Test Cricketer, coach & broadcaster
Wayne attended Cyril Jackson Senior High School from 1966 – 1970 and has retained great memories of his time at school. Sport was his favourite subject, and he represented the school in both cricket and football. He was also selected in the WA State School Boy teams in both of these sports
Living in Bayswater, Wayne travelled to school via bus or bike, with the occasional thumbing of a lift to save bus fares! He completed both his junior and leaving certificates at Cyril Jackson SHS and from there attended Mount Lawley Teachers College, qualifying as a primary school teacher. He worked in that role for 12 years, enjoying working with his students and helping them reach their potential.
In 1984 he left teaching and began a career in sales and marketing at the Swan Brewery. Wayne remained involved in the liquor industry until 1995, before starting a long journey in professional cricket coaching which, along with sports media commitments, he remains active in to this day.
Wayne enjoyed a very successful cricket career as a player and then coach. He represented Western Australia at state level as an opening bowler from 1972 until his retirement from all representative cricket in 1987. In the Sheffield Shield competition, Wayne played 41 matches for WA and captured 133 wickets with a best performance of 6 for 37. In the domestic One Day competition he played in 25 matches taking 24 wickets with 4 for 20 being his best. Over his representative career Wayne was a member of the team that won 4 Sheffield Shields and 3 One Day titles.
At the international level, Wayne played 10 Test matches for Australia taking 44 wickets and two One Day Internationals with 3 dismissals. In the 1977-78 Test series against India he captured 28 wickets, dismissing the champion Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar on a number of occasions. The Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack reported that Wayne, “Bowled an excellent line and length, even though called upon to do a lot of work. He invariably broke through with the new ball and had a splendid record of dismissing Gavaskar, the principal danger to the Australians.”
In 1995, Wayne received and accepted an offer to take over the WA cricket team (Western Warriors). This led to an impressive professional coaching career winning two back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles and two One Day domestic championships.
A surprise approach by English County Club, Yorkshire, saw Wayne lead them to the 2001 County Championship, the first for Yorkshire in 39 years, along with the 2002 C&G One-day Championship. He returned to coach WA, winning another domestic One Day title. He finished in 2007, giving a combined 10 years coaching to state cricket.
He has maintained his involvement in coaching cricket through various District clubs to the present day and he continues to work in sports media with SportFM 91.3, co-hosting the morning breakfast show. For his sporting success at school through to representing his nation and his media work, Wayne Clark is today named as a Champion of CJ.