Lightning stops junior cricket game at Langwarrin

Junior cricketers miraculously escaped injury when a lightning bolt landed just metres from them in Melbourne’s southeast.

Lightning stopped a cricket game at Langwarrin last Friday.

Junior cricketers ran for their lives when lightning struck just metres from them during a Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association under-16 game in Langwarrin last Friday night.

Visiting side Red Hill had just started batting at about 7 o’clock when the giant spark of electricity struck, possibly hitting a light pole, beside Oval 2 at Lloyd Park.

Langwarrin coach Matt Prosser was out on the ground umpiring at the time and said it was frightening.

“It felt like it hit us,” he said.

“It was the loudest and scariest thing, it was unbelievable. We all just sprinted to the change rooms.

“We all said we could feel it on our feet. We could feel it.”

Langwarrin club president Matt Reddaway was nearby and said it was “a blinding light”.

“That one crack of lightning, it deadset was like it hit a metre next to you,” he said.

“It just came from nowhere.”

The game was abandoned and the club is counting the cost of the lightning strike, with damage to the oval’s lights and the reserve’s three electronic scoreboards.

MPCA general manager Ian Benson said there wasn’t a rule to stop play when lightning was possible but the association would look to bring one in.

“It’s something to look at,’’ he said.

“We will raise it at tonight’s meeting.’’