Talking Vision is Vision Australia Radio’s flagship program, discussing the latest news and issues from a blindness and low vision perspective.
Sam has the great pleasure to be joined by Doug Sloan OAM, a blind cricket player, volunteer and administrator with five decades of involvement with blind sport.
Doug was instrumental in organising a blind cricket 100th anniversary celebration dinner, which recently took place at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Centre.
Doug shared some wonderful memories playing blind cricket in club and state games in Victoria, as well as matches all around Australia
“I’ve had some great memories especially on some of the interstate carnivals that we played, some of the friends that you make and fellow cricketers that you meet, that’s what it’s all about,” Doug said.
“You meet so many wonderful people over the journey then after the game you sit down over a cold one and chat about the game, it’s those friendships that really make it special,” he said.
While blind cricket is a well-loved pastime, Doug said events like the 100th anniversary celebrations are important to keep the sport alive.
“It was just such a wonderful night, it really was an evening that will be remembered by many people, to just have so many of us oldies there was just incredible to sit down and reminisce.
“It wasn’t just the oldies there though, even some of the young players were just in awe of what we were able to achieve in the past, and credit also goes to the volunteers like umpires and scorers, without them our game wouldn’t have been around for 100 years,” he said.
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