By Cameron Lucadou-Wells
Cancer survivor and Buckley Ridges Cricket Club former player Matthew Koch says he’s ‘‘blown away’’ by the success of a Twenty20 exhibition fund-raiser for cancer research and treatment.
Organisers said they raised more than $11,000 during the game and family fun day that his former club held yesterday at Pultney Street Oval in Dandenong.
It easily surpassed the $5000 target Koch has set himself to take part in a 200-kilometre fund-raising ride for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Koch, 29, who has been treated for a life-threatening brain tumour, said the extra money would allow friends to join him on the charity ride in October. ‘‘I wasn’t expecting it to be that big,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m blown away by how much work they put into it.’’
A big crowd enjoyed live music, raffles and auctions of rare goods such as signed AFL jumpers and Australian cricket team paraphenalia.
The fund-raiser was the result of four weeks of hard work on the part of cricket club leaders and the support of the wider community. The club plays in the Dandenong District Cricket Association.
‘‘The vibe of the place was amazing,’’ co-organiser Celeste Cramer said. ‘‘A lot of people did so much behind the scenes. Multitudes of people who donated signed jumpers and the like. Our cricket club doesn’t have a lot of money but there’s a lot of love.’’
Mrs Cramer said she sold $1000 in raffle tickets in less than 30 minutes on the day. ‘‘The club has always been about what they can do to help.’’
Other chief organisers were Jason Cramer, Matt Carman and president Keiran Watson.
Koch, who took part in yesterday’s game, predicted he’d be back to play one-day matches for the club next season. ‘‘Everyone had a ball. It ended up being a draw but the result didn’t matter. It was all for fun.’’
Details: ’T20 Fundraiser for Matty and Corinne’s Ride to Conquer Cancer – Peter Mac’ at facebook.com/events/365143556831924/
