Locals caught up on global cricketing craze

How can we combine playing a lengthy team sport with a busy, urban modern lifestyle? Package that sport in a neat, but dynamic two-hour game, where everything is organised for you.

Last Man Stands, a global amateur cricket competition, delivers just this. Since launching in Centennial and Moore Parks in January, the Twenty20 competition has fast become a regular feature in the eastern suburbs’ sporting scene.

Already it has more than 500 players from Bondi to Randwick and surrounding suburbs. Such demand means there will be two summer seasons in Sydney’s eastern parks, the first from mid-October.

It’s a strong testament to the power of word-of-mouth and the draw of a global competition that ranks local players against those from as far away as Johannesburg.

Administrative hassles like booking pitches and organising fixtures are taken care of, while teams’ statistics and rankings are recorded online.

And, in the spirit of the game, post-game socialising is one of the draw cards with Paddington’s watering holes favoured. Last Man Stands’ Sydney manager Rob Stevenson said T20 cricket allows everyone the time to get involved with social cricket again.

“We’ve had a massive response from teams in the eastern suburbs drawn to the competitive nature of the comp,” he said.

In recent years Twenty20 cricket has inundated professional cricket across iconic stadiums worldwide. It has won international popularity for its short but entertaining games in the convenient after-work twilight hours of summer.

Last Man Stands gives locals the chance to be more than spectators of this growing sporting phenomenon.

“We cater for all abilities. Players range from beginners to high grade cricketers, students and even dads returning to the sport,” Stevenson said. “Coming this summer we’ll also be having a specialist corporate competition at Moore Park.”

Last Man Stands was first established in London in 2005. It has since grown to accommodate over 7000 players and 500 teams in England, South Africa, Dubai, New Zealand and now Australia.

Adding to the international prestige, local players will be in prime position to qualify for the inaugural Australasian Champions League in Centennial Park this December.

“This is a first for amateur cricket. The fact that 12 amateur teams are flying in from New Zealand and from around Australia shows just how popular our competition has become,” Stevenson said.

– BY KATHERINE GREGORY