WOMEN and those from migrant communities will be better able to get involved in cricket after a sizeable donation of pre-loved cricket gear was received by the Shepparton and Youth United Cricket Club.
Sam Atukorala, a former ambassador for Cricket Australia’s ‘A Sport For All’ campaign, worked with the organisation Cricket Without Boundaries to get the gear, which includes cricket whites, pads, helmets and bats.
Normally an organisation that works to grow the game around the world, Cricket Without Boundaries uses the sport as a platform for health education and social change.
Bamboozled by concerns around the pandemic, gear that would normally be destined for Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka ended up staying local. With plenty of migrant communities from cricketing backgrounds right here in Shepparton, the donation was the perfect line and length.
Shepparton and Youth United Cricket Club vice president, Tony Giblin, who has promoted women and multicultural communities into the sport, said the donation would “go a long way towards both our female teams.”
Cricket is a fairly spartan sport. With a ball and a bat you can play just about anywhere. This time last year I travelled through India with some school students with handfuls of plastic cricket bats and cans of tennis balls. We ended up playing games in the most unusual places with whoever was within earshot. You turn up with a bat and a ball and a crowd forms.
Beyond tennis balls and paddocks, though, proper protective equipment and a helmet is a must. Even a good cricket bat isn’t cheap.
This means there are barriers to getting involved in the sport at a competitive level.
Tony said the donated gear would be handed out on a needs-basis.
“We’ve got quite a few boys in the under-12s from different backgrounds and this gear will make it very affordable to start playing cricket, hopefully for years to come,” Tony said.
“Plus, they’ve all got brothers and sisters and we’d like all of them to be involved.”
Tony also encouraged anyone who may have dusty but usable cricket gear sitting around in garages, to donate it to their local cricket club.
Sam Atukorala, who also works with the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District, said
Shepparton was full of multicultural communities who come from cricketing backgrounds and want to get involved in the sport, including Afghanistan.
“For some families it’s going to be a burden to buy the equipment, so if we can provide some pre-loved equipment, they don’t have to spend the money on it,” he said.
“The club has been great at supporting multicultural communities and it’s great if we can support in little ways the game of cricket.”
Shepparton cricketer Ashleigh Murdoch, who plays in United’s women’s side, also said she’d like to see more women come down to try.
A long-time cricket fan, Ashleigh said she was forced off the couch at her brother’s insistence, and is now playing her second season this summer.
“I was really enjoying watching the WBBL and my brother pushed me back into it, and it was fun. I grew up with it,” she said.
“My brother even contacted the club and insisted I came down to training.
“To other girls and women out there, I’d say definitely come down, have a go. Everyone is welcoming here and we’re looking for people to play.”
