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Vale Stephen Milosz (26th December 1955 - 20th July 2022)

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Stephen Milosz (“Milo”) was a Midland boy who had to overcome a dearth of opportunities to fulfil his cricketing potential at both club and state level. An enigmatic character with a strong inner self-belief, he was a leg-spinner who could really turn the ball and had a well disguised, bouncy top spinning delivery.

As a junior Milo represented Midland Guildford in Under 16s and Trinity College in the Darlot Cup. Graduating through Midland Guildford’s lower grades he made his 1st Grade debut in the 1973/74 season, returning figures of 8/67 v Bassendean Bayswater and 4/38 v West Perth. Despite his obvious ability and potential and his strong performances in 2nd Grade he had limited 1st Grade opportunities. His progress was blocked by Midland Guildford’s stellar regular spin attack of Tony Mann and Bruce Yardley. Consequently, he played only a handful of 1st Grade games in his first four senior seasons. In 1977/78, when Mann moved to Mount Lawley as captain coach, Milo finally got the opportunity to prove his worth. He took 31 1st Grade wickets in that season with Keith Slater describing him as “potentially the best leg spinner in the state”. In the ensuing four seasons he took 123 wickets with best figures of 7/106 v Nedlands.

With Mann returning to Midland Guildford in 1983/84, Milo saw that his cricket future lay elsewhere. He moved to Bayswater Morley and became an important member of their powerful sides of the mid-1980s, forming a formidable spin duo with off-spinner Brett Mulder. In that first season he took 55 wickets and forced his way into the Sheffield Shield winning WA side, playing in the final v Queensland at the WACA Ground. He took a further 89 1st Grade wickets over the next two seasons and played in Bayswater Morley’s 1985/86 premiership win over Midland Guildford. Still state level opportunities were hard to come by with the likes of Mann, Mulder, Tom Hogan, Wayne Andrews, Giles Bush and English import Vic Marks all competing with him for spin bowler selection. Like many other players of that era, when WA’s cricketing stocks were running so high, Milo chose to move interstate. He opted for Tasmania and played 11 1st Class games there taking 27 wickets including 5/140 v WA at the WACA Ground. He returned to WA and resumed with Bayswater Morley in 1987/88, taking a further 40 wickets and playing in WA’s Sheffield Shield winning side that season, finishing his WA career with 10 games and 17 wickets.

It is a shame that throughout his cricket journey Milo was starved for opportunities because, once given them, he showed that he could hold his own with the best. Whilst his achievements are outstanding, particularly in pennant cricket, one can’t help but wonder how much better they would have been in another era where his progress was not impeded by established players, thereby allowing him an earlier start to his pennant and state cricket careers. Notwithstanding, he was a Midland boy who did himself and our Club proud.