{"id":930505,"date":"2026-10-16T17:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930505\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T17:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:40:29","slug":"ben-austins-family-wants-cricket-to-remain-untouched-in-wake-of-teens-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930505\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Austin\u2019s family wants cricket to remain untouched in wake of teen\u2019s death"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first coronial hearing into the 17-year-old\u2019s death is set to be held on Friday after Ben was fatally struck in the neck with a cricket ball<\/a> at training in October last year.<\/p>\n

His father, Jace, said massive changes to the game of cricket is the last thing he or his late son would want.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it clear: We don\u2019t want another Benny or Phil Hughes, but we don\u2019t want to change the game of cricket. It\u2019s certainly not what Benny would want,\u201d he told the Herald Sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a little bit worried about the coroner\u2019s report. I hope they don\u2019t come out with something unrealistic in their recommendations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to have something ridiculous that changes the fabric of the game. Because this game is a safe and beautiful game, it really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was batting in the nets at Wally Tew Reserve on October 28 last year when he was hit in the neck by the ball, which had been bowled from a handheld device called a \u2018wanger\u2019.<\/p>\n

He died in hospital days later.<\/p>\n

His death triggered an outpouring of grief that saw cricket teams across Australia and the globe pause in memory of the boy from Ferntree Gully.<\/p>\n

Jace visits his son\u2019s grave nearly every day and said the pain has barely eased as they approach the first anniversary of his tragic passing.<\/p>\n

His death had drawn eerily similar comparisons<\/a> to that of Australian Test star Phil Hughes, who was struck by a bouncer playing Sheffield Shield in 2014.<\/p>\n

But Jace knows they were both \u201cfreak\u201d accidents and does not want to see huge changes to the sport, although he still encourages batters to wear neck guards on their helmets.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think of how many people play cricket, the chances are bloody ridiculous,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a freak accident, mate.\u201d<\/p>\n

This should have been the best week of Ben\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

He would have celebrated his 18th birthday last weekend before staying up late each night watching the Aussies crush South Africa in the Test match.<\/p>\n

Instead, his family will on Friday make the trip to the city for a directions hearing at the Coroners Court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would have got his license on Monday. It would have been a massive week. It makes it terribly hard,\u201d Jace said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would have stayed up to watch every ball if he could have. He loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the directions hearing, counsel assisting Coroner Simon McGregor is expected to read out a summary of the events leading up to Ben\u2019s death, with a focus on the training session. <\/p>\n

The parties will then discuss the future course of the coronial investigation and whether a public inquest should be held.<\/p>\n

Inquests are not ordered in every case, but a coroner may decide to hold one if the circumstances surrounding the death are unclear or if there are \u201cbroader issues of public health and safety that need to be examined\u201d.<\/p>\n

A Coroners Court spokeswoman said the court cannot confirm if an inquest will be held until dates are set and all parties notified. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are currently no inquest dates scheduled for this matter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Coroner McGregor could still make recommendations to prevent future cricketing tragedies without holding an inquest by relying on written submissions.<\/p>\n

But if an inquest was ordered, players and officials from Ferntree Gully Cricket Club may be called to give evidence, as well as witnesses with cricketing expertise. <\/p>\n

A NSW coroner held an inquest into Hughes\u2019 death in 2016 and made a series of recommendations.<\/p>\n

For Jace and his wife, Tracey, they have found motivation in fundraising for charities who support grieving families after the sudden loss of a child.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest mate, every day is tough. Every day is brutal. I thought it would get easier after 11 months, but it doesn\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been told the second year is tougher, but I don\u2019t know if it can be. It\u2019s not going to get any easier, yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s constantly in your thoughts. It\u2019s ridiculous how much you think of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jace said the coronial process will feel like closing the final chapter on his son\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf of me wants it to carry on, because this is the last of his little flame of his candle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce this is over, that\u2019s it. His full stop is complete. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe still hasn\u2019t got a full stop yet, he\u2019s still talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first coronial hearing into the 17-year-old\u2019s death is set to be held on Friday after Ben was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":930506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[497364,497332,379323,409399,497325,382445,497363,378321,452604,497326,104821,389160,497362,497350,383924,452534,497321,497353,409705,497345,497322,380489,497351,497319,435031,497346,497311,376435,497355,386610,452540,393295,497369,64,63,497347,277079,15909,149101,387761,497328,438703,32724,497316,497312,183884,740,497314,497327,152478,1300,497334,382513,425677,380864,1116,169787,497306,497310,39598,497313,6084,497323,497357,497309,376761,497368,497354,497333,497360,376789,497341,378245,438119,379045,32759,297278,392652,45755,497335,497370,497307,282128,104834,14852,13095,13052,17528,497359,497352,497337,497365,33373,497324,1861,497344,497317,68816,497315,116221,497336,1183,85,22810,473673,497356,377205,497343,409404,388511,395845,222590,409195,497331,497320,497342,378543,376740,497366,387736,395522,184867,377643,497340,497367,497308,497361,74713,497358,386615,385100,378741,397922,30468,378379,392240,454927,380406,472012,497348,497338,378587,497339,497329,497318,380383,390244,188107,1542,497330,159985,497349,483678],"class_list":["post-930505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-beautiful-game","tag-wanger-he","tag-s-death","tag-s-family","tag-s-grave","tag-s-life","tag-s-life-he","tag-s-report","tag-11-months","tag-2014-but","tag-104821","tag-a-freak-accident","tag-a-freak-training-accident","tag-a-bouncer-playing","tag-a-child","tag-a-coroner","tag-a-cricket-ball","tag-a-directions","tag-a-focus","tag-a-full-stop","tag-a-handheld-device","tag-a-little-bit","tag-a-massive-week","tag-a-nsw-coroner","tag-a-passionate-plea","tag-a-public-inquest","tag-a-safe-and-beautiful-game","tag-a-series","tag-a-summary","tag-all-parties","tag-an-inquest","tag-an-outpouring","tag-another-benny-or-phil-hughes","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-test-star-phil-hughes","tag-batters","tag-ben","tag-ben-austin","tag-benny","tag-both-freak-accidents","tag-broader-issues","tag-charities","tag-coroner-simon-mcgregor","tag-coroners-court-spokeswoman","tag-counsel","tag-cricket","tag-cricket-teams","tag-cricketing-expertise","tag-dates","tag-death","tag-eerily-similar-comparisons","tag-every-ball","tag-every-case","tag-every-day","tag-evidence","tag-ferntree-gully-cricket-club","tag-ferntree-gully-cricketer-ben-austin","tag-ferntree-gully-jace","tag-friday","tag-future-cricketing-tragedies","tag-grief","tag-grieving-families","tag-his-18th-birthday","tag-his-candle","tag-his-family","tag-his-full-stop","tag-his-late-son","tag-his-license","tag-his-little-flame","tag-his-son","tag-his-tragic-passing-his-death","tag-his-wife","tag-hospital-days","tag-huge-changes","tag-hughes","tag-jace","tag-last-weekend","tag-last-year","tag-last-year-his-father","tag-late-each-night","tag-later-his-death","tag-massive-changes","tag-mate","tag-mcgregor","tag-memory","tag-monday","tag-motivation","tag-nearly-every-day","tag-neck-guards","tag-no-inquest-dates","tag-no-major-changes","tag-october","tag-october-28","tag-people","tag-players-and-officials","tag-public-health-and-safety","tag-recommendations","tag-recommendations-for","tag-sheffield-shield","tag-something-unrealistic","tag-south-africa","tag-sports","tag-teen","tag-the-17-year-old","tag-the-aussies-crush","tag-the-ball","tag-the-best-week","tag-the-boy","tag-the-chances","tag-the-circumstances","tag-the-city","tag-the-coroner","tag-the-coroners-court","tag-the-coronial-investigation","tag-the-coronial-process","tag-the-court","tag-the-death","tag-the-directions-hearing","tag-the-events","tag-the-fabric","tag-the-family","tag-the-father","tag-the-final-chapter","tag-the-first-anniversary","tag-the-first-coronial-hearing","tag-the-future-course","tag-the-game","tag-the-globe-pause","tag-the-herald-sun","tag-the-last","tag-the-last-thing","tag-the-neck","tag-the-nets","tag-the-pain","tag-the-parties","tag-the-second-year","tag-the-sport","tag-the-sudden-loss","tag-the-test-match-instead","tag-the-training-session","tag-the-trip","tag-the-young-cricketer","tag-their-helmets","tag-their-recommendations","tag-this-game","tag-this-matter","tag-tracey","tag-training","tag-wally-tew-reserve","tag-witnesses","tag-written-submissions-but","tag-your-thoughts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930505","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=930505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}