A teenage cricketer has died after a training accident in Melbourne’s outer east earlier this week, leaving the local sporting community in shock.
According to 9News, 17-year-old Ben Austin was batting in the nets at Wally Tew Reserve in Ferntree Gully around 4.45pm on Tuesday when he was struck in the head and neck area by a ball during practice. Emergency services were called to the scene, where paramedics provided advanced life support before rushing him to Monash Medical Centre in a critical condition.
The Guardian reports that Ben was using an automatic bowling machine at the time of the incident. The ABC confirmed he was wearing a helmet when the ball hit him.
On Thursday morning, the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club announced the heartbreaking news that Ben had died overnight. In a post shared on Facebook, the club said it was “absolutely devastated by the passing of Ben, and the impacts of his death will be felt by all in our cricket community”.
Ferntree Gully and District Cricket Association president Arnie Walters told ABC News that Ben was both “talented and popular in local cricket”, adding that the association would support the community following the loss.
Ben was also involved with Mulgrave Cricket Club and Eildon Park Cricket Club. Waverley Park Hawks Junior Football Club, where he also played, described him as “a kind, respectful, popular and much-loved player” who was always there for his teammates.
“He supported his team mates and was a support to all of the kids that he played with. He had a wide network of great friends who will miss him dearly,” the club wrote in a Facebook post.
The club said Ben had “a wide network of great friends who will miss him dearly” and called him “a truly great young person who was developing into a fine young adult”.
Tributes continue to flow on social media as the Ferntree Gully cricket and football communities rally around Ben’s family.
Lead image: Faceboook / 9News
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