James Campbell Life Membership

At our AGM on Friday 10 July, James Campbell was unanimously elected a Life
Member of the North Sydney District Cricket Club. Here we reproduce the speech
that fellow Life Member, Patrick Lindsay, recommending James’s nomination.
The Management Committee of the UTS North Sydney District Cricket Club has
unanimously agreed to recommend to the members that Mr James Campbell be
confirmed as the club's 52 nd Life Member. 
Jimmy Campbell has been one of the most consequential players to have
represented this club in modern times. His current place at sixth in the all-time in
Men’s First Grade wickets ladder is testimony to that.
Jimmy is a lifelong North Sydney player, commencing as a Junior in the U7s and
progressing all the way to NSW 2nd XI representation. Jimmy joined the senior club
in 2006 and has played from Green Shield to First Grade, where he is cap number
624. This season will be James’ 20th for the club and he has currently played 225
first grade games. James has taken 359 First Grade wickets at 26.76 with 11 5fas.
He has scored 1,076 First Grade runs and was involved in the club’s record 10th
wicket partnership of 156 with Nic Bills in 2012/13. James is a two-time premiership
player having been a part of the First Grade Limited Overs Premiership side in
2012/13 and the Second Grade Premiership of 2010/11.
Jimmy has been a constant in our First Grade side for the past 15 years and has a
been a player opposition clubs have feared and coveted. There is no doubt a
significant amount of planning about James Campbell would have taken place in
opposition dressing rooms. I suspect most of it would have been “just see Campbell
off”! He has been a loyal player through his career, sticking with the club through
good times and bad.
I remember playing a few games with Jimmy in Third Grade as he was flying up the
grades in 2010/11. There was one in particular at Killara where I was somehow in
the slips and thinking I’ve got no chance at all of catching one if it comes at me.
Jimmy was properly rapid. He had a rhythmical bouncing run up and half sling, but
totally coordinated action. Theres a photo I remember of Jimmy bowling at Tunks,
he’s just delivered the ball and he’s in mid-air having hurled himself down the wicket
to deliver the ball at speed. So athletic. It should come as no surprise then that
Jimmy is the best in the club at warm-up soccer, an absolute panther over the
ground in the field, with a rocket arm and a safe pair of hands.
By the end of season 2010/11 Jimmy was the best bowler in a Second Grade team
that won a Premiership. After that he was the standard bearing opening bowler for
First Grade for 15 years. Over the years the action has changed a little as Jimmy
has managed his body, and he morphed into a technician with the new ball - always
attacking, searching for the off bail, the edge of the bat or the knee roll of the batter.

Jimmy has been such a reliable contributor with the new ball over his career. Jimmy
getting a couple of wickets with the new ball has basically been automatic. What a
luxury for the Norths skippers!!
Jimmy’s been a proud one club player having started as a local junior with the North
Sydney Juniors and then 20 years with the senior club. I’m confident in saying that
Jimmy and mum Kathy are the only mother / son combination of life members at the
club!! But it should be celebrated how much the Campbell family have contributed to
this club over the last 2 decades, both on the field with Jimmy and off the field with
Kathy and Rod.
Although Jimmy is still playing, even he would acknowledge he is closer to the end of
his career than the start. And therefore this feels like an appropriate time to
acknowledge the extraordinary contribution he has made to North Sydney District
Cricket Club. As such, on behalf of the Committee, it is my great pleasure to
nominate James Campbell, a Champion of our First Grade team for 15 years,
for life membership of the North Sydney District Cricket Club.