Australian Cricket Association representative Alex Ross says organisation proud to give back to the game

Professional cricketer Alex Ross said the Australian Cricketers Association Masters side which visited the South West at the weekend was proud to be giving back to the game at the grassroots. A team comprised of current and former international and State cricketers toured regional WA last week, spending time in Mandurah before being in the South West from Saturday to Monday. As well as playing a game against a representative Bunbury and Districts Cricket Association side on Sunday, the players also held a training session for aspiring young cricketers and visited primary schools for clinics. Ross, who has featured in 11 seasons of the Big Bash League as part of 213 games of top-level cricket played around the world, said the cricketers were happy to help in trying to foster the growth of a game which had given them so much. “We want to continue to grow the game, that old cliche of leaving it in a better place than you found it,” he said. “We’ve done lots of coaching clinics, we’ve been in schools throughout our trip here to regional WA, it’s been extremely vaulable. Coaching some kids this morning and just hearing ‘I really like cricket and I really want to continue with it’ after our impact was awesome.” After being recognised as player of the match in Sunday’s game, spinner Molly Lincoln — who has represented WA’s under-19 side and the State’s Country XI this summer — was awarded a $1000 bursary from the ACA to help fund her future in the game. Ross said the organisation was “very proud to give something like that to help a young player in their journey”. “Molly was quality out there, 3-27 off four overs. Everyone that came off said ‘you’ve got to watch out for her, she lands it on the spot, she didn’t miss’,” he said. “She was very, very impressive and one to look out for in WA for sure.” The BDCA won a contest played in a competitive but friendly spirit by seven wickets, with Ross joking they had presented a far sterner test than the Mandurah side the ACA Masters had played earlier in the week. “(Ben Edmonson) hasn’t bowled a ball in nine years, so there’s going to be some sore bodies tomorrow, but they put on a really good contest for us,” he said. “They got the chocolates today, hopefully we get the chance to come back and play them again another time.”