Introduction

Dirk Wellham (b. 13 March 1959) is one of the few players to score a debut century in both his first class and Test debuts. He was also captain of New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland, captaining his sides to several Sheffield Shield wins, a McDonald's Cup victory as well as several finals. March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in the innings. ... First-class cricket matches are those of at least three days length in which both teams have two innings each, and which involve either international teams or the highest division of domestic competition. ... Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Nickname: The Apple Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Governor Premier Const. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... The Pura Cup (formerly known as the Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first class cricket competition in Australia. ...

Character

His trademark was his captaincy: he was known as one of the best cricket minds of his generation, with some interesting idiosyncrasies. He once commented that whenever Steve Waugh came in to bat against his sides he would put a third man in for a few overs regardless of the bowler, just to spite him, because Waugh felt using a third man was cheating. For more coverage of cricket, go to the Cricket portal. ... Fielding in the sport of cricket is what fielders do to collect the ball when it is struck by the batsman in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball or running the batsman... In the sport of cricket an over is a series of six consecutive balls bowled by a single bowler. ...

He also worked tirelessly on his fielding, to the extent that he did very little net practice in the final years of his career, in spite of which he averaged over 40 runs per innings. He also had an infamous incident in Victoria when he accidentally hit and injured the lady who was holding the gate open for him as he went out to bat. He retired at the end of the 92/93 season after a desperately close loss in the Shield final. Fielding in the sport of cricket is what fielders do to collect the ball when it is struck by the batsman in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball or running the batsman... In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. ... An innings, or inning, is a segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which a side takes its turn to bat. ...

Career

After a very successful first season in the summer of 1980/81 Wellham was thrown into the Australian Test team to tour England. He had the highest average of all the touring batsmen, but did not make his debut until the final Test at The Oval. In the first innings he only made single figures, but in the second scored 103. He scored his first 80 runs in under 90 balls, but when he reached 90 the Australian Skipper, Kim Hughes, sent a runner out to tell him to take his time, because the result of the match didn't matter, Australia having lost the series 3-1 in the preceeding five matches. He then took some fifty balls to make it to 100, which unfairly made him a scapegoat for the team's subsequent draw. The Australian cricket team is today regarded as one of the leading international teams in world cricket, having been the unquestionably dominant team for much of the previous decade. ... The English cricket team is a national cricket team which nominally represents England and Wales, but is a de facto United Kingdom team. ... The famous gasholders, which are now listed buildings. ... Kimberley John Hughes (born January 26, 1954 at Margaret River Western Australia) was an Australian Cricket captain. ...

He was dropped from both the Test and state teams in the next season, but returned in 83/84 as captain of New South Wales, winning the first of two consecutive Sheffield Shields that year and a McDonald's cup in 1984/85. However, the axing from the Test and state teams following the 81 Ashes tour haunted him, and he only played 5 more Tests for Australia, the last in 1987. He also played 17 one day international matches. His Test and one day averages were under 25, but given the weakness of the Australian team at the time, this was only slightly weak rather than being dismal, as it would be now. His first class average was over 49.5, and he scored nearly 11000 first class runs in the 12 years he played. A One-day International (ODI) cricket match is a one-day cricket match played between two international teams each representing a particular country. ...

He now works as deputy principal at a Brisbane GPS school.