{"id":779626,"date":"2026-07-05T01:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T01:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/779626\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T01:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T01:12:11","slug":"from-flinders-to-mackay-sam-fields-cricket-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/779626\/","title":{"rendered":"From Flinders to Mackay: Sam Field’s cricket journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo credit: Cath Coady (The Memory Collectors)<\/p>\n

This NAIDOC Week, we spoke with Melbourne Cricket Club cricketer Sam Field, a Trawlwoolway and Palawa man, who recently represented Victoria at the 2026 National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC) on Yuwibara Country in Mackay.<\/p>\n

Sam reflected on his cricket journey, his Indigenous heritage and what he hopes the future holds for First Nations players in the game.<\/p>\n

Sam’s love of cricket started at the Flinders Cricket Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching my dad play, I always wanted to be like him. That’s where my cricket journey started.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2022, Sam made his First XI debut for Flinders at the age of 12, making him the youngest First XI player in the Club\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

From Flinders, he found his way to the MCC through the Pucovski Junior Academy, and at just 16 years of age, the talented all-rounder has already made his mark. He played most of the 2025\/26 season in the Second XI and was part of the Third XI premiership-winning side. The year prior, he captained the U16 WJ Dowling Shield team.<\/p>\n

\"Sam
\nSam and his father<\/p>\n

After impressing over the 2025\/26 summer, Sam was selected to represent Victoria at the 2026 NICC. The annual T20 tournament, supported by the MCC Foundation<\/a> and Cricket Australia, brings together talented First Nations players from across Australia to develop their skills, build connections and pursue opportunities at the highest levels of the game.<\/p>\n

While Victoria was defeated by Western Australia<\/a> in the final, Sam’s performances across the week earned him selection in the team of the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fantastic experience. The cricket was competitive, but there was also a really strong sense of community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the highlights was the cultural day at Cape Hillsborough with players from all the other states. We learnt about the local culture, history and Country, and it was a great opportunity to connect with other Indigenous players and share experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam’s Indigenous heritage is something he is still discovering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m proud to be Trawlwoolway and Palawa, and a descendant of Mannalargenna through my mum’s family. We only discovered that connection in recent years, so it’s been a journey of learning more about our family’s history, culture and heritage. It’s a part of my identity that I’m very proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we’ve learnt more about our family history, NAIDOC Week has become an important opportunity to celebrate and strengthen that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sam
\nPhoto credit: Cricket Australia. Sam representing Victoria in the Indigenous XI squad<\/p>\n

Sam’s goals for the future are clear. Premier First XI cricket at the MCC, Victorian Country Under 19s selection and a chance to develop his skills at the MCG Training Camp alongside other standout players from the NICC.<\/p>\n

Looking beyond his own career, Sam hopes to see more First Nations players given opportunities to showcase their skills and progress through the pathway system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more opportunities there are, the more young Indigenous players will be encouraged to stay involved in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a full summary of the 2026 National Indigenous Cricket Championships, visit Cricket Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo credit: Cath Coady (The Memory Collectors) This NAIDOC Week, we spoke with Melbourne Cricket Club cricketer Sam…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":779627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-779626","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\/779626","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=779626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}