By Marcus Uhe
Among the fans glued to the action at Greaves Reserve on Tuesday night for the final of the inaugural DDCA Women’s T20 competition was an ICC Hall of Fame member and all-time great of the sport.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Cathryn Fitzpatrick terrorised batters with her frightening speeds and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.
A two-time World Cup winner, in 1997 and 2005, and with a combined 240 wickets to her name across Test Matches and One Day Internationals, there were few bigger names in Women’s cricket than Fitzpatrick.
Before the likes of Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry were winning World Cups in front of 80,000 people at the MCG, and celebrating on stage with musical megastar Katy Perry, or earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to play in the Women’s Premier League in India, there were the Fitzpatrick’s, Mel Jones’, Belinda Clark’s and Sarah Elliott’s of the world, who all found their feet at grassroots level and, in her case, at Buckley Ridges.
But from being one of the more recognisable people in the sport in a previous generation, Fitzpatrick was content as simply a face in the crowd on Tuesday, watching her former club side fight its way back into the contest against Springvale South to claim victory, and reminiscing on her time at Park Oval alongside former teammate Kylie Dickie and longtime club supporters such as Gerry Carman.
That was, until the post-match presentation, when she presented a medal named in her honour to Buckley Ridges batter Karina Diaz, as the best player in the grand final for her important 31 at the top of the order.
“I think there’s quite a few people that played for Buckley along the way that it could have easily been named after,” Fitzpatrick said of having the medal named after her.
“I was very chuffed when I found out about it.
“It’s lovely, but I don’t think that whoever wins it will have any idea who I am.”
While this season was the competition’s debut, Fitzpatrick’s mind drifted back to a competition that drew many parallels back when she was on her way through the ranks.
She felt it benefited her cricket immensely, and can forecast similar for modern-day Fitzpatrick’s early in their cricketing journey.
“Interestingly enough, we played in a T20 competition, and I can’t tell you the year, out at Mitcham, under lights, on synthetic, and it was so much fun,” she said.
“Instead of training, we got to play, which was the best thing; you learn more by playing the game than you do in the nets.
“This competition brought back memories of that.”
In what was her first time viewing a match in this competition there was plenty that impressed her; from the atmosphere, the commitment and enthusiasm of the participants, to the access to Turf wickets, the support of those watching and the standard of play in the middle.
Of upmost importance, however, was the warmth and appreciation of club cricket.
“I said as I drove in to a friend, some of these girls wouldn’t have played in front of this many people, which is great to see,” she said.
“There’s a great community feel, and that’s what cricket is about; if you go on and play for Australia, all those things are fun, but it’s around where your base is.
“I played more club cricket than I did international cricket.
“I was talking to people that I’ve known for 40/50 years, whereas nowadays, current day players, because of scheduling, don’t get to play a lot of club cricket.
“They have the connection within their side, but not the connection with their club, (things like) putting the covers down on a Friday night, pulling them up Saturday morning, all those things that you don’t like doing, but it builds your community.
“I’ve been fortunate to have played around the world in World Cups, but winning club premierships with my mates, they’re irreplaceable moments.
“It’s the community and the friendships that last.”
Among those who took the field on Tuesday night included teenagers Limansa Thilakarathne (Buckley Ridges), the daughter of former Sri Lankan all rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan, Grace Barnes (Buckley Ridges) and Indigo Noble (Springvale South), each of which have been identified as players of promise, and will represent Victoria Country Under 16 Female National Championships in January.
Maybe one day, they will play the role of interested spectators cheering on their club side and thinking back to playing the DDCA’s first women’s T20 competition, when they were the community’s newest trailblazers.
Where their cricketing journey takes them remains to be seen, but with players like Fitzpatrick having paved the way, the future looks bright.
