Nanny state cricket netplan has Ryan ‘Rhino’ Harris fired up

SOUTH Australian Test great Ryan Harris has joined the backlash against calls by Port Adelaide Enfield councillors to curtail the use of hard cricket balls.

FOR THURSDAY 5th DEC PAPERS. SEE BRAD FLEET BEFORE USING . MANDATORY TO BE WRITTEN IN CAPTION - "Thank You to Airservices Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting for their involvement in the photo shoot - ASHES - Ryan Harris ready to fire up in Adelaide. PIC SARAH REED.

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SOUTH Australian Test great Ryan Harris has joined the backlash against a push by some Port Adelaide Enfield councillors to consider curtailing the use of hard cricket balls in nets and public parks.

Harris, who played 27 Tests for Australia, was stunned at The Advertiser’s revelation of a proposal before the council to consider banning hard balls in its cricket nets unless users had booked the entire park.

In effect, the move would outlaw “casual” use of nets and confine batting practice with hard balls to organised club training and game days. Mark Basham, the councillor who called for a report into the idea, said it would lower the chance of injury from wayward shots hitting passersby.

But Harris, nicknamed Rhino, a product of Salisbury’s Northern Districts Cricket Club and now based in Brisbane, panned the move. “Absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “If you’re going to ban cricket balls you might as well ban footballs, frisbees, everything that might hurt someone. Then say kids can’t go out and play — just sit inside and play iPad and Xbox.

“People get knocked over by cars — you don’t see councils banning cars all of a sudden.

“I just can’t believe it. I hope it doesn’t get through.”

Harris was backed by state minister Stephen Mullighan, whose electorate of Lee shares several suburbs with Port Adelaide Enfield council. Mr Mullighan, a keen cricketer, tweeted: “What a ridiculous proposal. No wonder suburban cricket clubs are struggling for players with rubbish like this.”

Harris, who retired last year with 113 Test wickets, said the issue should be resolved with common sense between all people sharing parks and cricket facilities.

“If someone is playing cricket in the nets, you don’t walk straight through their game or next to the net, trying to get hit,” he said. “I read a lot of the (online) comments and it was good to see people saying the same thing, that we want kids getting out and about.”

Advertiser.com.au readers panned the plan, and 92 per cent of more than 1000 people who voted in our poll branded it “a nanny state move”. But Mr Basham bizarrely claimed the story was “untrue” – even though the council minutes he cited made it clear The Advertiser’s report was accurate.

He left a comment on the Advertiser.com.au story saying he had called for a report into council “installing signs in all of its cricket nets advising users . . . not to use cricket balls unless the nets and ground is booked for cricket use”.

Other readers responded “so effectively a ban unless used by a club” and “so you are confirming the first sentence is correct”. Mr Basham said his push was prompted by fears for public safety and the potential legal liability of the council.