Lismore Legends of the Game T20 match for flood victims
Former Aussie cricketer Stuart MacGill has taken a break from his horror year to play in a T20 match to help out those who have had an even worse time in his mate Adam Gilchrist’s home town.
NSW
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Former Aussie cricket star Stuart MacGill has taken a break from his horror year to play in a cricket game to help out those who have had an even worse 12 months.
MacGill, 52, is awaiting a magistrate’s decision on allegations he stalked and intimidated a woman as well as preparing to testify in a trial in October where he is the alleged victim in a kidnapping and extortion case.
But he put his worries aside for a Legends of the Game 20/20 cricket picnic day in Lismore on Saturday, a year after floods devastated the whole Northern Rivers region.
MacGill said it was important for him “to spend time with friends” which made things easier and helped him move “in the right direction” in the aftermath of the successive court sagas.
“Obviously, it hasn’t been good but, you know, life goes on,” he said after playing to a packed Oakes Oval in Lismore.
“There’s always people that have it worse than you.
“You know, I’m happy.”
MacGill said it was a great opportunity to play at Lismore “to support Gilly and Lismore as a whole,” but maybe “not so much for us old blokes”.
MacGill joked he had injured himself during the game, pulling a hamstring for the first time on the pitch.
“It’s a milestone for me,” he said.
Cricket legend Adam Gilchrist jumped at the chance to pull together a group of his high-profile cricketing mates for a once-in-a-lifetime event to support his hometown of Lismore.
Gilchrist padded up for the homecoming event which he said was “an honour”, noting it as a “celebration of the extraordinary resilience of this wonderful community”.
“It’s with great pleasure and honour that myself and a few mates can hopefully provide an afternoon and evening of fun,” he said.
Gilchrist scored a six in the first over.
“He’s got his sixes gear on,” one spectator shouted.
Jason Gillespie’s razor-sharp bowling had Gilchrist’s team on edge in the second over.
Gilchrist got three fours in the second over as the crowd screamed.
Gillespie signed autographs in between balls, running out to pick one up just as he put his sharpie back in his pocket.
Gilly’s team took home the win with 162 runs in 20 overs.
They played beneath an overcast sky as storms threatened above but it did not dampen the mood of vocal spectators.
A long line snaked along the side of a footpath as people eagerly awaited their tickets being scanned for the 2.30pm start.
Charity tents, a barbecue and a keen atmosphere peppered the area outside the playing oval, as people prepared their eskis for the quintessential local Aussie cricket match.
Heartbeat of Football Andy Paschalidis said their tent checking for heart disease was intrinsically tied to sport.
“Heart disease is the biggest killer for women and men, and we want to particularly focus on women’s health as they’re three times more likely to have problems,” he said.
Mr Paschalidis said Shane Warne and Rod Marsh’s deaths were sporting losses that should encourage people to check on their heart health.
Lismore police were in attendance soaking up the community spirit as punters poured in before the big match.
The town was preparing to see Australia’s cricketing greats play against its Mayor and a handful of hopeful cricket youths in what was earmarked as a once-in-a-lifetime matchup.
Cricketing legend Lyn Larson performed the bat flip at the start of the match to decide the batting order.
Two teams mixed with locals and cricketing legends comprised Mayor’s 11 and Gilly’s 11 with the match played in the traditional T20 format, where each team is allowed one innings to try and score as many runs as they can in 20 overs.
Some of the locals on Gilly’s team included Kaleb Armstrong, Brady Toniello, Sam McLean, Stewart Kapeen and Emily Hosking.
Krieg’s team included Lennard Blok, Rory McLean, Tim Martin and Geoff Venn.
Before the match, Mayor Steve Krieg said he had been hitting the nets in preparation.
“It’s been a while since I have picked up the bat, but I am confident that with some of the cricketing legends in my team, we will give Gilly’s 11 a run for their money,” he said.
The match was born from Mr Krieg’s love of the game, reaching out to Gilchrist to honour the flood-ridden town’s heroic resilience in the aftermath.
“It’s something close to my heart,” Gilchrist said.
“I’ve watched with sadness and frustration from afar so when Steve (Krieg) asked me if I’d be keen to help create a T20 match with some high profile players I jumped at the opportunity.”
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Originally published as Lismore Legends of the Game T20 match for flood victims
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