Back from left: Lynbrook Junior Cricket Club coach Brett Tibballs, junior coach Greg Elliot, president Steve McPhail, and the owneroperator of McDonald’s in Hampton Park, Ian Seal. Front: Under 13 players Tom Martello, and Troy and Shannon Elliot.By Sarah Schwager
LYNBROOK Junior Cricket Club players were overjoyed last week when they were presented with new equipment in time for Saturday’s game.
The under 13s were boasting at the presentation last Thursday about how flash they would look for their first game of the year, a big turnaround from the previous week when their equipment was stolen.
The Banjo Patterson Reserve club was burgled before Christmas, with all of the under11 and under13 cricket gear stolen, as well as 1000 cans of soft drink, 200 sausages, tshirts, stubby holders and the club’s sound system. The operators of McDonald’s branches in Hampton Park, Lyndhurst, and Cranbourne announced they would replace all of the $3000 worth of junior cricket gear stolen.
The owneroperator of McDonald’s in Hampton Park, Ian Seal, said it was important to help clubs such as Lynbrook, which have to raise money from scratch.
“I played cricket at Kooweerup and I know how hard it is to raise money,” Mr Seal said. “The community thing to do is to raise it for them.” He said McDonald’s relationship with Coke had inspired the soft drink company to donate 500 cans of Coke Zero to the club.
Lynbrook Junior Cricket Club president Steve McPhail said the kids were “absolutely elated” about the new equipment and the number of donations the club had received.
“It is very heartening and reassuring to know that there are a lot of generous people out there,” Mr McPhail said.
