Born in Sri Lanka and one of 11 children, Steve de Niese made a towering impact on cricket in Melbourne. PAUL AMY remembers him — and his battle with John Snow — after his death at the age of 74.
The great English fast bowler John Snow was at Carlton then and rarely bowled in the nets.
De Niese, a stylish and technically-pleasing left-hander, was eager to face Snow and pestered him until he agreed to roll over his right-arm.
The District hopeful couldn’t lay bat on the international, who pitched the ball on leg and jagged it past outside off-stump.
De Niese played and missed at five balls in a row.
But he edged the sixth delivery, and the tale went that Snow walked down to him and said he was a better player than he thought: “I didn’t expect you to hit any of them.’’
Steve de Niese as a young man.
Steve de Niese once faced off with English firebrand John Snow.
De Niese, who has died at the age of 74 after a long battle with poor health, was a fine player, as he showed during his long association with the Dandenong District competition.
As a playing coach he took Dandenong West to the Turf 1 premiership in 1985-86. In the same season the West won the Turf 2 flag, a double unlikely to be repeated.
In a non-playing capacity he coached St Mary’s to the Turf 1 title in 2003-04, when Troy Cashman hit a century to answer Peter Lindsay’s day-one ton for Dandy West.
Some six players from that St Mary’s team attended their old coach’s funeral at the Resurrection Parish in Keysborough last Friday.
There was also a big Dandenong West contingent.
Steve de Niese in the Dandenong West cap.
It was a large turnout for Steve de Niese, who was born in Sri Lanka in 1948 and was one of 11 children.
His parents were renowned singers, teaching in schools and featuring frequently on radio.
As a schoolboy Steve de Niese distinguished himself in a range of skill-based games, particularly cricket.
He captained teams at St Peter’s College and went on to first-class ranks with Nondescripts.
With his brother Alan, he went ahead to set everything up for his family’s migration to Melbourne in 1972.
There was wonder in his siblings’ eyes when they arrived and took in the sight of a house fully furnished on a higher-purchase plan from Myer: half-a-dozen bunk beds, a fridge and a washing machine.
On settling in his new city, Steve presented at the strong Carlton club, where Keith Stackpole, John Scholes and Paul Hibbert were playing.
Steve de Niese passed away on June 2.
De Niese earned some First XI cricket for the Blues after a string of centuries in the seconds.
He went from Carlton to Bentleigh, where he played in two premierships, and then to Burwood as captain-coach.
In four seasons with the Woods he punched out 1412 runs at 42.78, bowled leg-spin and was an excellent fielder.
De Niese won batting and bowling awards at Burwood and was selected in teams of the year.
Then it was on to the Dandenong District association, where he coached the old GMH, Dandenong West, Lyndale and St Mary’s.
Even well past the age of 40 he was an outstanding player.
Batting in a Turf 1 semi-final for Dandenong West in the early 1990s, he walked out without a helmet and dealt with fast bowling better than anyone in the match. He made 58 out of 160.
“He caresses the ball rather than cracks it, yet it still moves as if fired from a cannon,’’ reported the Dandenong Leader.
In the Dandenong District association he was commonly described as a gentleman, but he was also a fierce competitor.
His son Sean said at the funeral that Steve de Niese liked his cricketers to play hard but fair – and to give everything they had.
“He demanded 100 per cent of his players at all times, ensuring they would fight right to the very end, even if they were losing the match,’’ he said.
His other son, Brett, said his father could get the best out of “rogue’’ players.
After he retired from playing, Steve de Niese took a phone call from St Mary’s.
The previous season they had barely survived relegation. In de Niese’s first summer in charge they rocketed back to the top of Turf 1.
“He was extremely likeable but wasn’t afraid to stand up and speak up whenever the situation called for it,’’ St Mary’s player Aaron Dragwidge said.
“He never let anyone get the better of him, but at the same time never disrespected anyone.
“It’s a hard balance to master but he did it perfectly. He always handled himself with tact and absolute class. He saw things no one else did and taught the basics of the game better than anyone else. He knew cricket inside and out.”
Sean remembered his father as a good man “always willing to lend a heart and a hand’’.
For a long time Steve de Niese was employed at Heatherton Hospital, rising to deputy manager and working alongside doctors, nurses, administrators, cleaners and maintenance staff.
He married his wife, Marina, in 1974 and they had three children, Sean, Natasha and Brett.
They grew up watching him play cricket, perhaps no more enthusiastically than in the annual match between the Peterites and Josephines at the Carnegie ground.
In his later years Steve de Niese was a capable golfer.
Diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, he was devotedly cared for by his wife and family, and sustained by his Catholic faith.
He often described Marina as “the wind beneath my wings’’.
Steve de Niese is survived by his wife, children, nine grandchildren and 10 siblings.