Celebrations all round as celebrity cricket ends in a tie

News » Celebrations all round as celebrity cricket ends in a tie

University cricketer Richard Sykes was the unlikely hero when he scrambled two runs off the last ball of the innings by former Test fast bowler Glenn McGrath to force a tie in Saturday’s Stumping Serious Diseases Twenty20 celebrity cricket match at the University of Wollongong.

Sykes’ two runs took former England captain Adam Hollioake’s Town XI to 9-141 off their 20 overs, matching the total that Adam Gilchrist’s Gown XI had made in their innings – meaning the two teams share the Kerryn McCann Trophy.

UOW organised the match as part of its second annual Stumping Serious Diseases weekend to raise funds to support its health and medical research programs.

Gilchrist, McGrath and Hollioake were joined by former Australian internationals Andy Bichel, Wayne Holdsworth and Greg Campbell, England’s Robin Smith and New Zealander Scott Styris, as well Australian women’s representatives Melanie Jones, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Julia Price.

The celebrity players included Wollongong Hawks Mat Campbell and Glen Saville, surfer Michael Lowe, Dragons forward Jon Green, rugby league legend Steve Mortimer, and rock stars Tim Farriss (INXS) and Mark Callaghan (GANGgajang).

The Stumping Serious Diseases activities ended with a gala fund-raising dinner at the University Hall, where Gilchrist and McGrath entertained guests with stories from their days touring with Australian cricket teams.

The Stumping Serious Diseases events received strong corporate support, with Baulderstone the major sponsor, followed by MphasiS, Hooker Cockram, Daley and Co Accountants, MphasiS and Internetrix.