A passion for cricket to share

NATARSHA Williams has always loved cricket. She’s passionately played and watched the game since she was a young girl.

But it wasn’t until her own children had grown older and more independent that she realised she had more to give back to the sport.

In 2014, Mrs Williams realised how much cricket equipment was “coming and going” at the Wendouree Cricket Club.

“Every year, kids seemed to get new gear as they grew up and got bigger,” she said.

That lead her to asked questions about what happened to their old equipment.

“We looked at collecting all the used cricket gear and doing something with it. I just googled and found a contact from Northern Territory Cricket,” she said.

“I came across a guy who was really passionate. He did a lot of visits to indigenous communities that were often quite remote.

“He’d run cricket clinics with the kids and adults for a week or two. When he left, the kids could still play cricket because they had our gear.”

That initial idea has grown to become the Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) initiative, collecting and sending equipment to underprivileged communities within the Northern Territory and developing countries.

With further online research, Mrs Williams made links with former Bangladesh Cricket Captain, Aminul Islam.

He’s been “very keen” to get gear to Bangladesh, organising and distributing the donations himself – including 80 pairs of runners and pads – just this week, to academies all over the country.

The CWB team has also sent small consignments to Vanuatu, India and Cambodia.

“I’m not letting anyone leave the country without taking a bag of cricket gear somewhere in the world,” Mrs Williams laughs. “When someone’s going I say, ‘you can fit this in your bag, I’m sure!’”

She said the children and adults on the receiving end, no matter where in the world, are “ecstatic about it,” especially in Bangladesh where they are “absolutely passionate.”

“They just love cricket. They have no space and no gear. I can’t fix the space but I can fix the gear to a certain extent,” she said.

“It’s good gear so it will hopefully last them a while and give them potential to be good cricketers.”

Every time Mrs Williams arrives at training, a piece of equipment is donated.

“Cricket Without Boundaries is great for the club and the club’s very proud of it,” she said.

“It’s just become a part of their world that they see they can give back to the community.”

Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka are next on the agenda and Mrs Williams continues to network with a lot of new clubs, aiming to get them on board.

“We’re trying to expand. It takes just one person to think it’s a good idea and away you go.”

“There’s so much gear that sits in the back of sheds for mice to lay nests in,” she said.

“You might as well give it to someone.”

If you would like to donate some of your cricket gear or have any queries, contact the Wendouree Cricket Club, [email protected].