Veterans Cricket Victoria staged the World’s Oldest Age Cricket Match in a tribute to the many 80-year-olds in Victoria still donning the whites and playing the game they love … cricket.
Fittingly, Brighton Victoria – the birthplace of over 60’s cricket in 2003 – hosted the game typifying what veterans’ cricket is all about … staying fit and healthy and enjoying the company and camaraderie of mates who share their passion for the game.
Promoted as the John Blackham XI v Billy Murdoch XI game (a nod to the 2 Victorians who played in the original Ashes game before captaining Australia), the big crowd of spectators was captivated by the skill and enthusiasm of the octogenarians and the spirit in which the game was played. Veterans Cricket founder John Hammer and Cricket Victoria’s Paul Milo marvelled at the standard and a finale that went down to the wire.
The game played at the historic Elsternwick Oval saw Bruce Hotton’s Blackham XI triumph over the Laurie Hindle led Billy Murdoch XI on the very last ball of the day. The average age of participants of over 80 years included the umpires John Buissink, Peter Flack, Barry Johnson and Ron Luckman and scorers John Moore and Rob Wilson.
Acknowledging veterans’ cricket as the fastest growing demographic in Australian sport, Channel 7 filmed the World’s Oldest Age Cricket Match which features prominently as part of their lunchtime entertainment during the current Ashes Test Series.
The Teams:
Jack Blackham Team (Victoria Blue): Bruce Hotton (C), Bill Allsop, Frank Benjamin, Kevin Brown, David Massey, Lindsay McGrath, Ian McLeod, Norm McLeod, Alex Ranson, Keith Sanders, Tom Sankey, Ian Sharp, Ian Wilson
Billy Murdoch Team (Victoria White): Laurie Hindle (C), Jim Armstrong, Keith Corbett, Terry Dunn, Peter Evans, John Hind, Bob Hopkins, Julian Jacotine, Alan King, David Malthouse, Wavell McPherson, Michael Perrett, David Tomlinson
Umpires: John Buissink, Peter Flack, Barry Johnson, Ron Luckman
Scorers: John Moore, Rob Wilson