Eleven-year-old Svanik Reddy Guduru plays in the Under-14s team for Ingleburn RSL Cricket Club. He loves his cricket, and in his young life, has been to one cricket match to see Sydney Thunder play. “That’s when I saw Tanveer Sangha bowling,” he says of the leg spinner, his only encounter with his club’s most famous junior player of all time.
This week, Svanik, a dozen junior cricketers and a few volunteers, went to Cricket Central for an important event in the club’s life, to honour their club’s hero. “Tanveer still trains at the club sometimes, with his dad,” reveals Gerrard Riley, the club president, junior registrar and Under 11s coach. Svanik and his teammates, on hearing that, decide to go and practice at the club nets more often.
The Cricket NSW Foundation administers the “Purchase a Picket” campaign, which is a fundraising initiative where anyone can make a donation and be recognised with their name on a plaque adorning the picket fence at Cricket Central. Donors are also able to have their name etched onto the same plaques as their cricketing heroes.
Jake Balnave, Head of the Cricket NSW Foundation, said:
“We are delighted to bring a smile to the faces of Ingleburn’s junior cricketers and volunteers today by honouring one of their own. Our Purchase a Picket campaign is about building these connections and is a great way to give back to the great game.
“Through the proceeds of our Purchase a Picket campaign and the generosity of clubs such as Ingleburn RSL CC, we are able to make cricket more accessible to those that have barriers to playing the game, whether it be through mitigating costs, providing equipment, or the availability of suitable programs. A little help goes a long way.”
Riley says he wanted to acknowledge Sangha’s connection with his junior club through the purchase of the picket. “Tanveer was an Ingleburn RSL junior cricketer who has gone on to represent Australia,” he wrote proudly, as his reason. “Also, it was for a good cause. The Foundation will use the proceeds for the development of cricket, helping other juniors come through and keep them engaged,” he said.
Established in the 1960s, Ingleburn RSL is a growing club that celebrates multiculturalism and diversity. The club currently has 11 junior teams, four of which are mixed teams where girls play alongside boys. Emily Schafer, who plays in the U14s mixed team for the club and is also with Campbelltown Ghosts to play Brewer Shield U18s, says she met Sangha in 2023 and told him she played for the club too. “He was happy to know that. He said he’s heard of the upgrades to the club and wanted to go and see them soon,” said Emily.
You can learn more about the Purchase a Picket initiative here.