Nick “Rick” Timms: Celebrating Game 400 – A Bentleigh Uniting Legend

Sarah Radlow
15 minutes ago
2 min read

In local cricket, milestones are earned the hard way. They are won through decades of commitment, thousands of deliveries faced, countless weekends sacrificed, and an unwavering love of the game. For Bentleigh Uniting Cricket Club, few players embody this better than Nick Timms—or Rick Timms, as his lively alter-ego is sometimes known. As he steps out to play Game 400, fittingly wearing the No. 40, the club celebrates not just a player, but a cornerstone of its culture.

A Career That Began in 1986

Timms first strode onto the field for Bentleigh Uniting in 1986, a young cricketer eager to make his mark. Nearly four decades later, he has etched his name into club history through longevity, skill, and character.

A Run Machine With Staying Power

With 8,519 runs to his name at an average of 26.86, Nick has been a model of consistency. His tally includes 7 centuries, each delivered with the trademark style that teammates and opponents have come to recognize—

aclean, crisp striker of the cricket ball, rarely wasting an opportunity to punish anything loose.

Whether the team needed a steadying presence or an aggressive counter-attack, Nick delivered time and again.

Safe Hands in the Slips

Few fielders command the slips cordon like Timms. With 191 catches, he has been a reliable, almost magnetic presence behind the wicket. Bowlers learned quickly: if you found an edge, and Nick was stationed at slip, odds were it wasn’t being dropped.

A Swing Bowler in His Second Act

Though known primarily for his batting and fielding, Nick became something of a late-blooming swing bowler. His ability to move the ball just enough—and frustrate even quality batters—became a valuable bonus weapon for the club, proving age never stops a cricketer from adding new strings to their bow.

More Than Cricket: The Club Quiz Master

Every club has its personalities, but few have someone quite like Nick Timms.

Known as thebest quiz master Bentleigh Uniting has ever had, he is the lifeblood of club nights, social events, and off-field banter. Whether he’s keeping teammates honest with obscure trivia or slipping into the charismatic persona ofRick Timms, he brings energy that binds a club together.

399 Games Down. Game 400 Awaits.

Reaching 400 games is a landmark achieved by only the most dedicated club servants. It demands durability, passion, and the respect of peers. Nick has all three in abundance.

For Bentleigh Uniting, his contribution is measured not only in runs, catches, and matches, but in the culture he has helped shape. A role model for younger players. A reliable teammate. A clubman in every sense of the word.