You wouldn’t have blamed Kieran Tate if he said ‘see you later’ to Sydney University in the off-season and packed his bags for a new home. The loyal servant of the club has been toiling in the 2nd Grade side for many seasons and probably wondered if Liam Robertson even had his number.

Tate first strapped on the Blue & Gold of the Students in the 2010/11 Green Shield side and since then has been a familiar face around the club, filling in for the Metropolitan Cup and 5th Grade sides whilst on school holidays from St Joseph’s College, before becoming a mainstay in the lower grades and Poidevin-Gray side in 2013-14 and 14-15.

A bowling all-rounder that offers plenty of fight and determination with the willow in hand, Tate is a well-rounded cricketer with the talent to match his intensity (plus an insatiable thirst for the stumps).

2015-16 saw the skiddy right-arm seamer commence the season in 4th Grade before back-to-back five wicket hauls in 3rd Grade had him catapulted into the highly successful Premiership winning 2nd Grade side. It took him a few rounds to find his feet in the higher grade, often returning honest yet modest figures, until an incredible spell of 6/4 at Owen Earle Oval against Hawkesbury truly cemented his place amongst the side.

The next few seasons were a bit of a yo-yo act, often jumping between Twos, Threes and the very occasional stint in Fours when they club was at full strength. Although justifiably frustrated when dropped, Tatey is a player that anyone would love to have in their side and there’s no surprise why so many members of the Club love having him around, on and off the field.

31 wickets at an average of 21 in the 2017-18 season brought a Third Grade Premiership, whilst 2018-19 had a Second Grade flag for him too, a season where he claimed 35 wickets at an average of 22.3 including match winning efforts against Hawkesbury 6/32 and Campbelltown-Camden 4/21.

The 2019-20 season has been an underwhelming one for the 2nd Grade side, despite Tate’s best efforts where he’s returned a Michell 5-fa and 4-52 against North Sydney and Wests respectively, as well as a dogged 21* to avoid outright against Randwick-Petersham earlier in the year.

This Saturday, Potato becomes Sydney University First Grade player #761. It’s a classic Australian story of hard yakka, grit and a good guy getting what he has earned.

Onya Tatey, Twist & Shout your way to a few poles and a win this weekend.