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The Grade Cricketer

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The Grade Cricketer is the pen name of two Australian cricket writers, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins. They were friends who played 1st and 2nd grade cricket in Australia and began a Twitter account as @gradecricketer, whilst promoting their mantra “quit cricket, get massive”. They subsequently wrote books and columns and host a podcast. [1][2][3][4]

Books

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  • The Grade Cricketer (2016)
  • Tea and No Sympathy (2017)

Podcast

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The Grade Cricketer Podcast is presented by the two creators of the persona during the Australian cricketing summer, and is a comedic, satirical take on the cricketing world. There have been eight seasons since the promo episode was released in October 2016. Music is provided by Adrian Leung, with cover design by Julia Dowe. The podcast is released in both audio and video formats.

Interviews

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At least one guest is usually interviewed in each episode, and the format regularly involves one interview with a cricket journalist, and a further one later on with a current or former player. These always begin with some form of the question "What's your relationship with Grade Cricket?"; whilst the player interviews end with throw-downs, in which the presenters ask ridiculous, long-winded questions, to which the guest can often respond only with a binary yes/no answer. The most frequent guests, also known as "best friends of the show", are Adam "Collo" Collins from the journalism world, with ten appearances, and Ed "Ted" Cowan from the players with six (also the first guest, having to re-record his interview after a technical mishap - this has now occurred twice).

AskTGC

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The last section of the podcast normally involves answering questions submitted to The Grade Cricketer via social media, (the Twitter hashtag being #askTGC, hence the name). These questions are often incredibly long, leading Higgins to sometimes refer to the section as their "short story competition",[5] but also sometimes little more than a statement followed by "thoughts?", and regularly concern topics such as alpha-ing, father-son relationships, social status within clubs/teams, retirement from the game, and other general advice relating to the world of amateur cricket.

Advertisements

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Over the course of the podcast run, advertisements for various products, both real and imaginary tie-in ones, have been inserted, voiced by Toby Shain and, occasionally, the hosts themselves. Products include:

Fake products/services

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  • Chop King Cologne: a fragrance inspired by the concept of the Chop King, with the tagline of "reek of runs without hitting them"
  • The Grade Cricket Rehabilitation Centre: a centre for reintegrating former grade cricket players into normal society
  • Reno Rampage: a parody of a Renovation Rescue-style show, specifically aimed at renovating grade cricket clubhouses
  • Bravago: a parody of travel company Trivago
  • Alpha-Ade: a fictional sportsdrink, parodying Gator/Powerade

Real products/services

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  • OLED TV's: a parody of David Warner's advertisements for the same product during the 2016/17 Australian home summer series
  • Grade cricket
  • The Grade Cricketer: Tea and No Sympathy (2017)

Episode guide

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Season 1 2016/17 summer
# / title Guest(s)
The Grade Cricketer Podcast promo -
1. Selection Night, with Merv Hughes Merv Hughes
2. Summer Begins, Ed Cowan Ed Cowan
3. Gut Feel, with Brad Hogg Brad Hogg
4. The Collapse, with Brendon Julian Brendon Julian
5. Down The Barrel, with Rob Quiney Rob Quiney
6. The Renaissance, with Brad Haddin Brad Haddin
7. Hands, with Stuart MacGill Stuart MacGill
8. Hard Day's Night, with Gideon Haigh Gideon Haigh
9. The Christmas Double, with Chris Rogers and Ryan Carters Chris Rogers & Ryan Carters
10. SCG Day 1, with Dirk Nannes Dirk Nannes
11. SCG Day 2, with Geoff Lemon Geoff Lemon
12. SCG Day 3 -
13. SCG Day 4, with Brittany Carter Brittany Carter
14. SCG Day 5, with Andrew Jones Andrew Jones
15. What Now? with Brett Geeves, Mickey Edwards and Will Pucovski Brett Geeves, Mickey Edwards & Will Pucovski
16. Indian Horizons, with Sam, Dave and Ian -
17. Awards Night, with Richard Hinds Richard Hinds
18. Season Finale, with David Hussey and Bryce McGain David Hussey & Bryce McGain
Season 2 2017/18 summer
# / title Guest(s)
The Grade Cricketer Summer 2017/18 promo -
19. Going 'Round again, with Ed Cowan Adam Collins & Ed Cowan
20. #ThanksCricket, with Pat Cummins Andrew Wu & Pat Cummins
21. Voluminous Runs, with Brett Geeves Will Macpherson & Brett Geeves
22. The Overseas Pro, with Dan Norcross Adam Collins & Dan Norcross
The New Fragrance, by TGC -
23. Club Presidents, with James Sutherland Izzy Westbury & James Sutherland
24. Middle-Aged Levers, with The Betoota Advocate's Clancy Overell Tom Morris & Clancy Overell
25. Their Heads Met, with Chris Rogers Will Macpherson & Chris Rogers
26. Rig-o-saurus, with Mark Butcher Mark Butcher
27. Always Look Good, with Mike Atherton Adam Collins & Mike Atherton
28. Everything's Binary, with Simon Katich and Gideon Haigh Gideon Haigh & Simon Katich
29. Doesn't Matter How You Get 'Em, with Trent Woodhill Trent Woodhill & Will Macpherson
30. Labor Omnia Vincit, with Jarrod Kimber Jarrod Kimber
31. SCG Ashes Day 1, with Ed Cowan Ed Cowan & Will Macpherson
32. SCG Ashes Day 2 Adam Collins
33. Do You Remember Me? with Jackson Bird and Ryan Carters Ryan Carters & Jackson Bird
34. Don't Touch It! with Steve O'Keefe Andrew Walton, Izzy Westbury & Steve O'Keefe
35. Season Finale (Part 1), with Mitch Marsh and George Bailey Vithushan Ehantharajah & Mitch Marsh
35. Season Finale (Part 2), with Mitch Marsh and George Bailey George Bailey
36. Alpha Wars, with Merv Hughes Adam Collins & Merv Hughes
37. Going Tropicana, with Ed Cowan Dan Brettig & Ed Cowan
38. "But What's He Like As A Bloke?" Adam Collins
39. Alpha Meltdown, with Ellyse Perry Peter Lalor, Ellyse Perry & Dr Tim Sharp
40. The Beta Era, with Damien Fleming Adam Collins & Damien Fleming
41. They Were Friends, with Trent Copeland Paul Kennedy & Trent Copeland
Season 3 2018/19 summer
# / title Guest(s)
42. The Australian Way, with Ed Cowan and Gideon Haigh Gideon Haigh & Ed Cowan
43. Doctors Hate Him, with Jason Gillespie Adam Collins & Jason Gillespie
44. Australian Test Captains, with Steve Waugh and Tim Paine Tim Paine & Steve Waugh
45. Sixty-Odd, with Adam Gilchrist Dan Brettig & Adam Gilchrist
46. Head Honchos, with Kevin Roberts Kevin Roberts
47. Playa, with Usman Khawaja Usman Khawaja
48. Huge, If True, with Brad Hodge Richard Hinds & Brad Hodge
49. Cop That, with Alyssa Healy and Gerard Whateley Gerard Whateley & Alyssa Healy
50. Double Up, with Will Somerville Brittany Carter & Will Somerville
51. Monday Circuit, with Matt Renshaw Geoff Lemon & Matt Renshaw
52. Moving The Deck Chairs On The Titanic, with Jim Maxwell Jim Maxwell & Peter Lalor
53. Into The Wilderness, with Mel McLaughlin and Moises Henriques Mel McLaughlin & Moises Henriques
54. The Secret Knock, with Steve O'Keefe Ben Horne & Steve O'Keefe
55. I Hate it So Much, with Jason Sangha and Adam Zampa Jason Sangha & Adam Zampa
56. Popezilla, with Lloyd Pope Lloyd Pope
57. Problem Solved, with Glenn Maxwell Ben Jones & Glenn Maxwell
58. #AskTGC Special -
59. Season Finale, with Rob Quiney and Cameron White Dan Brettig, Rob Quiney & Cameron White
Season 4 2019 World Cup & 2019 Ashes
# / title Guest(s)
60. How Good Is Australia, with Ed Cowan (World Cup Special #1) Dan Brettig & Ed Cowan
61. Land of Hope and Glory, with Will Pucovski & Izzy Westbury (World Cup Special #2) Izzy Westbury & Will Pucovski
62. Tournament Opener Reactions Will Macpherson
63. Decent Gas, with Shaun Tait Ali Martin & Shaun Tait
64. It's Alive Vithushan Ehantharaja
65. That's What A Coulter-Nile Is Adam Collins
66. Walking Like A Dude, with Niall O'Brien Adam Collins & Niall O'Brien
67. Next! Mel Farrell
68. Chris Woakes Bats 3 -
69. Kashmir, with Ryan Harris Vithushan Ehantharajah & Ryan Harris
70. Eoin Morgan Hits More Sixes Than You Ever Have -
71. Warner's 166 Problems -
72. Lasith Malinga's Rig Destroys England, with Mark Butcher Mark Butcher
73. England's Deep-Seated Psychological Vulnerability -
74. Catastrophic Permutations, with Kurtis Patterson Kurtis Patterson
75. Australia May Never Lose Again -
76. Salads Everywhere, with George Bailey George Bailey
77. England Are Here -
78. Thursday Showdown, with Chris Lynn and Dan Norcross Chris Lynn & Dan Norcross
79. Barefoot, with Ellyse Perry Ellyse Perry
80. Smashed -
81. Oh. My. God -
82. Asterisk, with Alex Carey Alex Carey
83. Shower Politics, with Cameron Bancroft Cameron Bancroft
84. Steve Smith Makes Me Feel Safe, with Marcus North Marcus North
85. "Congratulations Jofra", with Peter Siddle Peter Siddle
86. Marnus! with Trent Copeland Trent Copeland
87. All Roads Leeds To, with Marnus Labuschagne Marnus Labuschagne
88. This Is Very Raw, with Tim Bresnan Tim Bresnan & Dean Wilson
89. To Old Trafford, with Doug Bollinger & Steve Waugh Doug Bollinger & Steve Waugh
90. Too Good, with Chris Rogers Chris Rogers
91. Fin Dean Jones
92. The Boys of Summer, with Pavel Florin Pavel Florin
Season 5 2019/20 summer
# / title Guest(s)
93. Empire Rising?, with Dan Christian Dan Christian
94. I Want To Feel Safe This Summer, with Ed Cowan & Russel Arnold Ed Cowan & Russel Arnold
95. Finding Meaning, with Pete Handscomb Peter Handscomb
96. It Happened Again, with Adam Zampa Adam Zampa
97. The Circuit, with Brian Lara and Bob Murphy Brian Lara & Bob Murphy
98. Safe At Last, with Bernard Fanning & Robelinda2 Bernard Fanning & Robelinda2
99. The Right Kind of Runs, with Richard Chee Quee Richard Chee Quee
100. Start Again, with John Hastings & Gideon Haigh John Hastings & Gideon Haigh
101. Big Papi, with Marcus Stoinis Marcus Stoinis
102. It's Always Been Hot, with Chris Green Chris Green
103. Silly Buggers, with Kane Richardson Kane Richardson
104. Low-key Summer, with Sean Abbott Sean Abbott
105. Easy Cricket, with Josh Phillipe Josh Phillipe
106. It's Just On, with Clive Rose and Beau Webster Clive Rose & Beau Webster
107. Relentless YoY Growth, with Michael Vaughan Michael Vaughan
108. Gas Truck Pt II, with Jackson Bird & Andrew McDonald Adam Linforth, Jackson Bird & Andrew McDonald
109. Reasonably Large Evening, with no one -
110. A Nation Expects, with Belinda Clark and Annabel Sutherland Annabel Sutherland & Belinda Clark
111. Mean Tweets, with Jimmy Neesham Jimmy Neesham
112. Short Sleeves, with Seb Gotch Seb Gotch
113. Yeah the Girls! with Alyssa Healy, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle Alyssa Healy, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle & Tim Paine
114. The Test: Blue Carpet Special, with Smith, Carey, Khawaja, Siddle, Paine, Lyon, Langer, Finch, Cummins, Labuschagne, Zampa (in order of appearance) Adrian Brown, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Peter Siddle, Tim Paine, Nathan Lyon, Justin Langer, Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne & Adam Zampa
115. Stay In, with Dr John Orchard and Tim Bresnan John Orchard, Vithushan Ehantharajah & Tim Bresnan
116. Season Finale, with Justin Langer and Aaron Finch Justin Langer & Aaron Finch
Season 6 2020 winter
# / title Guest(s)
117. A Natural Vector of Disease, with Tim Bresnan, Stephen O'Keefe and Jonathon Wilson Steve O'Keefe, Jonathon Wilson & Tim Bresnan
118. It Returns, with Monty Panesar and Jason Gillespie Monty Panesar & Jason Gillespie
119. Bio Insecurity, with Josh Hazlewood, Sam Robson and Barney Ronay Josh Hazlewood, Sam Robson & Barney Ronay
120. Bubble Boys, with Jack Leach and Mitchell Starc Jack Leach & Mitchell Starc
121. Full Whites, with Matthew Hayden and Steven Finn Matthew Hayden & Steven Finn
122. Top 4 Big Boys, with Rob Key and Brendon Julian Rob Key & Brendan Julian
123. Wet Ass Pitches, with Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting
124. Sexual Chocolate, with Trent Boult and Ryan Sidebottom Trent Boult & Ryan Sidebottom
125. Bit Going On, with Sam Billings and Harry Conway Sam Billings & Harry Conway
126. Quarantine Cuts, with Mike Whitney and Chris Rogers Mike Whitney & Chris Rogers
127. Collapse, with Travis Head Travis Head
128. Tall Runs, with Zak Crawley and Shane Lee Zak Crawley & Shane Lee
129. Deano, with Ashton Agar and Damien Fleming Ashton Agar & Damien Fleming
130. Not Bad, with Neil Wagner and Jason Krejza Neil Wagner & Jason Krejza
131. Rings, with Adam Gilchrist Adam Gilchrist

TV show

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In 2018, The Grade Cricketer on 7 show was launched on 7Sport's YouTube channel. The season covered the 2018/19 summer of cricket and featured 11 episodes featuring all of the trio. In 2019, The Grade Cricketer on 7 was moved to 7plus for season 2 covering the 2019/20 summer of cricket; season 2 was only presented by Ian Higgins and Sam Perry.

Live shows

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The Grade Cricketer has presented live shows over multiple Australian summers and the English summers of 2019 and 2023, covering the 2019 World Cup and the 2019 and 2023 Ashes. The live shows, like the podcasts, usually feature guests.

Terminology

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Many terms have been popularised through the books and podcast efforts of The Grade Cricketer. These include:

  • to alpha: to exert dominance over another person, by word or action
  • to beta: to be alphaed
  • rig: the physical conditioning of a person's body. In the words of one of the founders, Sam Perry, “rig is more of a holistic thing. It’s basically everything you are setting up.”[citation needed]
  • to champ someone: to call another person by "champion" or any derivation of the word, including, but not limited to: champ, champignon, Champs-Élysées, Champions League
  • circuit: post-game revelry enjoyed with teammates at various drinking establishments
  • a chop: a sexual conquest

Other terms commonly used, particularly in the AskTGC correspondence section of the podcast, include:

  • levers: arms, specifically with reference to a batsman's six-hitting ability
  • salad: a person's head hair
  • triple C: Century-Circuit-Chop; the rare event of all the following events achieved on the same day/night in order: 1. a player scoring a century 2. enjoying a noteworthy night out, or circuit, with their teammates 3. having sexual intercourse.
  • pipes: biceps
  • Chop King: one proficient in chopping. Also the name of the self-endorsed cologne with the tag line “Reek of runs without actually scoring them.”

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brettig, Daniel (23 February 2016). "'We've tried to hold up a mirror to grade cricket and see how people react'". Cricinfo.
  2. ^ Morris, Tom (25 October 2017). "The Grade Cricketer: Tea and No Sympathy book review - A must-read". News.com.au.
  3. ^ FitzSimons, Peter (26 February 2016). "The Grade Cricketer hits a six". Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ "117. A Natural Vector of Disease, with Tim Bresnan, Stephen O'Keefe and Jonathan Wilson", The Grade Cricketer, Podcast Jul 6, 2020.
  5. ^ FM, Player. "40. The Beta Era, With Damien Fleming The Grade Cricketer podcast". player.fm. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
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