The highlight of Brian Nettle’s career came in January 1969 when chosen for the SA Country XI for a match against the West Indies, becoming the first Wistow cricketer to play against an international opponent. It was a day of sweltering heat at Loxton when he opened the bowling, taking 2/32 and later scoring a quick 10 runs from the spinners, for he intended departing before Wes Hall and Charlie Griffiths resumed bowling. During the 1960’s and early 1970’s “Sting” was a regular Country Carnival player and was in the combined SACA Country XI in 1969 and ’70; but it was his bag of five wickets in 1968 against a City XI that saw his selection for the match against the West Indies.
Brian began playing ‘A’ Grade semi-regularly in 1957/58 at 13 years of age and was a regular by the time he was 15. He was an early “bloomer” and soon this promising teenager was opening the bowling and throughout the 1960’s, he became a bowler of genuine pace and fire who could take early wickets and lift for a big game. Wistow won five (5) premierships during that time with Sting playing in four (4) of them.
He won at least seven (7) ‘A’ Grade Bowling Aggregate trophies, including for five (5) consecutive seasons from 1967/68 to 1971/72, as well as the Association Bowling Aggregate of 38 wickets in 1972/73. He took an ‘A’ Grade ten-wicket haul at just 15 years of age in 1959/60 (including a hat trick) and all up, took at least 20 wickets in ‘A’ Grade in 10 different seasons, including five (5) occasions of more than 30 wickets in a season.
“Sting” also won several WCC and two (2) Association Best Allrounder trophies in a career spanning 34 years which eventually ended in 1991/92. For the first 20-odd years of his career he was a quality bowler who could bat and in later seasons he excelled as a middle-order batter, winning the A Grade Batting Aggregate & Average on four (4) occasions and the Average on a further three (3) occasions. Statistics show:-
- Youngest player to take an ‘A’ Grade five-wicket haul at 15 years (in 1959/60 – 5/21)
- Youngest player to take an ‘A’ Grade ten-wicket haul at 15 years (in the same match – 10/42)
- Youngest player to take an ‘A’ Grade hat-trick at 15 years (in the same match)
- Youngest ‘A’ Grade century maker at 16 years (in 1960/61 – 124)
- Oldest ‘A’ Grade century maker at 42 years (in 1986/87 – 141*)
- 14 centuries in all, the most in club history
“Sting” played an extraordinary 20 seasons in Association matches with a best effort of 5/32 in winning the Meyer Shield in 1974 against the Hills Cricket Association. Brian was Club Captain for four (4) seasons and served on the committee regularly, including a four (4) season stint as Club President from 1975/76 to 1978/79. He was awarded Life Membership in 1988.
FOOTNOTE: Ian Slade (A Mt Barker cricketer who played for Wistow from 1965 to 1968) was selected in the Combined SACA Country Carnival XI in 1967 and 1968 and captained the team against a City XI.
HONOUR BOARD
Wistow CC Life Member – Awarded in 1988
Six-time A Grade Premiership Player – 1960/61, 1963/64 (took 5/33), 1964/65 (took 7/29), 1965/66 (took 4/39), 1973/74 (took 4/37) & 1982/83
1972/73 MBEHC Association A Grade Bowling Aggregate – 38 wickets
1963/64 A Grade Batting – Aggregate & Average – 504 runs @ 45.82
1968/69 A Grade Batting – Aggregate & Average – 339 runs @ 33.90
1970/71 A Grade Batting – Average – 49.50 (297 runs)
1971/72 A Grade Batting – Aggregate & Average – 440 runs @ 48.89
1976/77 A Grade Batting – Average – 69.83 (419 runs)
1979/80 A Grade Batting – Aggregate & Average – 436 runs @ 54.50
1985/86 A Grade Batting – Average – 44.14 (309 runs) (At 41 years of age)
1963/64 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate & Average – 27 wickets @ 13.04
1964/65 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate – 38 wickets
1967/68 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate – 36 wickets
1968/69 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate & Average – 33 wickets @ 11.03
1969/70 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate & Average – 33 wickets @ 12.67
1970/71 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate – 29 wickets
1971/72 A Grade Bowling – Aggregate – 18 wickets
Almost all of Sting’s career was played in ‘A’ Grade (literally all but about 5 matches). Officially, he played in 265 matches, however, allowing for several seasons where records are incomplete, it is estimated he played in a total of about 289 matches; scoring at least 7,243 runs (second most in club history behind only his brother, Ken Nettle) @ 30.95 including 25 half-centuries and 14 centuries. He took at least 460 wickets (the most in club history) @ 14.93 including 17 five-wicket hauls and also collected at least 110 catches (eighth most in club history but the second most by a non-wicketkeeper).