{{About|the Australian cricketer|the American best known for successfully campaigning for a U.S. constitutional amendment|Gregory Watson}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}} {{Infobox cricketer | name = Greg Watson | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|1|29|df=yes}} | birth_place = Gulgong, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | batting = Right-handed | bowling = Right-arm fast-medium | columns = 2 | column1 = First-class | matches1 = 45 | runs1 = 552 | bat avg1 = 12.83 | 100s/50s1 = 0/0 | top score1 = 38 | deliveries1 = 7,762 | wickets1 = 102 | bowl avg1 = 37.56 | fivefor1 = 1 | tenfor1 = 0 | best bowling1 = 6/45 | catches/stumpings1= 12/– | column2 = List A | matches2 = 8 | runs2 = 19 | bat avg2 = 4.75 | 100s/50s2 = 0/0 | top score2 = 7 | deliveries2 = 465 | wickets2 = 21 | bowl avg2 = 11.38 | fivefor2 = 1 | tenfor2 = 0 | best bowling2 = 5/22 | catches/stumpings2= 0/– | source = http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/8177.html Cricinfo | date = 4 December | year = 2012 }}
'''Gregory George Watson''' (born 29 January 1955) is a former Australian first-class cricketer who played domestically for New South Wales and Western Australia, as well as for Worcestershire in English county cricket.
==Biography== Born in Gulgong, New South Wales,<ref>Cricinfo gives Mudgee as Watson's place of birth. CricketArchive, however, gives it as Gulgong, about 26 km from Mudgee.</ref> Watson made his first-class debut for New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval against South Australia in the 1977-78 Sheffield Shield. He took four wickets, his maiden victim being opposing captain Ashley Woodcock, but did not bat in either innings. He played a further six games in the Shield, capturing another 13 wickets, and made a single List A appearance in the Gillette Cup, taking 1-25 from 8 eight-ball overs.
In 1978, Watson went to England to play county cricket for Worcestershire. He had a reasonably successful season, taking 48 first-class wickets at just under 32 in 21 games, including a career-best 6–45 against Sussex in early August. He also made his highest score with the bat: 38 against Somerset. In one-day cricket he had great success, claiming 19 wickets at a mere 9.52 apiece, including 5-22 (again a career best) against Combined Universities in the Benson & Hedges Cup, a performance which won him the man-of-the-match award.
The defection of many of the senior Australian players to join World Series Cricket in 1977 led to speculation that Watson would be a contender for the Australian team in the 1978–79 Ashes series against England.<ref>McGilvray, A. (1978) "Alan McGilvray's Australian selections", ''England Tour of Australia 1978-79'', ABC Cricket Book, Sydney.</ref> However, after impressive early performances, Watson had a disappointing season in 1978–79, taking only 13 first-class wickets for New South Wales at average just under 50. He returned for another season with Worcestershire in 1979, but played only nine times in first-class cricket (taking 22 wickets at 37.50) and not at all in the one-day format; from mid-July onwards he had to satisfy himself with Second XI games.
Watson was to play only one more match: a single outing in the 1979-80 Sheffield Shield for Western Australia against Queensland at Perth. The game was drawn, and Watson had a rather poor match: he conceded 135 runs from 30 six-ball overs and had only the second-innings wickets of Ray Phillips and Alec Parker to show for it. Watson never played first-class cricket again but continued to play English league cricket semi-professionally with Billingham, Crewe, Stourbridge and Smethwick.
After his cricket career ended, he worked as a metallurgist and systems analyst.<ref>''Cricketer'', April 1980. p. 23.</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{cricinfo|id=8177}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Greg}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Australian cricketers Category:New South Wales cricketers Category:Western Australia cricketers Category:Worcestershire cricketers Category:Cricketers from New South Wales Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen Category:People from Gulgong