WA Blind Cricket Club — The Venetians — play Cricket South West’s under 18 squad at Harvey Recreation Ground

The Harvey Recreation Ground played host to a heartwarming game of cricket in October. The WA Blind Cricket Club — The Venetians — played off against Cricket South West’s under 18 development squad on October 31. Harvey-Benger Cricket Club president Haydn Jones said he was excited to host this match in Harvey because The Boundary — HBCC’s clubrooms — was designed with accessibility as a priority. “We thought as a club this was a good opportunity to empower our access community by providing opportunities to participate, contribute and thrive,” he said. Jones said these cricket matches supported the Harvey Shire’s Access and Inclusion Plan to become the most accessible and inclusive regional community in WA. The South West won by 56 runs after posting 1-170 off their 20 overs and bowling the WABCC out for 115. The match was played in good spirit with some of the development squad players wearing simulation glasses to give them an insight into what low vision may be like. Cricket South West junior coordinator Nathan King said the game was an opportunity to give the SW side some perspective. “We wanted to expose our local talented cricketers to not only next level cricket but also the diversity and inclusiveness that our awesome sport has on offer,” he said. “We wanted to show our players that disability has no boundaries.” The squad was also set to play against the WA Deaf and Hard of Hearing cricket team.