Cricket Club Honors Teen Killed by Ball
The memorial round dedicated to young cricketer Ben Austin has been postponed for a weekend as rainfall halted planned tributes. The 17-year-old died in a tragic accident after being struck by a cricket ball during practice before a T20 game last week.
The Ferntree Gully and District Cricket Association had arranged a minute’s silence before each match to honor Ben. However, the poor weather caused the event to be delayed until next week.
“Unfortunately today’s play has been abandoned – we will be doing our planned memorial tributes for Ben Austin next week, before each of the rescheduled one-day games,”
announced the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club in a Facebook post. The club also named Ben as the 12th man for its senior team this weekend.
Cricket Victoria canceled games across the state following Ben’s death, which deeply affected the cricket community. Fresh tributes were placed at the Wally Trew Oval on Saturday before the postponement was officially declared.
On Thursday, members held a moment of silence at Wally Tew Reserve, where Ben’s initials and player number, BA 512, were painted on the grounds one week after the tragedy.
Author’s Summary
The Ferntree Gully cricket community postponed memorial tributes for teenager Ben Austin, honoring him with silence, symbolism, and heartfelt remembrance after his untimely death.