State panel umpire Lisa McCabe was one of four Victorians involved in last week’s National Indigenous Tour of Vanuatu.
State panel umpire Lisa McCabe was one of four Victorians involved in last week’s National Indigenous Tour of Vanuatu.
Lisa McCabe: Who said the cricket season finished in April? I’ve been privileged to be selected to accompany the Australian men’s and women’s Indigenous teams on their tour of Vanuatu for the past week.
Tropical conditions and being away from home and traveling with the players has been a new experience for me – it has been truly awesome!
We’ve experienced much of the beautiful island culture – from the traditional welcome at the airport and being shown some of Vanuatu’s best tourist sights on our rest day.
As an umpire, it has been a great insight into how the players prepare for their tours whilst also hearing how much their Indigenous heritage means to them.
Our players come from many parts of the country and from different communities, which has provided me with insight into how cricket can bring people together and create history for many years to come.
Growing up in the west of Victoria, where the first Indigenous team to tour England originated from and where Johnny Mullagh (member of the 1868 Aboriginal team and Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductee) resided, it’s great to see how much these tours still mean to the players. It’s fantastic that Cricket Australia provides these opportunities for our Indigenous players.
To see Victorians like Damon Egan and Ella Hayward perform on an international stage and inspire the next batch of Indigenous players has been something I will remember for my umpiring career.
The standard of play has been of an outstanding level and with the home team beating our men’s side in Game 2. This shows how much cricket is growing in this island nation.
The beautiful people of Vanuatu have welcomed and supported both teams in such a brilliant way, it really has been a pleasure to visit this lovely country.
These are the times when I really do feel so humbly privileged to be given the opportunities I have in umpiring. Never would I have dreamed to be umpiring in a spectacular country like this, let alone sharing the playing field with some of our best Indigenous players. These moments will hold a special place in my umpiring journey.
