Liam Durkin
NEXT time someone complains about playing fourths, just tell them even an Australian cricketer played at that level.
An interesting name appeared on the team-sheet for Bundalaguah Yaks’ fourth grade team last Saturday – none other than Travis Birt.
Birt, who played a handful of twenty20 internationals for Australia in the early 2010s, suited up in a special appearance for his home club.
After being unable to attend the funeral of late legendary Bundalaguah Cricket Club stalwart, Neil Wrigglesworth a fortnight ago, Birt returned home to play a match in honour of the great man’s legacy.
The 41-year-old took to the field alongside Neil’s son Greg, and granddaughter Megen Wrigglesworth, who also captained the side.
Call it fortuitous timing, but Birt was only able to play fourths as all other senior grades were into the second day of matches.
Taking to the College Astro, the Yaks batted first after winning the toss against Collegians.
The visitors compiled 7/205 from their allotted 40 overs. A tight finish ensued, with College getting within 17 runs of the target before being bowled out.
While the astro wicket at College was surely a drastic change from the MCG, Birt played his part in the victory, scoring 32 off 26 balls, and taking three catches in the field.
For the sake of fair play, Birt didn’t shamelessly whack fourth graders out of the park, although two balls did clear the fence.
He spent the best part of 10 overs out in the middle, just rotating the strike with the occasional boundary (four in total).
The person who had the distinction of taking his wicket was Will Foster, a young kid still in the Under 14s.
Surely he will be telling all the kids at school about that. Maybe even the grandkids in 60 years from now.
Although the sight of an Australian player in the fourths might have evoked some criticism, what a thrill it must have been for those in the Bundalaguah camp to play alongside a player of Birt’s calibre.
Regardless of the result, junior players on either side were also given possibly the best batting lesson in terms of demonstration they could ever have asked for.
As well as four international twenty20s, Birt played 88 first class matches and 109 domestic twenty20s during his professional career, mainly for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes.
He maintained an incredible strike rate of 129 in first class twenty20s, and secured a reputation for brutal strokeplay when he posted 145 against South Australia in 2004/05, which was the highest score in Tasmania’s one-day history.
During his career he played with the likes of Brett Lee, Michael Clarke and David Warner, and against players such as Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag and Andrew Flintoff.
Interesting, the paths of Birt and former Longford professional Steve Parry crossed in a Big Bash game between the Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat in 2015.
A young Birt was part of the Sale-Maffra Cricket Association Country Week team in 1999-2000.
His last match for Bundalaguah was in 2017, where he duly made a first grade century.
