Cricket ACT celebrated the annual ACT Cricket Awards on Thursday evening by welcoming two new members into its prestigious Hall of Fame.
Kim Fazackerley and Graeme Smith were inducted as the 19th and 20th members of the Cricket ACT Hall of Fame respectively, both honored for their significant contributions to ACT Cricket and their roles in inspiring the next generation of local cricketers.
Kim Fazackerley: A Trailblazer in Women's Cricket
A right-handed batter and right-arm medium-fast bowler, Kim began her cricket journey in Hobart, Tasmania. After representing Tasmania from 1985 to 1991, she moved to the ACT in the 1991/92 season. Her move proved fruitful as she was selected for the Australian Test and One Day International teams, becoming the sixth player to represent Australia while playing for the ACT.
During her three seasons with the ACT, Fazackerley played 21 matches, scoring 339 runs at an average of 24.21 and taking 32 wickets at 21.13, with a best performance of 5 for 42 against New South Wales. Internationally, she played three Test matches and nine One Day Internationals, taking a total of 12 wickets.
Locally, Kim played for the Tuggeranong Valley and Weston Creek clubs, becoming the first player from Tuggeranong Valley to play for Australia. She later moved to Queensland, representing the state and becoming one of the few players to compete for three states in the Australian Women’s Cricket Championships.
Graeme Smith: A Spin Bowling Maestro
Graeme Smith moved to Canberra in 1961 and quickly became one of ACT Cricket’s most vibrant personalities and a standout leg-spin bowler. Starting his career with Turner, Smith also played for Ainslie, Northern Suburbs, Ginninderra, and South Woden, amassing 230 First Grade matches and taking a record 878 wickets at an average of 11.20—a record that still stands in ACT First Grade cricket.
Smith’s career spanned from 1961/62 to 1981/82, during which he took over 1000 wickets in Canberra, including matches for the ACT and other minor representative games. He achieved five wickets in an innings on 73 occasions, with his best bowling figures being 9 for 90 for Turner against ANU. Remarkably, in a 1962 match for Turner against Manuka-Yarralumla, he took 7 for 8 off just 2.2 eight-ball overs, including a triple hat-trick—five wickets in five balls—the only instance in Premier 1st Grade Cricket across Australia.
Smith also played 20 matches for the ACT, including five as captain, taking 71 wickets at an average of 12.32. He took five wickets in an innings for the Territory on eight occasions, with best figures of 8 for 57 against Illawarra in 1968/69. Additionally, he was selected for Southern New South Wales three times and played for the Prime Minister’s XI in 1963 against the MCC, coinciding with Sir Donald Bradman’s last ever match.
A special thank-you to ACT Statistician Adam Morehouse for compiling the above tributes.