Leschenault Cricket Club introduces The Last Over Program from NSW-based charity Where There’s A Will

Hardened male cricketers had “tears in their eyes” when Hamza Javed of the Leschenault Cricket Club claimed a wicket in October. The 21-year-old took his scalp as part of the club’s Last Over program, which was started by NSW-based charity Where There’s A Will. The Last Over began in 2013 with a young man named Will Clarke, who lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder, bowling an additional over for his local cricket club at the end of a match. Will has continued to bowl an over at the end of every game since and the program has spread across the country following a story on A Current Affair in January. Leschenault Cricket Club is the first club to run the program in WA and Hamza is their first participant. Club president Angelo D’Agostino said Hamza had played junior cricket at the club and registered to play in the seniors this year, but there was no room for him in a team. Mr D’Agostino said a member of the club had heard of The Last Over program and mentioned the idea as a way to have him involved. “The idea was floated on a Tuesday at selection, and by Saturday, Hamza was playing,” he said. Mr D’Agostino said The Last Over was a way to include players that might not otherwise get the opportunity. “Cricket Australia wants cricket to be a sport for all, and The Last Over is how Leschenault is helping out with that,” he said. “We are a welcoming club and provide an opportunity for anyone who somehow wants to participate in cricket.” Leschenault went a step further with the program, with Hamza not only bowling an over, but also being given a chance to bat at the change of innings. Darakhsfan Javed, Hamza’s mother, said her son loved cricket and was upset when he was told he would not be playing, but everything changed when he was invited to play in the last over. “We are from Pakistan and we have always loved our cricket,” she said. “He is really happy and is really proud to be part of a team. I am really very proud of him and the other players who support him and everyone at the cricket club.” Mr D’Agostino said the impact of the program was beyond anything the club imagined. “I saw grown men with tears in their eyes witnessing the last over,” he said. “That’s the impact it can have on those who aren’t participating, and I would encourage every and any club to take on the program.” West Australian Country Cricket Board chairman Rob Marshall said the program was set to spread across WA. “The WA Country Cricket Board are actively promoting this as a great way to get inclusiveness in regional cricket,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with clubs up in the Pilbara and and a couple of other clubs locally in the South West and we absolutely feel that it has got amazing traction. “We have no doubts we will see other clubs through regional cricket.”