Chris Tremain calls time on career

The 34-year-old has called time on his career following a setback in his recovery from a rare neurological shoulder condition that has prevented him from bowling for the past two years.  

A product of Yeoval in Central West New South Wales, Tremain proudly represented the Blues in 29 First Class and nine List A matches across two stanzas of his 14-year career, claiming a cumulative 122 wickets.  

Tremain’s first NSW appearance came in a One-Day Cup fixture against Western Australia in February 2012, before receiving his baggy blue a fortnight later, taking six wickets on Sheffield Shield debut against Victoria at the MCG. 

By mid-2014, Tremain had relocated to Melbourne, going on to claim 209 wickets in 54 First Class matches for Victoria. In six years with his adopted state, he played in three Sheffield Shield and a One-Day Cup title-winning side, while also being crowned the 2017-18 Sheffield Shield Player of the Year. 

These outstanding performances saw Tremain regularly in contention for higher honours - while a baggy green eluded him, he was rewarded with four ODI caps against South Africa in 2016, claiming best figures of 3-64 in his final appearance. 

The paceman’s skill and versatility also made him a BBL regular with both Sydney Thunder (26 matches across two stints) and the Melbourne Renegades (23 matches) across nine seasons in the competition. 

In 2020-21, Tremain returned to his home state in a bid for further silverware, harnessing his extensive First-Class experience to lead a young and rebuilding attack.  

A final on-field campaign with the Blues in 2023-24 was his most prolific, topping the Sheffield Shield bowling tally with 50 wickets. That season was the fourth most prolific for a NSW bowler in the competition behind Stuart MacGill (54 wickets, 2004-05), Bill O’Reilly (52, 1939-40) and Trent Copeland (52, 2018-19).  

Chris Tremain, retiring NSW Blues fast bowler, said: 

“This game has been both the most rewarding and challenging experience of my life so far. The colours of the hats and the faces in the change rooms constantly changed but the desire to compete and win with my teammates endured.  

“A part of the journey is the end and without the support of family, friends and associates throughout the fray my experiences leading up to its culmination would look vastly different. 

“I owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid to an expensive cohort. Thank you all for sharing this with me.” 

Greg Mail, Cricket NSW Chief Cricket Performance Officer, said: 

“Chris has had a fantastic career. Fast bowling is an incredibly difficult job and anyone who achieves longevity gets the respect of the playing group and the cricket community generally.  

“He has played integral roles in success for NSW and Victoria and formed strong relationships across both those environments.  

“Moreover, he has shown enormous leadership in the last couple of seasons where he found ways to contribute to our success whilst battling an incredibly difficult injury situation personally.  

“‘Trem’ is an extremely humble man, who at his best is a match winner, and embodies exactly what it means to pull on the baggy blue.”  

Greg Shipperd, NSW Blues Head Coach, said: 

“I saw him doing the unseen work in the rain trying to get better while I was at the SCG one Shield match many moons ago.  

“I thought, ‘I want him,’ and we got him to Victoria. He improved the program in time as he settled, one of the great Shield competitors in the Jackson Bird class. He won championships! 

“‘Trem’ gave his all for NSW before his body let him down - the leading wicket taker for the competition in his last full year, nothing better than that.  

“More than playing he has been a talisman for supporting the process to get better and has engaged on multiple levels to have an impact on the people around him. We cherish that. 

“His picture adorns the NSW dressing room wall, emphasising the passion to play and win that underpinned this extraordinary athlete. We wish him well.”