Celebrating the Player – Honouring the Man
Sydney Cricket Ground
2 November 2008
FREE PUBLIC ENTRY (spectators are encouraged to make a donation to Youth Off The Streets)
PARKING:The Members car park will be open to the public through the event
CONTACT: David Strange (Event Coordinator), p: 0438 106 692, e:
MEDIA RELEASE
For release: 17 October 2008
FESTIVAL TRAVELS BACK IN TIME TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF AUSTRALIAN CRICKET
A collection of cricketing greats and showbiz celebrities are preparing to wield long-handled bats, don slatted pads and spiked gloves, and travel back in time to the golden age of cricket at Sydney Cricket Ground on 2 November – and everyone is invited to come along for the ride for free.
Ex-test cricketers Greg Matthews, Phil Emery, Gavin Robertson, Greg Campbell, Mike Whitney join Darren Berry, Brad McNamara, radio personality Adam Spencer, former Wiggles member Greg Page, INXS member Tim Farriss, comedians Mick Molloy, Lehmo, Craig Reucassell from The Chaser and Mickey D are among the famous faces who will take part in Victor Trumper Day, a free one-day festival celebrating Australia’s master batsman and the era in which he played.
One of the true greats from cricket’s glory days at the turn of the 19th-century, Trumper died in 1915 and his name since faded from the consciousness of many contemporary cricket fans.
Victor Trumper Day will honour the memory of the man with the celebrities set to play a Twenty20 match with authentic reproductions of Trumper’s cricket bat and protective equipment. Two of NSW’s top cricketing schools, Endeavour Sports High and Kinross Wolaroi will also vie for the Victor Trumper Shield as part of the charity day.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Trumper’s achievements as a player, but also reflect on just how much cricket as a game has changed over the past century,” said event coordinator David Strange.
Described as the world’s most imaginative cricket festival, the event will not restrict the history lesson to the SCG pitch. Spectators will be served a smorgasbord of 19th-century food and music, while actors costumed in Edwardian attire present a grand scale retrospective of the golden age of cricket.
Entry on the day is free, but people are encouraged to make a gold coin donation to Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets. Gates will open at 11am with the schools match as a curtain raiser and the first ball of the celebrity Twenty20 match is set to be bowled at 3pm. Youth Off The Streets will also hold a raffle with the lucky winners to head onto the field to play in the match.
NAME:Victor Trumper Day: The World’s Most Imaginative Cricket Festival
VENUE & DATE: Sydney Cricket Ground
2 November 2008
Gates Open - 11am
Schoolboy Final - 11.30am
Endeavour Sports High v Kinross Wollaroi
Celebrity Match - 3pm-6pm
Guest appearances by ‘Dame Nellie Melba’ and ‘Henry Lawson’, Gideon
Haigh, Ashley Mallett and the ADF in uniforms from the Sudan War and
WW1, Mounted Police, a 1908 Cadillac, 1915 Model T Ford, a 5 piece
brass band, and ‘Victor Trumper’ and ‘Sarah Ann Briggs’ will greet the
crowd upon entry from the Sydney shopfront circa 1910.
upon entry. Sample Beef and Guinness pie, cottage pie and sparkling
white wine and enjoy a net demonstration of Golden Age cricket
conducted by Greg Matthews and Mike Whitney.
PRICE:FREE PUBLIC ENTRY (spectators are encouraged to make a donation to Youth Off The Streets)
PARKING:The Members car park will be open to the public through the event
CONTACT: David Strange (Event Coordinator), p: 0438 106 692, e:
MEDIA CONTACT:Avviso Public Relations
Nicole TiedgenPaul Fahy 02 8356 971102 9360 6166