Training disabled cricketers means assuming they can do what any other cricketer can do.

TRAINING cricketers of all abilities is how David Clifton gives back to the community.

David Clifton of Bankstown District Cricket Club coaches All Abilities cricketers but says he doesn’t see a disability until the players show him they are disabled.

OVER the years Bankstown District Cricket Club has produced some of the biggest stars of the game: “Steve and Mark Waugh, Len Pascoe, Jeff Thompson — all sorts,” says David Clifton, who coaches All Abilities cricketers at the hallowed Bankstown oval on behalf of the Recreation Sports and Aquatic Club. “And we do our training the exact same way the great cricketers do.”

The result is that Bankstown is now a leading force in All Abilities cricket in Australia.

“We don’t see a disability until our players show us they’re disabled,” says David, who took over the program with his son, Matthew, two years ago. “We don’t modify our training until they can’t do it; we don’t assume they can’t do anything. We assume they can do it and they will be doing it until and then either they achieve half way or they achieve all the way.”

David, a former umpire, started coaching cricketers with disabilities as a means of giving back to the community through the game he loves.

“And that’s something that I’ve always taught my son,” he says. “You have to give back.”

With the help of Matthew — who has played second grade for Bankstown and serves as the All Abilities technical coach — Commbank’s Australian of the Day has been able to bring the joy of cricket to players who might not necessarily have ever had the chance.

David Clifton says he does not modifiy his cricket training for disabled athletes unless the players cannot do something. “We don’t assume they can’t do anything.”

“The successes in the program have been fantastic,” he says. “We’ve got guys that have now represented the state a couple of times. We’ve got three players that now represent NSW/ACT at Special Olympics Cricket. Our numbers just keep going up and up. Apparently ours is the only regular cricket training program for disabled athletes in the state.”

David and Matthew coach players ranging from eight to 48, including a number of girls.

“We’ve got one guy who has got only one arm and we taught him to do an off drive with the wrong arm,” David marvels. “He’s a left arm batsman and he doesn’t have the top arm — he’s only got his bottom hand — and we’ve managed to teach him how to do an off drive without his bottom hand!”

“There are heaps of stories like that. One boy couldn’t bowl at all — he could only throw — and we’ve now got him coming in off three steps and his arm’s basically straight. Where(as) he would have been no balled previously.”

Recently one of David’s charges returned from a Special Olympics event wearing a huge smile.

“He came up to me and said, ‘I had a great weekend. I got an award. I got three wickets and I took a sky high catch!’” David recalls.

“Six months ago this guy couldn’t catch to save his life and now he’s taking field catches and he’s getting awards! What a great way to spend your weekend!”

CommBank has partnered with News Corp Australia to champion the Australian of the Day initiative which celebrates people in our neighbourhoods and communities who really make a difference to how we live and who we are. You can read all their stories at australianoftheday.com.au, where you can also nominate someone you know.