Mark Ray

Mark Ray played for New South Wales in the 1981–82 season, before moving to Tasmania, where he played for Tasmania from 1982-83 until he retired after the 1985–86 season. He also captained Tasmania on five occasions, becoming Tasmania's 40th captain.

A left-handed opening batsman, and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he was a capable all-rounder, although his batting relied on a limited range of strokes and his bowling on accuracy and flight rather than spin.[1] His highest first-class score was 94, for Tasmania against Western Australia in 1983–84.[2] His best bowling figures were 5 for 79, for Tasmania against New South Wales in 1985–86, in his second-last match.[3]

While playing for Tasmania, he worked as a photographer for the Examiner newspaper in Launceston. After he retired from first-class cricket, he became a cricket journalist and author, working for many years for The Age in Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald. He also published two books of black and white documentary photographs depicting the world of international cricket outside the field of play. In the 1990s, the Australian Cricket Society rated one of those books, "Cricket Masala", among the 50 best Australian cricket books ever published. Ray's photography can be seen at markrayphotos.com.

• Geoff Lawson's Diary of the Ashes: As Told to Mark Ray 1990
• The Ashes: England in Australia 1990-91 (with Alan Lee) 1991
• Cricket: The Game Behind the Game 1994
• Border & Beyond 1995
• Shane Warne: My Own Story: As Told to Mark Ray 1997
• Cricket Masala 2002
• Long Shadows: 100 Years of Australian Cricket 2006 (editor)

• List of Tasmanian representative cricketers
• List of New South Wales representative cricketers

• Mark Ray at ESPNcricinfo
• Mark Ray at CricketArchive (subscription required)
• "Only in Tassie" by Mark Ray