Despite being 91 years old, Australian Doug Crowell is not giving up his love for playing cricket and continues to don flannels in veterans’ cricket.
“I keep saying that a couple of years might pull me up but who knows? The body would still feel fit enough to enjoy myself and whenever I get picked, I think I will turn up,” Crowell, who plays with the local Veterans’ Cricket Association, was quoted as saying by ABC.
“It (Veterans’ Cricket Association) is for the people who gave up their cricketing career when they were in their 30s and they had an urge to want to keep fit, so they joined the veteran cricket,” Crowell said about the veteran cricket in New South Wales.
“I could be the oldest cricketer. I don’t guarantee anything. But I haven’t heard anyone playing competitive cricket in their 90’s.”
Crowell said that he was 16 when he started playing the sport.
“I was 16 when we first decided in our district at Winston there was shortage of fuel and we were 20 miles from the nearest town, we decided we would start our own team out in the bush,” he said.
“We learnt our cricket the hard way but it hasn’t done me any harm. The fact that I am still playing is because we didn’t have real good fields and real good pitches to learn to play on. We had to adjust. We didn’t have any flash mowers or slashers. We had to rely on the cattle or sheep to keep the grass down,” he further said.
The residents of Kendall, where he resides and plays cricket, consider him a role model.
“With Doug, I have known him since I was a teenager literally and he has been so inspirational through different varying parts of my life. I love the fact that they are playing there. They are such great role models for the young people, because they don’t say no, they have a go and they are all comrades. They are are serious on the field but when they come back, they are all good friends and mates,” said Karyn Murphy, a resident.
Talking of his fitness, Crowell says, “I have got good genes and I play tennis three times a week to keep fit. I just think that there is so much to be gained out of cricket because of the people you still stay friends with over the years.”
“People say you are playing wrong shots. That’s the shots I have played for 70 years, so I will stick with them,” he added.
