ACS Journalism Scholarship
Our ACS Journalism Scholarship is run with the support of Holmesglen TAFE, courtesy of Simone Wearne. A short bio of Simone is included below. Also on this page find past Scholar’s experiences and links to all our Scholar’s published articles.
Simone Wearne is the Course Leader for Sports Degrees at Holmesglen Institute. From a baseball background, Simone represented Australia for a decade on the Women’s Australian Baseball Team, whilst going on to Manage the team for three World Cup events (including a bronze medal in Japan, 2014).
Simone was the co-MVP at the 2002 Women’s World Series tournament in Florida, named All-World pitcher at the 2006 Women’s Baseball World Cup in Taiwan, and twice was awarded Australian Women’s Baseball Player of the Year by Baseball Australia (2007 & 2008). She was the youngest and first female inducted into the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Simone has a Master of Business Administration and is currently undertaking further post-graduate study in teaching and learning. Her passion lies in community grassroots sport, with long time involvement in various voluntary positions since her teenage years.
Past ACS Journalism Scholar’s Experiences:
Our inaugural scholar (2021), Donal Wilson said:
“To be the inaugural recipient of the Australian Cricket Society (ACS) Journalism Scholarship was a very proud honour.
To learn about writing from has been a big step forward in my journalism career. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ACS dinners and luncheons getting the opportunity to meet former international cricketers, and fellow ACS members.
However, it’s been interviewing the players and writing their stories that I’ve enjoyed the most.
Overall, I’m very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to be part of the ACS community and meet so many nice people.”
Our 2022 scholar Sam Coulson said:
“My time in the ACS has been wonderful. I have not only improved my writing ability but have been consumed by many great stories from legends of the game. Thanks to Ken for working one-on-one with me and helping me immensely and thanks to everyone else within the society also.”
From our 2023 scholar, Kobe Jacobs:
“Being able to write for the Australian Cricket Society was a very enjoyable experience. Writing during a year when the Australian Men’s team had the Ashes, World Test Championship and ODI World Cup all at stake, made writing each piece much more stimulating. Getting to work under John Harms, who was a great mentor throughout my time writing for the ACS was advantageous. No doubt has my ability to write improved due to John. I’d like to thank everyone at the Society for making me feel so welcome, I’m grateful to have gotten to this opportunity.”
For more information or to apply for future scholarships, contact us at info@australiancricketsociety.com.au
Past Scholars
2021 Donal Wilson
2022 Sam Coulson
2023 Kobe Jacobs
2024 Liam McCullagh
Inaugral Scholar Donal Wilson with Ken Piesse, noted Author, Sports Journalist and former ACS President.
Our ACS Journalism Scholar Written Articles
A birthday present at the G
By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). A late spring birthday means one thing – it’s an Australian obligation to involve cricket somehow, but one birthday where I got to grace the hallowed turf of the...
Australia vs India – Here we go
By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). Twelve months ago, this summer’s Australia vs India Test series looked like a preview to the World Test Championship final, however the two world beating teams full of world class...
Oliver Peake ACS Male Young Cricketer of the Year
By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). A freakish batsman who can hit the ball to all parts of the ground, Oliver Peake is a super talented 18-year-old who can bat anywhere in the top 6 and comes from great cricketing...
Sara Kennedy ACS Young Female Cricketer of the Year
By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). From playing in the Women’s Big Bash League at sixteen years-of-age to being the first girl picked in Ballarat Clarendon College’s First XI team, Australian Cricket Society’s young...
Pavilion 2025 out soon!
edited by Ken Piesse In the 2025 edition we pay tribute to the greatest women cricketers of the first 90 years in an extended feature which honours so many wonderful players from Peggy Antonio in the ‘30s, Betty Wilson in the ‘50s right through to the fierce fast...
Can Test Cricket and T20 Co-exist? T20 World Cup Review.
By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). One month since the West Indies and United States hosted the ICC T20 World Cup, and cricket’s future is as murky as ever. One thing is clear though, T20 cricket is imperative to...
USA take-over
By Liam McCullagh, incoming ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). The year is 2048 and chants of ‘USA’ bellow around the MCG, but this time it isn’t for a lanky-yankee playing for Collingwood, it’s for the United States of America’s...
The United Nations of Warrion
By Liam McCullagh, incoming ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). We may not have won a game but playing the 2018/19 season with the ‘United Nations of Warrion’ was the funniest season of cricket I have been part of. It also...
Aravinda De Silva
By Liam McCullagh, incoming ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms). There aren’t too many names in Sri Lankan cricket more highly regarded than the mini-maestro Aravinda de Silva. Standing 5 foot 3, the flamboyant batting all-rounder is...
Chris Judd visits the ACS
by Sam Coulson, former ACS Journalism Scholar Members and guests of the Australian Cricket Society were pleased to welcome Chris Judd to their recent event held at William Angliss in the city. Judd reflected on his sporting journey which was not just limited to AFL,...