Two Overs At ... Mick Proops

MickOur very own resident Aussie, Mick suddenly appeared at the club in 2017 and has fitted in immediately with his easy-going personality, cracking accent, and 150 year old bat. Let's discover a little more about him!

How did an Aussie end up at Crompton Meadows?
I wish I could say I came over for the weather. I've been here 5 years now and decided to make my comeback to cricket after 22 years while talking to Kieran at my nephew's christening after party at the club. The pints of shipyard definitely helped me in my decision.

Tell us 3 things about yourself we might not know?
My main hobby is woodturning, which I took up just before moving to England. I have won a few awards, including woodturner of the year from the West Pennine Woodturners, for my work, which can be viewed on my Facebook page, AussieMick’s Woodturning (everything is for sale and I do pieces on commission).

I used to play guitar and sing a little in a grunge band in Sydney in the early 90s. We were a 4 piece called Sneaker.

I have personally met John Travolta when looking after his aircraft on one of his visits to Sydney.

The great man - and John Travolta
The great man - and John Travolta

What's your cricketing background?
I played cricket for my school from the age of 9, and joined the Carss Park Cricket Club when I was 13. I played for them until I was 19 when I moved to South Hurstville RSL. I gave cricket away at the age of 22 due to the games in Aus going over 2 weekends. It didn't agree with my shift work.

Why is your bat 50 years old?
It's only 24 years old you cheeky sod. I got it for a 21st birthday present from my cricket team at the time. It scored me quite a few runs in my last few seasons there.

How have you settled in at the club?
I think I've settled in pretty well at TSJ. They're all a great bunch of guys and girls, and I think we've got the right balance of having a good laugh while playing some competitive cricket.

What one thing do you think is the best about TSJ, and what could be better?
Apart from the shipyard, the best thing about TSJ is the team spirit. I felt at home right away with the club. I haven't got any suggestions for improvements at the moment, but when I do I’ll let you know.

Who's your favourite current teammate, and who is your all time favourite teammate?
I don't have a favourite teammate, but enjoy hearing Danny and Ryan Marsh trying their hardest to pull off an Australian accent. It still needs work fellas. I wouldn't say I had a favourite teammate in Aus either, but have loads of great memories of the guys who played hard and partied just as hard after the game.

Tell us a little about your job?
I used to work as a licenced aircraft maintenance engineer for Qantas for 21 years. I got a job with BAE Systems in Warton just over 2 years ago doing pre-flight testing on the Hawk aircraft, and have just moved to Samlesbury where I work on the production line of the F35 Lightning II fighter.

What's your favourite TV show and favourite movie?
My favourite TV show of all time would have to be Breaking Bad. My favourite movie is a little known Aussie movie starring Heath Ledger and Bryan Brown called Two Hands.

Do you have any heroes, sporting or otherwise?
My sporting heroes as a kid were Allan Border and Greg Norman. Other than that I have great respect for those who are willing to stand up and defend the rights of the little people.

Who's going to win the Ashes this winter, and what score?
This winter will see the English cricket team crumble in soaring temperatures to give the Australians a whitewash victory ... I hope anyway!

Tell us an Aussie expression we might not know?
One that comes to mind is a term for loose bowling: "He's spraying them all over the place like a mad woman's p*ss!"

If you'd like to take a turn in the hotseat, please drop Doc P a line via webmaster@tsjcc.co.uk and we'll whizz you over some questions. We'd be delighted to hear from players, supporters, partners, friends of the club or anyone who fancies taking part - all welcome!

I Will if You Will Biffaward

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webmaster@tsjcc.co.uk
Twitter: @TottyStJohnsCC