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<\/p>\nOriginally the brainchild of London sporting impresarios Wayne Greve and Bjorn Briggs, the format has grown from its grassroots beginnings in England back in 2005 to become a global phenomenon.<\/p>\n
Essentially, the T20 matches see teams consisting of eight players taking part in sessions over a two-hour afternoon period.<\/p>\n
Fast forward over 20 years and the league now boasts a staggering 260,000 registered participants worldwide in countries as far afield as Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Now it is Shepparton\u2019s turn to get in on the action, with the city\u2019s very own Last Man Stands league having been established in April in the form of a Short Intro competition which has run throughout the past month.<\/p>\n
Following on from this, the league is set to launch a Winter 2026 Competition, which will see cricketers take to the crease every Saturday from June 1 onwards right through until September down at Mooroopna Reserve.<\/p>\n
Spots are still available for teams of all skill levels to register for the Winter tournament – with Come and Try matches also in the works for new teams to participate in.<\/p>\n
Last Man Standing organizer JJ Murphy explained how it came about that the competition will be staged in Shepparton.<\/p>\n
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Teams from far and wide will take part in the Last Man Stands league in Shepparton.<\/p>\n
\u201cLMS is designed for amateur cricketers, I predominantly played in the Mid North Coast around Taree and then in the Gold Coast and Sydney,\u201d outlining his own cricketing background.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved it and moved down to Albury-Wadonga in 2020 – but back then there was no LMS there so I started it there in 2021 and developed it into a regular all-year comp.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the Easter weekend we ran our Border Bash comp and a Shepparton team competed and they asked if we could get LMS started in Shepparton – so we were able to get down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The launch of the league in Shepp has proven to be a success so far, with four Goulburn Valley teams taking part, with a side from Melbourne and two Albury teams set to participate moving forward.<\/p>\n
Advocating the community element of the sport, organizer Murphy is championing the ability of socializing as part of a team being beneficial to the mental well-being of participants.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe promote men\u2019s mental health and friendship, so the concept is getting eight mates together to enjoy cricket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost teams don\u2019t train, they just show up once a week, check in on each other and play cricket – given the concept of the game, we felt it was reasonable to promote men\u2019s mental health through this platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver Easter we ran a tournament which saw teams from as far as Brisbane and Melbourne come, we\u2019ve had players come from New Zealand and Tasmania too and we raise money for Survivors of Suicide and Friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also jumped on board with Spoke to a Bloke and raised $20,000 over the last four years from the Easter weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Incredibly, Murphy is now rated as the third-best wicket keeper in the world in the Last Man Stands rankings, with the Goulburn Valley cricketer encouraging enthusiasts to follow in his footsteps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re playing each Saturday through the winter and in October, we plan to also play in midweek,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get people involved and enjoying their cricket and playing during the off-season or getting an extra hit in during the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t mind if you just love the game and want to play or if you\u2019re the best cricketer in the world – it\u2019s all about playing cricket with your mates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this format it\u2019s easy to get registered, get eight mates together, check in on each other and grow men\u2019s mental health – ensuring people are okay.\u201d<\/p>\n