Melton’s newest cricket club hasn’t wasted any time making an impact.
While many new clubs struggle for numbers in their early years, Melton Knight Riders are enjoying great success in their first competitive season.
The Knight Riders have 27 signed-up members and are playing in the T20 competition in the Western Suburbs United Churches Cricket Association.
Club president Ashwin Bindu says he’s rapt with the club’s positive start.
“We’ve been playing socially and building our numbers,” he explained.
“When Western Churches saw we were forming the club, they thought we wouldn’t be in a position to play this season.
“When we went to the meeting we told them we had 27 players registered. They were so surprised . . . we’re the only club that was able to build up so fast.”
The Knight Riders celebrated their official opening prior to the club’s round one T20 match. Bob Turner, who was Melton mayor at the time, and then-deputy mayor Sophie Ramsey were on hand to open the club.
But the Knight Riders aren’t just measuring their success by wins and losses.
The club is placing a major focus on connecting with the community to make cricket accessible for as many people as possible.
Melton has players from a range of different cultural backgrounds and Bindu says being an inclusive club is one of its key values.
“Our numbers have come from various backgrounds and from different communities,” he said. “There are no restrictions or age limits. We have players from 20 right through to our oldest player, who’s 52.
“What we’re trying to do is have the club at the forefront of the community rather than being an individual club. We want to bond with the community.”
There are no plans to slow down at the Knight Riders, with Bindu confirming a second team is likely for next season.
“We could have had two teams this season but we said no,” he said. “We wanted to build the club slowly so we just went with one team. We just want to take baby steps rather than leap forward too quickly.
“We have long-term aims and we just want to achieve them one at a time.”
