Veteran Blues paceman has played his final match for New South Wales, ending as the state's third-highest wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield
Copeland calls time on decorated first-class career
Blues paceman Trent Copeland has retired from first-class cricket after a splendid 13-year career.
Copeland was part of the NSW side that yesterday lost its Marsh Sheffield Shield match to Victoria in Albury, making a surprise appearance for his state for the first time in almost a year and taking three first-innings wickets.
Today however the 36-year-old announced his retirement, bringing the curtain down on a 112-match, 410-wicket career for New South Wales, Australia and Northamptonshire.
A special moment yesterday as @copes9 is given a guard of honour as he walks off the field for the last time as a NSW Blue after an outstanding first-class career š | #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/H2MHidFBp4
%E2%80%94 cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 5, 2023
In his 94 Shield matches, the 36-year-old finishes with 344 wickets at 26.30 ā the third-most in NSW history behind Geoff Lawson (367) and Greg Matthews (363).
"Now it's time for family time and other things ā¦ and time I handed the reins over to some of the younger boys," Copeland said after arriving back in Sydney from Albury.
"I did get emotional the other day, particularly holding my Baggy Blue in my hands talking about what it meant firstly to earn that cap ā¦ even just to have played one game, let alone (94).
"I'm incredibly proud of what I've achieved but also what my family and certainly my wife and kids have allowed me to achieve through their support, I'm very lucky."
From the moment he hit the first-class scene, the rangy paceman from Bathurst found the right lines and lengths, taking seven wickets on his very first day of Shield cricket at the Gabba, and finishing that innings with debut figures of 8-92.
His ability to consistently hit the right areas and nibble the ball both ways off the seam proved a handful for batters around the country, and within 18 months he was picked to make his Test debut in Sri Lanka.
He played in all three Tests on that 2011 tour, took six wickets, but was never chosen again, as selectors looked instead towards flat-out pace, finding it in exciting young quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson, who all debuted before that year was out.
Seemingly unfazed, Copeland set about becoming a mainstay of the NSW attack instead, winning the Shield in 2013-14 and appearing in four finals overall, with a best return of 8-126 in the 2019 defeat to Victoria.
That 2018-19 summer he claimed a remarkable 52 wickets at 18.21 in nine matches ā the most ever in a campaign by a Blues paceman and equal-second with Bill O'Reilly for NSW overall, behind only Stuart MacGill's 54 in 2004-05.
Amid his 29 List A matches he enjoyed further success for his state, taking 2-33 in NSW's domestic one-day cup competition final win over Queensland at North Sydney Oval in 2016.
The right-armer, who has already transitioned into sports media with the Seven Network, ends his first-class career with three 10-wicket match hauls and 21 five-wicket innings hauls.