National Indigenous Tour of Vanuatu – Lisa McCabe’s Recap
LM: Who said the cricket season finished in April? I’ve been privileged to be selected to accompany the Australian men’s and women’s Indigenous teams on their tour of Vanuatu for the past week.
Tropical conditions, being away from home, and travelling with the players has been a new experience for me – it’s been truly awesome!
We’ve experienced much of the beautiful island culture – from a traditional welcome at the airport to being shown some of Vanuatu’s best tourist sights on our rest day.
As an umpire, it’s provided me with a great insight into how the players prepare for their tours whilst also hearing how much their Indigenous heritage means to them.Our players come from different communities across the country, highlighting how cricket can bring people together and create history for many years to come.
Growing up in the west of Victoria, where the first Indigenous team to tour England originated from and where Johnny Mullagh (member of the 1868 Aboriginal team and Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductee) resided, it’s great to see how much these tours still mean to the players. It’s fantastic that Cricket Australia provides these opportunities for our Indigenous players.
To see Victorians like Damon Egan and Ella Hayward perform on an international stage and inspire the next batch of Indigenous players is something I will remember for the rest of my umpiring career.
The standard of play has been outstanding. The home side beat our men’s side in Game 2, showing how much cricket is growing in this island nation.
The beautiful people of Vanuatu have welcomed and supported both teams in such a brilliant way, it really has been a pleasure to visit this lovely country.
These are the times when I really do feel so humble and privileged to be given the opportunities I have in umpiring.
Never would I have dreamt to be umpiring in a spectacular country like this, let alone sharing the playing field with some of our best Indigenous players. These moments will hold a special place in my umpiring journey.
View this post on Instagram
Recent Posts
-
29 April, 2024Cricket Victoria Women’s Community Cricket Competition Awards 2023/24
-
23 April, 2024Cricket Victoria and Academy Movement bring cricket to the classroom
-
2 April, 2024Cricket Victoria launches Melbourne Cricket Academy in India in partnership with KheloMore Sports
-
27 March, 2024Victoria to host first-ever day-night MCG Test
-
26 March, 2024Carlton and Melbourne triumph this Kookaburra Victorian Premier Cricket season
Categories
Archives
Please note that Lane Bookings cannot be purchased in the same cart transaction as other online shop orders – they must be purchased separately.