Reynella All Abilities In2Cricket

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (16:56): I rise today to speak on a brilliant local story in my community. I have been involved with this group for a little while watching from the sidelines and it has been amazing to see what they have done. I am speaking of the Reynella All Abilities In2Cricket group.

It was my great pleasure earlier on in February to be at Flinders University to see the Special Olympics cricket tournament, and two of the young cricketers from the Reynella All Abilities In2Cricket team were playing in the South Australian side, which was just so great to see.

I would like to congratulate Jimmy Eustance-Smith and Callum Niederer who both represented, as I said, South Australia in the Special Olympics cricket tournament. They played four games over three days and had two great wins and a very narrow loss to the New South Wales/ACT A grade side which meant they ended up third overall.

Earlier in the tournament, both of the lads took two wickets and made some runs in the game against Queensland. Jimmy, in particular, took two important catches as well which was absolutely outstanding. Both of them played important roles in the opening ceremony as well, with Callum carrying the Olympic flame and lighting the torch which was great to see. Well done to the lads on that front as well.

I would also like to commend a couple of people who have helped organise this from the get-go. What they have done and what they have achieved in their community in raising the profile of this All Abilities In2Cricket group and engaging with people who were looking for this special nuanced cricket program has been outstanding. The people I speak of are Jenni and Ned Niederer. They have done a marvellous job. In fact, on New Year's Eve they were recognised as SA Community Cricket Regional Volunteer Award winners at Adelaide Oval, and they had a wonderful night there. The SACA sent them a letter congratulating them, as I said, for all the great work they have done in developing this program so a big congratulations to them for what they did.

I did mention that when this first started out, when Ned and Jenni were getting this organised, I went along and gave them a little bit of a hand. I probably got in the way, to be honest, but I just joined in the fun with what they were doing with these young kids. The program is designed to bring people of all abilities into playing the great game of cricket, getting them engaged and getting them to love what goes on with cricket. Ned and Jenni did a marvellous job in establishing this group and getting people interested and involved. They have gone on to have such great success that two of the cricketers, as I have said, have gone on to play and represent South Australia at the tournament at Flinders University. It was sensational to be there.

It is a very fun and rewarding program that they put on, and I know that coming up they have a centre wicket game on 29 February, the Monday night there. That is a parents' match as well, so that is going to be plenty of fun.

Coincidentally, I was also at the Rotary Club just the other day and was chatting with Kevin Donaldson, who is heavily involved in the Edwardstown Rotary Club. Kevin pointed me in the direction of Dream Cricket, which is another quite similar program. It is supported by the Bradman Foundation, and has the Hon. John Howard as a patron.

Again, this is another group that is doing some marvellous work in a similar area for children with disabilities, getting them to play cricket and building confidence and self-esteem through movement and participation. This is another group that is doing an absolutely outstanding job, primarily on the eastern seaboard, and I think Kevin is keen to get it moving in South Australia as well. So, there might be an ideal dovetail between All Abilities In2Cricket and the Dream Cricket program.

It is great to see sport as a wonderful enabler in our community. I must really commend Kevin for his initiation and pickup of the Dream Cricket program and his push for that and, as I mentioned, Ned and Jenni for the great work they have done in Reynella around this program. The Reynella Cricket Club is a wonderful cricket club. David Green is heavily involved there, along with Matthew Hehner. They have a great junior program—under 11s, 13s, 15s and 17s. They have had wonderful success this year, and all their senior grades are also very strong. So, we wish them well heading into the finals.

I look forward to a long and continued association with the Reynella Cricket Club and all the sporting clubs down at Club Reynella. They do a marvellous job in my community. To all the volunteers involved, I thank them very much for their support.