Ryan Campbell: still here

Host David Baird talks with former Australian and Western Australian cricketer Ryan Campbell about his career and his long association with Bayswater Morley. Ryan reflects on switching from wicketkeeper to opening batter, the highs and lows of his club days, and his unexpected move into international coaching. Above all, he speaks with deep gratitude for his life and family after a near-fatal cardiac arrest in 2022, which has shaped how he coaches and lives without regrets.

In this episode

• 2:08 How a Country League Grand Final for Kalgoorlie got him recruited by John Moore and Ray Robinson
• 6:59 Adam Gilchrist arrives at the Cricket Academy, and Rod Marsh turns a backup keeper into an opening batter for WA
• 9:57 The 1995-96 premiership, and taking 1 for 0 in the grand final with Jo Angel’s “secret squirrel” slower ball
• 11:52 1998-99: First Grade and one-day premierships for Bayswater Morley, and a Sheffield Shield for WA
• 13:49 Regretting the move to Scarborough after a clash with the coach over training loads
• 18:32 Stuck behind Gilchrist, and wishing his playing days had lined up with the T20 franchise era
• 20:47 An unplanned coaching career: Hong Kong, the Netherlands national team and Durham
• 23:50 His 2022 cardiac arrest at a UK theme park, a seven-day coma, and a new focus on family and enjoying life

Quotes

“I slept the night with my Gray-Nicolls Elite beside me and thankfully it came good for me the next day.”

“I have always tried to replicate what Bayswater had and what I had at Bayswater with everything, with every environment I’ve been in ever since.”

“The franchise world, I think, was absolutely perfect for me. You know, opening the batting, being a wicketkeeper, scoring fast.”

“I don’t know why … but I’m still here and I’m going to try and make sure that I really enjoy whatever I have.”