Bowled over with disappointment

JUNIOR cricketers went to bed on Saturday night aspiring to be Australian Test players and woke up yesterday to hear their heroes admit to blatant cheating in South Africa.

Mitch Owen, 16, just led Kingborough to the Cricket Tasmania Premier League under-17s premiership when he heard that those he worshipped had admitted to cheating.

Asked if the scandal changed the way he now viewed Australia’s best players, he said: “Not as cricketers, but as people a little bit.

“You question the way they want to play the game, the spirit they play, but I’ve still got a lot of respect for them as cricketers.”

He said he could not see players his age copying those ball tampering actions or other cheating methods.

“It is pretty disappointing, not only as a cricketer but as an Australian,” the Year 11 Guilford Young student said.

“Obviously it is not something that is going to affect the way myself and my team goes out and play next time, but the main point is being disappointed about it.”

His coach, Andrew Henley, has been leading junior teams for eight years and said he was shocked by what he saw on his television.

“When I initially saw it I thought that’s not the way Australia plays cricket,” Henley said.

“It is something that is not installed in us as young blokes.

“It is to compete — but not outside the rules — to get an advantage.”

Henley said it flew in the face of everything he tried to teach his players.

“The kids know what the spirit of cricket is and it is something I try to install in them all the time,” he said.

“It is nice to win but it is also good to be respected on how you win and even how you lose.

“Everything doesn’t go your way all the time but you have still got to be respectful to your opponents.”

Long-time Kingborough club president John French said Test players needed to be aware of the detrimental effect their actions had on the sport at the lower levels.

“It doesn’t make the job any easier when these things happen because it turns people off,” French said.

“People have been commenting here today, ‘bugger the Australian team if that’s the way it is going to be’.

“It doesn’t do much to encourage people to be involved.

“They will give up watching the Australian team if that’s the way it is going to be.

“I was watching it last night live and I couldn’t believe it.”