By Marcus Uhe
Brutal subcontinental heat, a taxing schedule and slow spin-friendly wickets present the next challenge for Springvale South veteran Andrew Sharp in his cricketing journey at the pinnacle of Over 50s Veterans cricket.
Sharp has been named in Australia’s 17-man squad to contest his maiden International Masters Cricket Over 50’s World Cup in Sri Lanka in February next year, where 14 teams will vie for the crown of best Over 50s cricket team on the planet.
Only just reaching the qualifying age bracket at 53, the self-confessed cricket ‘nuffy’ has enjoyed an incredible rise within the Over 50s ranks, having only joined the circuit in recent years to supplement his playing days at Springvale South.
In last summer’s Over 50s National Championships, he made 160 runs from three innings for Victoria including an unbeaten 88 from 62 balls in the final against Queensland.
He toured New Zealand with the national team in March this year, and followed up with a Winter tour to the UK, where he made an unbeaten 102 off 91 deliveries against India.
In November at the Over 50s National Championships, he captained the tournament-winning Victorian side and averaged 45 from four innings, enough to see him selected for next year’s conquest.
He said it was a ‘good honour’ to earn his place in the Australian squad, and is looking forward to the challenge that awaits.
“This is unbelievable in terms of what you can do in Veterans cricket and the opportunities that are there,” he said.
“There’s so many people playing Veterans cricket Over 50s that even if there were those opportunities there, you wouldn’t probably think you would get there anyway in regards to how many people, and what needs to be done to do it.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind 12 months but the World Cup is the pinnacle in that, all the sides are there, all the countries that you would know of that compete in cricket.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
Sharp has played almost all of his 40-plus seasons of cricket for Springvale South in the Dandenong District Cricket Association and still plays in the Bloods’ Turf 4 side and Veterans side, supplemented by representing South East Veterans in Veterans Cricket Victoria – Over 50 Mixed Saxon Sports Shield competition.
The opportunity to elongate his playing career with Veterans cricket has provided a plethora of physical and mental benefits, with the booming competition playing a key role for those in the age bracket still looking for a hit.
“It does enormous things for your wellbeing, (and) fitness and the social side of it, the networking of friends that you meet and make, is unbelievable.
“There’s a code in Veterans cricket called the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ and that’s how they want the games to be played – they’re competitive but after the game, everyone gets together, you have a barbecue and a couple of drinks and do a man of the match award.
“It’s pretty well nine-10 months of the year that you’re training, so you’re fairly match-ready, as you can be, at our age.
“I do understand where it sits in the scheme of things and it is Veterans Over 50s cricket, but you do get a lot of compliments about it.”
14 teams will contest the tournament with the competing nations split across two pools of seven groups.
A gruelling itinerary sees the teams compete in six group games in 10 days before the top two teams from each group enter the semi-final play off stage.
Sharp has played on Sri Lankan soil as part of a DDCA representative side that toured Sri Lanka in 2011 but inclement weather meant the team only took the field once in Galle, despite being scheduled to play five matches.
He knows the Australian side will need to be at its best to climb the mountain, expecting each country to offer a new challenge to overcome.
“Sri Lanka notoriously have been okay at World Cups, but with this being their home ground, they have got former test and ODI players in their squad.
“They’re going to be very very competitive, and knowing the conditions is going to be a massive advantage for them. England over 50s cricket is unbelievable, they’ve hardly lost any games in a long period of time and they play round the clock, around the world and take it very seriously as well.
“Then you’ve got the other countries like the USA who have a lot of expats.
“When you say that you’re playing for the country, there becomes a little bit of pride that goes on and they want to improve, in regards to what they do.
“It will be a fantastic opportunity, getting everyone together.”
