Passing of Ben Austin
Passing of Ben Austin
A message from ECA President Neil Dalymple
Like everyone who is connected with community cricket, I am sure you will be aware of the tragic passing of Ben Austin earlier this week.
Ben played cricket with one of our Member Clubs, Mulgrave and together with the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, we send our sincere condolences and best wishes to these Clubs and Ben’s family and friends.
The environment in which this tragedy occurred would feel familiar to many cricketers. Over the coming weeks, I encourage all parents and supporters to be especially attentive to the needs of the players and the coaches. Furthermore, our wonderful volunteers who give so freely of their time and expertise to coach and manage our junior players, will almost certainly be affected by this tragedy.
Now, more than ever, we ask parents to get to your child’s game/s. Your presence alone will provide great reassurance for them. Be supportive of all players participating in the game and the umpires too.
If you are not on a volunteer roster already, now is a good time to stick your hand up and do some scoring or put out the boundary cones and even umpiring. All these little jobs make the life of the Coach and Team Manager much easier and will provide them with much needed emotional support.
For senior players who don’t normally get to Junior matches, it would be a good time to attend a game if you are able to in the next few weeks.
Finally, with the support of Ben’s family, Cricket Victoria is proposing a Memorial Round on the weekend of 7–9 November 2025 and we invite ECA Clubs who wish to participate to wear black armbands and observe a minute’s silence before the start of play.
Best wishes
Neil
Neil Dalrymple
President | Eastern Cricket Association
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