Ritchie praises Masters role

DAVID HALL sport@northernleader.com.au

Former Australian middle-order batsman Greg Ritchie believes the benefits of taking part in next Sunday’s Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) Masters give his team an unprecedented opportunity to guarantee the future of Australian Cricket.

Ritchie will be part of the Masters team who will play a South Coast Invitational XI at the Croom Road Sporting Complex next Sunday, and said the trip to the South Coast provides the Masters, a team which contains eight former Australian players, with an ‘awesome’ opportunity to promote cricket in country areas.

Ritchie played 30 tests and 44 one-day internationals, scoring 1690 test and more than 900 ODI runs for Australia, as well as 10,170 runs for Queensland.

“The game in Australia is very healthy at the moment, and by taking games like this to the country it is taking the game back to the kids. Doing things like coaching clinics, makes sure the next generation of cricket players are well catered for,” Ritchie said.

He said that apart from the obvious benefits for the game, there was also a great enjoyment for the players.

“It’s a lot when you are kids and look forward to playing each weekend to catch up with your mates – some of us are just big kids when it all boils down to it.

“I turned 50 recently and have a poster on my fridge at home that says ‘if you haven’t grown up by the time you’re 50 – you don’t have to’, and that is certainly my motto,” Ritchie said.

He also said that while his famous mate Mahatma Kote wouldn’t be making an appearance at Saturday’s Sportsman’s night, he was certain that he is qualified to talk on his behalf.

Ritchie said most of the players had their cricketing roots in the country (Ritchie is from Toowoomba) and described country people as ‘the salt of the earth’ and it made playing games in country areas as an ‘absolute joy’.

The Masters team will be awarding one of three South Coast juniors, Kerrod White, Zoe Richards or Keiran Grey, who will be playing in the game, with a $1000 scholarship following the game.

The team will arrive on Saturday and play a game of golf, organised by hosts Shellharbour City Council, at The Links, before attending the South Coast Cricket Association’s Sportsman’s Dinner at Shelly’s.

On Sunday there will be an In2Cricket clinic from 11.30am, followed by the match against the South Coast XI, which will be a 20/20 contest at 12.30pm.

Tickets to the match are just $5 and Under 12s are free, while players will be signing autographs and having drinks with fans at The Links after the match.

“These matches are actually very competitive with some of the young blokes looking to knock a few of the old blokes over, so we take it very seriously,” Ritchie said.

The team will hold coaching clinics at local schools on Monday.