Warner wins Darwin hearts
DAVID Warner has found an accepting audience in the Northern Territory, as he spends the week working with junior cricketers and running a driver education course.
The Australian cricketer, who has kept out of the spotlight since Cricket Australia suspended him over the infamous ball-tamper- ing incident in South Africa in March, arrived in the NT on Friday ahead of a visit to Arnhem Land. Yesterday, he mingled with fans at Premier Grade games across the Top End.
While the dashing opening batsman was off limits to any of the media’s questions, the Darwin Cricket Club was delighted to host him after he was the highprofile star at a Milo junior clinic at Kahlin Oval on Friday night.
“The parents loved it and the kids got some good value out of it,” Eagles president Morgan Yeo said.
“It was sensational for him to come down. He didn’t have to, but he was happy to do it.”
Darwin top-grade captain Luke Shelton said Warner running the Milo junior clinic was “massive”. “He ran the whole session for an hour and a half, and stayed around and spoke to everyone afterwards,” Shelton said. “It was really good for us to have him. Putting the (ball tampering) stuff aside, you’ve still got to have respect for someone who’s achieved so much in the game. The kids learnt a lot, we learnt a lot and he’s been really good about the whole situation.”