At his mid-1970s peak, Gary Gilmour was a penetrative left-arm swing bowler and a talented hitter, bringing comparisons with another left-armer from New South Wales's central coast, Alan Davidson. He struck 122 on his first outing for New South Wales in January 1972, and made 52 and took 4 for 75 on his Test debut against New Zealand two years later. He then excelled in English conditions when Australia toured England in 1975; his 6 for 14 in the World Cup semi-final against England and 5 for 48 in the final against West Indies were followed by 9 for 157 in the third Test at Headingley. But after an impressive home series against West Indies, Gilmour's powers as a bowler ebbed dramatically, so much so that he bowled only nine inconsequential overs in the Centenary Test. A debilitating foot injury was a handicap; so was a light-hearted attitude to training and fitness that owed more to the 1950s than to the increasingly professional era of which he was part.
Gideon Haigh