THE cream of Cootamundra’s cricket community, both past and present, are gearing up for a top evening of Twenty/20 cricket today at Albert Park.
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The Bat for Joe match coincides with the Home Ground Cricket Tour taking place at the park all day, all for a great cause.
The Roberts family, including Scott and Jodie and their other children Matthew, Oscar and Sophie, have carried the cost of Joe’s care until now. The vehicle is beyond the means of the family, however in a community such as ours nothing is impossible. Bat for Joe was formed by friends of the family wanting to do something to help and a series of fundraisers have now been held.
This latest one, tonight’s Twenty/20 match, could not be a more perfect fit for dad ‘Scooter’ Roberts, who loves his cricket and only recently retired from Cootamundra’s representative XI.
Some of the best cricketers in town are looking forward to playing in the match (see adjacent profiles on all players).
The team captained by Scott Roberts will contain some of best experienced cricketers in the association while Mick Cronin is captaining the side with the cream of the crop of Coota’s younger cricketers.
Nearly all the senior representative side are playing with the exception of Phil Gay who is not available.
The match will be a proper Twenty/20 match with bowlers limited to four overs and the bowling of wides will be strictly monitored. There will be no limit on bowling run ups.
Four piece balls will be used.
The match is due to commence at 5pm and should conclude around 7.30pm, but like all things cricket, there are no guarantees!
While the outfield is still slow after last week’s rain, do not be surprised to see more than 200 runs scored in the two and half hours of cricket.
All proceeds from the match will go to Bat for Joe.
Players and umpires will contribute $20 each to be part of the fundraising (not to mention fun!) match and bat for Joe wristbands will be available for $3 each. These are a great way to show ongoing support.
A bucket will go around during the match for spectators to make donations.
Should the match be a success, the Cootamundra District Cricket Association says a match like this one could become a regular game on the cricketing calendar raising funds for a nominated charity or cause.
The umpires for the match are Ric Becquet and Jeff White.
Spectators are welcome and encouraged. Show your support for this great cause and cricket in Cootamundra. It should be a great game!
What is Bat for Joe?
Bat for Joe supports the purchase of a modified wheelchair-accessible vehicle for Joe Roberts, the son of Scott and Jodie Roberts.
Joe was born with Cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Approximately 10 per cent of babies are born with the CMV virus and only one per cent of those show evident signs of the virus at birth, known as symptomatic congenital cytomeliovirus.
Joe was one of those one per cent.
In healthy people, CMV infection causes nothing more than a flu like illness that lasts a few days.
In certain people, including transplant patients and pregnant women, the effects can be much more serious, which was the case for Jodie when she had Joe.
CMV has been known to cause hearing loss, vision loss, mental disability, feeding issues/failure to thrive, sleeping issues, sensory issues, can cause ADHD/Autism, small head/small brain, cerebral palsy, seizures and death.