By Liam Grima, incoming ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms).
Cricket has always played a pivotal role in my life. Like many kids in Australia, my summers were spent watching Test cricket on TV, while taping one half of tennis balls for a backyard session and then taking one handed screamers diving into the pool. Even after all of these years, I cannot help but feel that same love for the game. Whether it is experiencing the feeling of climbing into a cover drive off the middle of the bat, smelling the freshly cut grass or even the friendly banter in the slips, the spark is still there.
As a youngster, you can’t help but feel inspired by some of Australia’s all-time greats, dreaming of wearing that baggy green and scoring a hundred in front of a jam-packed Aussie crowd. Who could forget Mitchell Johnson’s stellar 2013/14 Ashes series on home soil, or David Warner’s memorable hundred in a session against Pakistan at the SCG. However, as the door of my childhood closes, I’ve come to realise that, while it is the best game in the world, cricket is not just about the miraculous wins and the narrow losses, but about the meaning of mateship, the people working tirelessly behind the scenes in local clubs, the shared memories between teammates and the heart of summer in Australia.
Nowhere has that sense of shared experience been more evident for me than at the Mulgrave Cricket Club. Rather than chasing individual success, Mulgrave represents a place for individuals to feel like they are a part of a close-knit community. Having played at the club in the junior program from the age of nine, and now transitioning into senior cricket at Mulgrave, not only have I seen the evolution, growth and improvement from an on-field perspective, but there is a joint understanding among the players, coaches, life members, volunteers and families, that the club’s improved success is defined by more than just results, and extends far beyond the boundary rope.
My love for cricket definitely comes from my family with my parents both having an important influence on me in this area. Cricket has always been a shared passion in my family, shaped by the fact that my Dad not only played and captained at the Mulgrave Cricket Club for many years, but was my coach throughout my junior years, allowing for the smooth transition into senior cricket at the club. Furthermore, my family’s commitment to the game, by being heavily involved in the club as life members and volunteers, is a true inspiration to me.
Cricket can be a game of ups and downs, where you can feel like you’re on top, and sometimes it can all change in a second. The thing that keeps me going and actively involved is the people that I am lucky enough to share it with, where being a part of that team environment is just as important as tasting individual success. It has shaped the way I see the game and the way I see myself, where the strongest memories the game creates are forged within teams built on genuine relationships, memories that I will carry forever. Importantly, over the years I have learnt that cricket becomes more than just a game. It inspires people to help, to give back, to be actively involved, and nowadays, more than ever, to help kids develop their skills in order to be the best version of themselves, really fostering community spirit.
Australian Cricket Society’s new literary scholar Liam Grima is mentored by writer John Harms. His pieces are also published at www.footyalmanac.com.au .