Brief profile of Gary Steer by Matthew Reed

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Player:

IGS Steer

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DateLine: 14th November 2005

 

With a second ball duck on his maiden First-class innings, Gary Steer did not make the most auspicious of starts to his career, although an undefeated 37* in the second innings showed that this nuggety little cricketer could play. At just 5 7” and with an bushy, mini-Afro hairstyle Steer was certainly a distinctive character. Unfortunately educational commitments in Cheltenham hampered his opportunities to establish and hone his cricketing skills. A First-class average of 42.71 shows that batting talent was there, and his handy medium pace was arguably under-utilised.

 

On a slow Ilkeston pitch in August 1993 Steer (with keeper Karl Krikken standing up to the wicket) dismissed the impressive trio of Monte Lynch, Alistair Brown and David Ward, and then hit the winning single to send Surrey tumbling to defeat in three days. In the final Championship match of 1993 Steer showed the way by comfortably top scoring with 67 on a damp pitch offering both sideways and up and down movement, and such a knock proved that he had both solid technique and a temperament to prosper while his far more experienced team-mates were being dismissed for 207. However, even though Steer was likely to have started the 1994 season in the First team, his studies called, although in June 1994 he took 115 runs off the touring New Zealanders (for just once out) for the Combined Universities. Steer returned to the Derbyshire side in September1994, but any hope that his autumnal heroics of the previous season could be repeated were hit by the rain which badly effected his two championship matches that season.

 

Surprisingly, limited-overs cricket didn’t bring out the best in Steer, as he was frequently demoted down the order to let the freer swings of Phil Defreitas, Dominic Cork or Allan Warner bat ahead of him, and his bowling was again frequently overlooked. Against Nottinghamshire on August Bank Holiday in 1993 he again showed his ability with the ball by putting a break on a rampant Nottinghamshire batting display. Although they scored 329 off 50 overs, Steer had the relatively excellent figures of 7-0-33-1. By comparison Cork saw his eight overs go for 96. In his final List A appearance Steer had added another string to his bow by keeping wicket for the Combined Universities in a Benson & Hedges zonal match. Before joining Derbyshire Steer had been on the Warwickshire staff from 1990-1, without making a first team appearance, although of note is the fact that Steer made his second XI debut for the Bears at the age of just 15.

 

 

(November 2005)

 

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Matthew Reed)