By Star Mail and AAP<\/p>\n
A rallying of support has stemmed from a tragic loss of a young Ferntree Gully cricketer, seeing clubs and organisations across the region extend their heartfelt condolences. <\/p>\n
Ben Austin was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being struck in the neck by a ball at training at Ferntree Gully, in Melbourne\u2019s outer east, on Tuesday 28 October.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old was facing balls in the nets ahead of a T20 match when the injury occurred in front of his teammates.<\/p>\n
Since then, an outpouring of love and support has been seen near and far, from higher-grade cricket to local organisations. <\/p>\n
In the wake of Ben\u2019s death, Ferntree Gully Cricket Club encouraged everyone to put a Bat out for Ben as a tribute to the cherished son, player and friend. <\/p>\n
Wally Tew Reserve saw bats and jerseys lined up along the cricket nets, people paying tribute to a young man who left an indelible mark on so many. Teammates and friends sat on the grass in mournful conversation, remembering their friend. <\/p>\n
Establishing a GoFundMe on Thursday 30 October, within 24 hours it had raised $112,000 and continues to grow. It can be found here: gofundme.com\/f\/vale-ben-austin<\/p>\n
Here are just some of the tributes shared both locally and more broadly. <\/p>\n
Ferntree Gully CFA: <\/p>\n
Our deepest condolences are shared with the family and friends of the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. The hurt is felt throughout the community.<\/p>\n
Our collective thoughts remain with Ben\u2019s family, his teammates and all who called him a friend. In time, may the memories of his laughter, leadership, and unbreakable zest for cricket offer some solace amid the sorrow. Rest easy, Benny\u2014your light will shine on in every boundary crossed and every cheer raised in your honour.<\/p>\n
Cricket Australia:<\/p>\n
Vale Ben Austin.<\/p>\n
Cricket Australia is devastated at the passing of 17-year-old Melbourne cricketer Ben Austin following an accident while batting in the nets on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe death of a young cricketer practising to play the game he loved is an absolutely tragic event and our hearts go out to Ben\u2019s family, friends and teammates at this very sad time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working with Cricket Victoria to ensure there will be appropriate recognition of Ben at (Friday) night\u2019s T20 International at the MCG.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mums of the Hills:<\/p>\n
As a community of mums, families, and many who live and breathe local sport, this loss is deeply felt. Many of us are parents of cricketers, players ourselves, or part of the clubs connected with Ben\u2019s team \u2013 Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. The sadness is heavy and shared by so many across the hills and beyond.<\/p>\n
As encouraged by the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club, we\u2019re putting our bats out for Ben. It\u2019s a small but heartfelt way to show our support and solidarity.<\/p>\n
To Ben\u2019s loved ones and teammates, we send our sincere condolences and strength during this very difficult time.<\/p>\n
Olinda Cricket Club:<\/p>\n
On behalf of Olinda Cricket Club we send our deepest condolences to Ben Austin family and to Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. Our thoughts are prayers are with you all.<\/p>\n
Rest in Peace, Ben.<\/p>\n
Wandin Cricket Club:<\/p>\n
Wandin Cricket Club and our entire community would like to send our deepest condolences to the Austin family and Ferntree Gully Cricket Club following the devastating news.<\/p>\n
Foothills Community Care:<\/p>\n
Our hearts are heavy today with the loss of 17-year-old local Ben Austin. From everyone at the Foothills Community Op-Shop, we\u2019re holding Ben\u2019s family, friends, and the whole community close in our thoughts. <\/p>\n
This bat and hat belong to our CEO, Stephen Barrington \u2014 a proud long-time member of the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club. To everyone at the club, we\u2019re standing with you in love and support.<\/p>\n
Ferntree Gully Football Netball Club: <\/p>\n
No matter what the job was \u2014 boundary umpiring, running water, or helping out around the club \u2014 Benny was always willing to lend a hand. His smile and attitude were felt by everyone who crossed paths with him. A true community person on and off the field, who embodied what our sporting community is all about.<\/p>\n
Ringwood and District Cricket Association:<\/p>\n
Ben Austin \u2013 Memorial Round <\/p>\n
To honour the tragic passing of Ben Austin, <\/p>\n
The RDCA Board of Management kindly requests that all clubs ensure that all players in all grades and competitions participating this weekend wear black armbands and observe, where possible, a minutes silence in support of Ben. <\/p>\n
It has been truly overwhelming to see the outpouring of support offered by the RDCA clubs and broader RDCA community at this moment in time for Ben and his family. <\/p>\n
Michael Finn <\/p>\n
President \u2013 Ringwood and District Cricket Association <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Star Mail and AAP A rallying of support has stemmed from a tragic loss of a young…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258318,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-258317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}