LJ Watts
1981-82 to 1999-00 · 253 matches for the club
Debut v Prahran, 1981-82 (6 Feb 1982)Last game v Essendon, 1999-00 (13 Nov 1999)Player no. 441 to appear for the club
- Premiers 1993-94
- 1st XI Bowling 1984-85
- A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion 1984-85
- 1st XI Bowling 1986-87
- A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion 1986-87
- 1st XI Bowling 1988-89
- 1st XI Batting 1989-90
- A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion 1989-90
- Doug Rumble Trophy — Best Clubman 1990-91
- 1st XI Batting 1993-94
- Century season 1984-85
- Five-for 1984-85
- 551 runs 1984-85
- 2 five-fors 1985-86
- Century season 1986-87
- Five-for 1986-87
- Five-for 1988-89
- 2 hundreds 1989-90
- 606 runs 1989-90
- Century season 1990-91
- 568 runs 1990-91
- Century season 1993-94
- 856 runs 1993-94
- Century season 1994-95
- Captain 1994-95
- Captain 1996-97
- Captain 1997-98
On this dayin 1984: 69 and 1 ct v Hawthorn-East Melbourne in 1990: 10 v University
Hawthorn-East Melbourne 253
Matches
6,883
Runs
30.87
Average
131*
Highest
7 / 41
100s / 50s
155
Wickets
29.25
Bowling avg
7/59
Best
99
Catches
Season by season
| Season | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Overs | Wkts | Best | Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8* | 8.00 | 36 | 0 | 0/24 | 1 |
| 1982-83 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 70 | 26* | 11.67 | 70.3 | 3 | 2/19 | 3 |
| 1983-84 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 160 | 51 | 17.78 | 108.1 | 8 | 2/46 | 4 |
| 1984-85 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 551 | 104 | 32.41 | 195.3 | 23 | 5/12 | 4 |
| 1985-86 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 475 | 76* | 29.69 | 85.1 | 18 | 7/59 | 11 |
| 1986-87 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 340 | 123* | 30.91 | 202.1 | 25 | 6/47 | 9 |
| 1987-88 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 318 | 50 | 19.88 | 179.1 | 16 | 4/31 | 5 |
| 1988-89 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 161 | 48 | 10.06 | 204 | 22 | 5/41 | 5 |
| 1989-90 | 14 | 15 | 3 | 606 | 113 | 50.50 | 179 | 8 | 2/53 | 6 |
| 1990-91 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 568 | 100* | 37.87 | 52 | 2 | 2/30 | 4 |
| 1991-92 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 335 | 86 | 22.33 | 35 | 2 | 1/16 | 7 |
| 1992-93 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 371 | 99* | 33.73 | 19 | 0 | 0/6 | 6 |
| 1993-94 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 856 | 131* | 61.14 | 69.2 | 6 | 2/60 | 10 |
| 1994-95 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 403 | 104* | 31.00 | 110 | 16 | 3/29 | 2 |
| 1995-96 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 443 | 60* | 40.27 | 58 | 5 | 2/33 | 5 |
| 1996-97 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 424 | 77 | 32.62 | 4 | 0 | 0/2 | 5 |
| 1997-98 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 499 | 77 | 38.38 | 2 | 1 | 1/6 | 8 |
| 1998-99 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 246 | 59 | 20.50 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 3 |
| 1999-00 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 37 | 24.50 | – | – | – | 1 |
| Career | 253 | 261 | 38 | 6,883 | 131* | 30.87 | 1610 | 155 | 7/59 | 99 |
Milestones
- DebutFirst matchv Prahran, 1981-82
- First fifty51v Melbourne, 1983-84
- First hundred104v Prahran, 1984-85
- First five-for5/12v Waverley, 1984-85
- Highest score131*v Melbourne, 1993-94
- Best bowling7/59v St Kilda, 1985-86
- Last matchMatch 253v Essendon, 1999-00
Runs by season
Wickets by season
Every innings, in order
Lighter bars are not-out innings. Hover a bar for the match.
Against each club
 Kingston Hawthorn | 22 | 678 | 100* | 32.29 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 23.15 | 5/12 | 2 |
 Melbourne | 18 | 547 | 131* | 39.07 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 48.11 | 2/40 | |
 St Kilda | 18 | 370 | 70 | 21.76 | 2 | 18 | 24.83 | 7/59 | 1 | |
 Footscray | 17 | 569 | 87 | 33.47 | 6 | 6 | 38.67 | 3/33 | ||
 Essendon | 17 | 493 | 95 | 30.81 | 4 | 3 | 84.00 | 1/6 | ||
 Ringwood | 17 | 453 | 100* | 32.36 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 43.29 | 3/42 | |
 Northcote | 16 | 691 | 113 | 38.39 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 19.38 | 5/41 | 1 |
 Prahran | 16 | 432 | 104 | 36.00 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 41.78 | 2/19 | |
 Casey South Melbourne | 16 | 377 | 70* | 31.42 | 2 | 7 | 38.14 | 3/30 | ||
 Melbourne University | 16 | 336 | 82 | 22.40 | 1 | 5 | 39.40 | 2/52 | ||
 Carlton | 15 | 449 | 123* | 32.07 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 24.91 | 4/31 | |
 Camberwell Magpies | 15 | 261 | 99* | 23.73 | 1 | 13 | 18.69 | 6/47 | 1 | |
 Richmond | 15 | 206 | 57 | 17.17 | 1 | 11 | 19.82 | 3/36 | ||
 Greenvale Kanagaroos | 13 | 427 | 104* | 35.58 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 23.91 | 3/42 | |
 Dandenong | 10 | 296 | 95 | 32.89 | 2 | 2 | 70.50 | 2/40 | ||
 Frankston Peninsula | 6 | 149 | 60* | 37.25 | 1 | 4 | 13.00 | 3/29 | ||
 Geelong | 6 | 149 | 71 | 29.80 | 1 | 3 | 21.00 | 2/36 |
Clubs that merged are counted as one, under today's name. Tap a heading to sort; open a club for every match against it.
Splits
By batting position
| Pos | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 100s | 0s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 75 | 8 | 1,827 | 104 | 27.27 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | 105 | 13 | 3,188 | 131* | 34.65 | 14 | 5 | 3 |
| 5 | 43 | 7 | 1,253 | 104* | 34.81 | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 26 | 4 | 433 | 70 | 19.68 | 3 | 2 | |
| 7 | 6 | 2 | 117 | 62* | 29.25 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | 5 | 4 | 65 | 26* | 65.00 | |||
| 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 100s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top order (1–3) | 75 | 8 | 1,827 | 104 | 27.27 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| Middle order (4–7) | 180 | 26 | 4,991 | 131* | 32.41 | 29 | 6 | 11 |
| Lower order (8–11) | 6 | 4 | 65 | 26* | 32.50 | 1 |
Batted most often at 4th.
Scores and consistency
- Ducks21
- 1–964
- 10–1958
- 20–2929
- 30–4940
- 50–9941
- 100+7
Turned 7 of 48 fifty-plus scores into hundreds. 12.8% of the side's runs in the innings batted. Top-scored for the side 40 times.
Dismissals
- Caught129 · 58%
- LBW41 · 18%
- Bowled36 · 16%
- Run out12 · 5%
- Caught & bowled3 · 1%
- Stumped2 · 1%
Most often dismissed by: Smith (6), Dodemaide (5), Huntington (4), Sutherland (4), Graf (4).
In wins and losses
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 100s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In wins | 102 | 22 | 3,837 | 131* | 47.96 | 27 | 5 | 2 |
| In losses | 131 | 14 | 2,344 | 104 | 20.03 | 11 | 2 | 17 |
| In draws | 25 | 2 | 649 | 95 | 28.22 | 3 | 1 | |
| In ties | 3 | 0 | 53 | 30 | 17.67 | 1 |
| M | Wkts | Avg | Wkts / match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In wins | 56 | 73 | 20.16 | 1.3 |
| In losses | 78 | 75 | 35.96 | 1.0 |
| In draws | 19 | 5 | 65.60 | 0.3 |
| In ties | 1 | 2 | 18.50 | 2.0 |
- Scored 50+: the side won 31 of 47 (66%), lost 13.
- Took 5+ in an innings: the side won 5 of 5 (100%).
- Every other match: the side won 65 of 201 (32%), lost 105.
Batting first or second
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 100s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting first | 115 | 11 | 3,030 | 113 | 29.13 | 19 | 3 | 12 |
| Batting second | 128 | 20 | 3,473 | 131* | 32.16 | 21 | 4 | 7 |
| Second innings of the match | 18 | 7 | 380 | 77 | 34.55 | 1 | 2 |
As captain and keeper
| Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | 50s | 100s | 0s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As captain | 31 | 4 | 930 | 77 | 34.44 | 10 | 1 | |
| Otherwise | 230 | 34 | 5,953 | 131* | 30.37 | 31 | 7 | 20 |
By ground
| Ground | M | Inn | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schramms Reserve | 103 | 104 | 2,888 | 123* | 32.09 | 50 | 36.16 | 3/22 |
| Fitzroy Cricket Ground | 25 | 29 | 534 | 87 | 20.54 | 21 | 26.71 | 5/17 |
| Central Reserve South Oval | 9 | 10 | 221 | 60* | 27.63 | 13 | 14.92 | 5/12 |
| St Kilda Cricket Ground | 9 | 9 | 301 | 131* | 37.63 | 11 | 19.45 | 7/59 |
| Russell Lucas Oval | 9 | 8 | 117 | 54* | 16.71 | 5 | 34.40 | 3/42 |
| University Oval | 9 | 8 | 148 | 48 | 18.50 | – | – | 0/10 |
| Bill Lawry Oval, Northcote | 8 | 10 | 372 | 85 | 41.33 | 8 | 13.75 | 5/41 |
| Richmond Cricket Ground | 8 | 8 | 151 | 57 | 25.17 | 3 | 27.67 | 1/0 |
| Toorak Park | 8 | 7 | 306 | 104 | 61.20 | 7 | 34.00 | 2/19 |
| South Melbourne Cricket Ground | 7 | 9 | 92 | 45* | 15.33 | 2 | 44.00 | 2/24 |
| North Melbourne Cricket Ground | 7 | 7 | 256 | 104* | 42.67 | 5 | 28.80 | 2/38 |
| Albert Ground | 7 | 7 | 213 | 76* | 42.60 | 3 | 76.67 | 2/54 |
| Essendon Cricket Ground | 7 | 7 | 317 | 95 | 52.83 | 2 | 54.50 | 1/6 |
| Western Oval | 6 | 6 | 176 | 68 | 29.33 | 1 | 63.00 | 1/14 |
| Shepley Oval | 5 | 6 | 225 | 95 | 56.25 | 2 | 28.50 | 2/40 |
| Carlton Cricket Ground | 5 | 5 | 139 | 42 | 27.80 | 8 | 17.25 | 4/31 |
| Victoria Park | 5 | 5 | 163 | 99* | 40.75 | 8 | 15.00 | 6/47 |
| Glenferrie Oval | 3 | 4 | 56 | 37 | 14.00 | 1 | 62.00 | 1/38 |
| AH Butler Oval | 3 | 3 | 31 | 23 | 15.50 | 3 | 9.67 | 3/29 |
| Kardinia Oval | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1.50 | 2 | 18.00 | 2/36 |
| Hedges Oval | 2 | 2 | 36 | 30 | 18.00 | – | – | – |
| FW Reid Oval | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | – | – | – |
| Geelong Cricket Ground | 1 | 1 | 19 | 19 | 19.00 | – | – | – |
| Harry Trott Oval (new) | 1 | 1 | 46 | 46* | – | – | – | 0/2 |
| Leckie Park Oval | 1 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 17.00 | – | – | – |
| Xavier College | 1 | 1 | 54 | 54 | 54.00 | – | – | – |
| Camberwell Sports Ground | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – |
Wickets taken
- Caught85 · 71%
- Bowled14 · 12%
- Caught & bowled10 · 8%
- LBW7 · 6%
- Stumped4 · 3%
Batters dismissed
- Top order (1–3)50 · 42%
- Middle order (4–7)53 · 44%
- Lower order (8–11)17 · 14%
5 five-wicket hauls. Best in a match: 7/28 v Waverley, 1984-85. Wicket types count only matches where the card's dismissals add up to the bowling figures.
At the club
In the record book
- 6th of 488 run-scorers
- 27th of 298 wicket-takers
- 3rd of 525 for matches played
- 12th of 81 for hundreds
- 12th of 431 for catches
- 25th of 203 for batting average (20+ innings)
Among players of 1981-82 to 1999-00: 4th of 89 for runs, 5th of 67 for wickets, 2nd of 93 for matches, 5th of 17 for hundreds, 5th of 84 for catches, 8th of 48 for batting average.
Under Fitzroy-Doncaster: 5th of 184 for runs, 14th of 135 for wickets, 8th of 197 for matches, 7th of 34 for hundreds, 11th of 167 for catches, 9th of 81 for batting average.
Played like…
- Ray Harvey1941-42 to 1960-61 · 239 m · 8,687 runs · 208 wkts
- TV Sheehan2002-03 to 2016-17 · 203 m · 5,547 runs · 33 wkts
- RW Watts1977-78 to 1991-92 · 201 m · 4,471 runs · 176 wkts
- PJ Dickson2005-06 to 2019-20 · 245 m · 8,848 runs · 181 wkts
The careers nearest Watts’s in length, runs and wickets a match, average and the balance of batting to bowling.
Most often alongside
- GM Watts · 212
- AJ Melbourne · 140
- BA Joyce · 126
- RW Watts · 125
- WJ Scholes · 118
- IG Wheeler · 117
- TV Considine · 89
- DR Hampton · 88
- AB Dyer · 73
- CA McKissack · 68
Matches in the same side, from the published cards.
As captain
Led the side in 30 matches (1994-95 to 1997-98): won 12, lost 15, drawn 2, 1 other.
Most often led
The shape of the career
Season by season
Runs, up Wickets, downPremiership Honour in his name
1984-85: 1st XI Bowling, A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion · 1986-87: 1st XI Bowling, A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion · 1988-89: 1st XI Bowling · 1989-90: 1st XI Batting, A.E. Liddicut Medal — 1st XI Champion · 1990-91: Doug Rumble Trophy — Best Clubman · 1993-94: premiership, 1st XI Batting
The arc
Leigh Watts' best season with the bat was 1993-94: 856 runs from 18 innings at 61.14. The best ten-innings patch came in 1989-90 to 1990-91: 555 runs at 92.50. The leanest, 1988-89: 57 runs at 5.70.
Batting average over the last ten innings, at each innings of the career.
Milestones
| Milestone | When | Match |
|---|---|---|
| First fifty51 | 7 Jan 1984 | v Melbourne, 1983-84 |
| First five-for5/12 | 20 Oct 1984 | v Waverley, 1984-85 |
| First hundred104 | 23 Feb 1985 | v Prahran, 1984-85 |
| 1,000th run37 took him to 1,015 | 21 Dec 1985 | v Hawthorn-East Melbourne, 1985-86 |
| 50th wicket2/35 took him to 51 | 25 Jan 1986 | v North Melbourne-Geelong, 1985-86 |
| 50th match25 | 16 Feb 1986 | v South Melbourne, 1985-86 |
| 2,000th run48 took him to 2,010 | 12 Nov 1988 | v Hawthorn-East Melbourne, 1988-89 |
| 100th wicket2/44 took him to 101 | 21 Jan 1989 | v Richmond, 1988-89 |
| 100th match2, 2/53 | 18 Nov 1989 | v Prahran, 1989-90 |
| 3,000th run53 took him to 3,038 | 26 Jan 1991 | v Carlton, 1990-91 |
| 150th match31, 0/6 | 6 Feb 1993 | v Hawthorn, 1992-93 |
| 4,000th run83 took him to 4,057 | 16 Oct 1993 | v Northcote, 1993-94 |
| 5,000th run20 took him to 5,006 | 7 Jan 1995 | v Carlton, 1994-95 |
| 150th wicket2/40 took him to 151 | 7 Oct 1995 | v Dandenong, 1995-96 |
| 200th match46*, 0/2 | 26 Jan 1996 | v South Melbourne, 1995-96 |
| 6,000th run62* took him to 6,033 | 22 Feb 1997 | v South Melbourne, 1996-97 |
| 250th match59 | 6 Mar 1999 | v North Melbourne, 1998-99 |
Streaks
- Consecutive scores of 25 or more: 5 innings
- from v Footscray, 1984-85 to v North Melbourne, 1984-85 · first · last
- Consecutive matches played: 53 matches
- from v Melbourne, 1986-87 to v Richmond, 1989-90 · first · last
- Consecutive matches with a wicket: 7 matches
- from v Footscray, 1986-87 to v South Melbourne, 1986-87 · first · last
Best innings
| Score | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 131* | v Melbourne, 1993-94 | Won, Final |
| 123* | v Carlton, 1986-87 | Won |
| 113 | v Northcote, 1989-90 | Won |
| 104* | v North Melbourne, 1994-95 | Won |
| 104 | v Prahran, 1984-85 | Lost |
Best bowling
| Figures | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 7/59 | v St Kilda, 1985-86 | Won |
| 6/47 | v Collingwood, 1986-87 | Won |
| 5/12 | v Waverley, 1984-85 | Won |
| 5/17 | v Waverley, 1985-86 | Won |
| 5/41 | v Northcote, 1988-89 | Won |
More splits
Batting position over the years
Moved about the order across 19 seasons: at 4th in 7, at 3rd in 5, at 6th in 3, at 5th in 2, at 8th in 1, at 7th in 1.
| Season | Usual spot | Inn | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | 8 | 2 | 8.00 |
| 1982-83 | 6 | 11 | 11.67 |
| 1983-84 | 3 | 9 | 17.78 |
| 1984-85 | 3 | 17 | 32.41 |
| 1985-86 | 3 | 18 | 29.69 |
| 1986-87 | 3 | 15 | 30.91 |
| 1987-88 | 3 | 16 | 19.88 |
| 1988-89 | 4 | 17 | 10.06 |
| 1989-90 | 4 | 15 | 50.50 |
| 1990-91 | 4 | 18 | 37.87 |
| 1991-92 | 4 | 15 | 22.33 |
| 1992-93 | 4 | 13 | 33.73 |
| 1993-94 | 4 | 18 | 61.14 |
| 1994-95 | 4 | 16 | 31.00 |
| 1995-96 | 5 | 16 | 40.27 |
| 1996-97 | 6 | 16 | 32.62 |
| 1997-98 | 5 | 14 | 38.38 |
| 1998-99 | 6 | 13 | 20.50 |
| 1999-00 | 7 | 2 | 24.50 |
Home and away
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 128 | 133 | 17 | 3,422 | 123* | 29.50 | 71 | 33.37 |
| Away | 125 | 128 | 21 | 3,461 | 131* | 32.35 | 84 | 25.77 |
Home taken as the ground the club played at most in each season: Fitzroy Cricket Ground, Schramms Reserve.
By day
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 223 | 233 | 33 | 6,174 | 123* | 30.87 | 128 | 31.01 |
| Sunday | 14 | 14 | 1 | 297 | 55* | 22.85 | 18 | 17.39 |
| Weekday | 16 | 14 | 4 | 412 | 131* | 41.20 | 9 | 28.00 |
Format
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-day | 237 | 246 | 36 | 6,662 | 131* | 31.72 | 154 | 29.40 |
| Unknown format | 16 | 15 | 2 | 221 | 60* | 17.00 | 1 | 6.00 |
Two-day when a side batted twice, the game was drawn or the card says so; one-day when the card says so.
Month by month
| Month | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | 46 | 44 | 6 | 1,020 | 100* | 26.84 | 29 | 22.07 |
| Nov | 56 | 57 | 8 | 1,094 | 99* | 22.33 | 39 | 25.03 |
| Dec | 25 | 26 | 3 | 706 | 86 | 30.70 | 11 | 45.27 |
| Jan | 47 | 49 | 8 | 1,407 | 100* | 34.32 | 39 | 27.69 |
| Feb | 48 | 52 | 7 | 1,371 | 104* | 30.47 | 25 | 32.80 |
| Mar | 31 | 33 | 6 | 1,285 | 131* | 47.59 | 12 | 43.33 |
Finals
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | Wkts | Bowl avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home and away | 250 | 258 | 37 | 6,654 | 123* | 30.11 | 155 | 29.20 |
| Finals | 3 | 3 | 1 | 229 | 131* | 114.50 |
Favourite victims
- SF Graf × 4
- DM Johnstone × 2
- GJ Cosier × 2
- GL Jordan × 2
- GW Richardson × 2
- IW Callen × 2
- MG Hewitt × 2
- MJ Freeman × 2
The card names his victims in 62 of 81 wicket-taking games.
Fielding
| Season | M | Ct |
|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | 3 | 1 |
| 1982-83 | 10 | 3 |
| 1983-84 | 9 | 4 |
| 1984-85 | 15 | 4 |
| 1985-86 | 16 | 11 |
| 1986-87 | 14 | 9 |
| 1987-88 | 15 | 5 |
| 1988-89 | 15 | 5 |
| 1989-90 | 14 | 6 |
| 1990-91 | 15 | 5 |
| 1991-92 | 15 | 7 |
| 1992-93 | 13 | 6 |
| 1993-94 | 18 | 10 |
| 1994-95 | 17 | 2 |
| 1995-96 | 16 | 5 |
| 1996-97 | 16 | 5 |
| 1997-98 | 15 | 8 |
| 1998-99 | 15 | 3 |
| 1999-00 | 2 | 1 |
Caught most off
- LJ Watts × 10
- TV Considine × 10
- AJ Melbourne × 9
- DR Hampton × 8
- RL Emmins × 8
- MW Ridgway × 7
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