determination to shift states and force his way into state ranks.
His father Ted says he has never forgotten a junior game in Perth one day, when Whitfords Under 13s had to beat Balga to make the finals.
“Whitfords had lost a number of wickets and Dave, who was in at No. 5, was instructed what he had to do: keep the bowling out and slowly build an innings. He hit the first ball for four and continued to take them on. I was standing with the coach Reg Wilson near the dressing rooms. We both knew how important it was for the side. Dave did, too, but he was going to play his natural game no matter what. At one stage the opposing coach loaded the off-side with fieldsmen and Dave immediately started hooking the ball to the leg side where the fieldsmen had been. He made 70 and put us into the finals. Reg had played a lot of cricket and thought it was marvellous. It showed just how deeply Dave even at that age was thinking about the game and how he liked to be a step ahead of everyone else.”
Ted Hussey says the two Hussey boys were “very similar but very different” in the way they played the game.
“For Mike his involvement in cricket is almost a religious experience,” he said. “Everything has to be done properly and in the spirit of the game. Dave just wants to beat you. It was such a thrill for us to see him captain Victoria (recently). He took his life in his hands and left here and to lead his new state.. that’s really something.”
Like Michael Hussey, Dave had been a knee squash player as a junior and at under 13 level was WA champion, before he specialised in cricket. He says his backyard battles with Mike, two years his senior, were always full-on and a fight to the death.
“There were no rules, except I’d bat first,” he said. “It was the only way I could get a bat! A few times there – invariably after a 50-50 decision had gone against me -- I’d refuse to bowl and either lock myself in the car, bedroom or sprint down the beach. It got serious allright. Often. But we’ve matured a bit since then. We had to!”
Reprinted from the Cricket Victoria Bushrangers website. |
