What an innings! Selfless Denis comes out to bat for young players

The $10,000 Westfield Local Heroes grant has enabled the West Torrens District Cricket Club to purchase uniforms, coaching aids, new cricket and soft balls and iPads for scorers of all Junior teams. The iPads enable scoreres to immediately send information to the SACA and Club websites for recording purposes and instant recognition by supporters and families not present at the match. The West Torrens District are proud to be the first SA club to roll out this initiative!

Since the club has been using their new equipment it has eased the load on match day officials, contributed to better quality training and eased the financial burden on parents.

For the past 12 years, Denis, 77, has been the coordinator of WTDCC’s Young Eagles Boys and Girls Academies and is dedicated to ensuring all children can play cricket, regardless of their socio-economic background.

“It’s trying to develop the total person, develop the child not just in sport but in social, cultural and physical activities so that they are prepared for life as well as being prepared for cricket,” says Denis.

Denis, a former teacher, handles all aspects of the academies, from promotion to recruitment; coordination to coaching and has organised trial matches against other academies and an annual country trip to play against teams in the West Torrens Country zone on the Yorke Peninsula.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here.