CHRISTINE HAS THE DRIVE
BLIND cricket’s leading lady Christine Casey is breaking down gender and disability barriers with a smile.
The 28-year-old has secured a spot as the only female on both the state and national blind cricket teams, donning the Victorian blues for her first match of the National Cricket Inclusion Champions in Geelong yesterday.
Casey is one of 230 of Australia’s premier players with a disability in town for the week-long event expected to provide a large social and economic injection to the city.
Casey was first introduced to blind cricket while at primary school in regional Queensland but didn’t take it seriously until university.
The star batter was just 19 when she first made Queensland’s state team but later took a break from the sport to move to Melbourne, volunteer in the Pacific Islands and pursue her teaching career.
“When I was younger I wanted to play for Australia but at the time I was a little intimidated by the fact that there were no females on the team,” she said.
“I think there has been a cultural shift in Victoria and Australia that has made it a lot easier to participate as a female player.”
Since returning to the crease Casey said she has been “completely” surprised by her cricketing achievements, which will see her head to India to contest the World Cup next week.
The National Cricket Inclusion Champions are comprised of three divisions that cater to those who are deaf, blind or have an intellectual disability.