NSW Blind Cricket Association Vs Ulladulla UCC President's XI INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY DAY BLIND CRICKET MATCH Review by State member - Mrs Shelley Hancock - 25 Oct 2006

Mrs SHELLEY HANCOCK (South Coast) [5.20 p.m.]: This evening I inform the House of a wonderful event that occurred in Ulladulla last Sunday that I was privileged and pleased to attend. The event was a cricket match, not something unusual for the great cricketing town of Ulladulla but in this case unique for Ulladulla since it involved a match between the invitational Ulladulla Presidents Eleven and the New South Wales-ACT blind cricket team.

The occasion was significant for Ulladulla and was played at the home of cricket in Ulladulla at Lighthouse Oval. This match was the first of its kind to be conducted on the South Coast and marked Ulladulla's contribution to celebrate International Disability Day.

More than 600 people were in attendance to witness this great match and were enthralled by the blind cricket rules and the ability of those either totally blind or visually impaired to enjoy a competitive cricket match using their more finely tuned hearing skills using cricket balls containing bells.

It was enthralling to watch and even more enthralling to talk to the members of the team, including three Australian representative players who had travelled the country and the world to compete and highly valued the opportunities given to them as members of the team.

Blind Cricket has an interesting history in Australia. It was first played behind the Victorian Institute for the Blind in 1925. In 1928, two teams were selected from the same institute and commenced playing weekly. Throughout the Great Depression and the Second World War the game continued to be played and enjoyed throughout Victoria on a part-time basis.

New South Wales blind players were introduced to the game in 1965 and after another two decades of development the game finally spread to other States of the Commonwealth. In 1990 a series of interstate matches were conducted and in 1995 the ACT developed a team to compete in the interstate series, which ultimately led to the selection of the Australian Blind Cricket Team.

From the year 2000 onwards, a prosperous interstate competition has continued to develop blind cricket on a national and international scale. Today the Australian Blind Cricket Team has already participated in the World Cup of blind cricket in India and has competed in a series of Test matches against England, South Africa and New Zealand and will shortly tour Pakistan on 27 November, a tour that includes three Test matches.

The game in Ulladulla was a great practice match for the Blind Cricket Team but was also an educational experience for the young Ulladulla team who wore either blindfolds or glasses which restricted their vision to somewhat equal the odds. All players had a great day. All of this would not have been possible but for the drive and commitment of one of Ulladulla's great sporting citizens, Mr Darryl Cook.

Darryl Cook organised the visit, the player accommodation, the welcome barbecue, and the farewell with the assistance of a small committee including the president of the Ulladulla United Cricket Club, Mr Peter Cook, local community workhorse Cathy Dunn and others. Darryl sought local sponsorship and received it from the local IGA supermarket, which has supported so many events and functions in the town for a long time.

IGA is locally owned and operated by Mr Robert Powell and his wife, Kim, who are highly respected members of the Milton-Ulladulla community.

To ensure the success of the day, Darryl Cook also organised local media and was relentless in his efforts to publicise the event, resulting in a great enthusiastic crowd. Also in attendance were a number of children with disabilities from the Shoalhaven community and they enjoyed the atmosphere immensely.

Also present was the local Rotary Club of Milton-Ulladulla, as usual raising funds with the jumping castle for kids. Of course, in attendance also to raise funds—as it is has been doing relentlessly of recent times—was the Dunn Lewis Foundation, a group formed by Mrs Gayle Dunn after her son was tragically killed in the Bali bombings. The group has worked tirelessly since those tragic times of the Bali bombings to develop a youth complex in Ulladulla and that is well on the way due to the dynamic leadership of Gayle and her committed team. When completed, the youth centre will be the greatest facility for young people that the town of Ulladulla has ever seen.

I conclude with a personal tribute again to Mr Darryl Cook, who is not only a cricket tragic and organiser of the blind cricket match last Sunday, but also a fierce advocate of the provision of an acute stroke recovery unit at the Shoalhaven Hospital—a matter about which I have spoken before in this place.

Throughout all these months and years Darryl Cook has spoken passionately about the need for an acute stroke recovery unit at Shoalhaven hospital, due to the distance many people have to travel, from the southern Shoalhaven especially, to places like Wollongong to gain acute care in stroke recovery. He also noted the higher than average elderly population living in Ulladulla and Milton, and in the Shoalhaven generally, who have suffered strokes. Congratulations to Darryl Cook and thanks for a wonderful day and for a chance to reflect on the importance of activities such as blind cricket for those suffering blindness or serious visual impairment.

Shelley Hancock, Sponsor IGA and others with the NSW Blind Cricket Team and Ulladulla UCC President's XI.

Blind Cricket Match details

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