Cricketing great Richie Benaud, who died last week at the age of 84, was captain of the NSW team that contained the Manning's Johnny Martin.

Johnny's cousin, Alan Martin, was the Mid North Coast captain while his brother, Ron was the opening batsman.

It was more than 50 years ago, but Alan recalls the game clearly.

"When we went out to toss Richie said to me "we'll toss, but you'll bat." The main day was the second day when the crowd would be there to see the first class players bat,'' Alan recalled.

"When NSW batted some of their batsmen started hitting sixes, even Brian Booth. Richie was not pleased.

" 'What are you blokes doing hitting sixes?' '' he said.

"There are lots of kids here who need your example of how to play cricket correctly."

Alan said Richie was well known for hitting sixes himself when a quick 40 or 50 was needed, but when he came out to bat that day he played very correctly and didn't lift a ball off the ground.

The reception following the game was held at Fotheringham's Hotel and local legend has it that getting some of the NSW players out of there was more difficult than getting them out on the cricket field. So-much-so that the team almost missed the train taking them to Brisbane for the Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland, although Alan couldn't elaborate on that.

"I didn't see them off as I had to teach the next day,'' he explained.

"As a matter of fact I had trouble obtaining leave (from the Department of Education) to play in the game as it was not a first class fixture or did not lead to higher selection.

"I was at the function at Foggs. Richie and I made speeches. I remember saying that NSW would not have scored as many if a couple of ladies on the croquet court had held a couple of vital catches.''

Alan first saw Richie in action in 1946.

"He came to Taree with a Sydney team and everyone was talking about this brilliant schoolboy cricketer,'' he said.

"I was with Johnny in 1952 at the SCG to see him make his test debut. Johnny played a lot of Sheffield Shield cricket with Richie and Richie was his captain when Johnny made his test debut in 1960/61 against the West Indies.''

Benaud had another connection to the Manning, although not a happy one.

"The village of Benaud in France is just south of Clermont-Ferrand,'' Benaud once recalled in an interview.

"(My grandfather), Jean Benaud left the village, went up the Gironde in a small boat and signed on as an able seaman on the Ville de Bordeaux which arrived in Sydney in 1838. He went by sailing ship to Taree, married the harbour-master's daughter a month later and immediately became Captain Jean Benaud, one of the best known sailing captains in those early days in Australia, sailing his trading ketch 'Lightning' between Sydney and the Manning and Richmond rivers in northern NSW.

"He was a keen horse racing man and unfortunately died when thrown from his own horse in Pulteney Street, Taree on July 3, 1866 when returning home from the races.''