Kew Cricket Club member Ben Smith presented the idea of hosting a Pride Cup to his club, and was met with nothing but positivity.
In what only took a ‘short conversation’, his plans to play this match against St Bernard’s Old Collegians came to fruition, as the club were very keen to get on board to show their commitment to LGBTI+ inclusion. Kew President Peter Sist knew that the opportunity to be involved was too good to pass up.
‘The Pride Cup was extremely important from a club perspective. Hosting a Pride Cup both encouraged us and held us to account to ensure that we are providing a welcoming, non-judgmental, and safe environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.’
- Peter Sist (President Kew CC)
In a show of solidarity for this cause, Kew and St Bernards made history; choosing to train together prior to their Pride Cup match, and calling for a united attendance to attend the Pride Cup Education Session.
The night was a huge success, with everyone enjoying pizza, a laugh and serious discussion around some tough topics hosted by Pride Cup ambassador Hannah Mouncey, and Pride Cup’s Kara Montoneri.
‘The feedback received has been really positive. It was a different week. We trained with Kew on Tuesday, we had dinner together, we heard from speakers that really challenged our thinking and understanding; all this before a ball was bowled. It was like nothing we had experienced before.’
– St Bernard’s President Brendan Davey
President of St Bernards, Brendan Davey continues to be highly impressed with the outcomes he has witnessed as a result of his club participating in the education session.
‘In my opinion the greatest shift in attitude I have seen so far is the understanding of what can and can’t be said and what effect our words have on others. Players are checking themselves before they go to make a comment that may be offensive or unacceptable.
In a first for Pride Cup, the evening and the Pride Cup Match was filmed by Cricket Australia and aired in a segment on Fox Sports. You can watch the story unfold here: Pride Cup in Cricket.
This inaugural Pride Cup match was a fantastic display of rainbows and inclusion, with Kew donning their new ‘baggy rainbow’ caps, and St Bernards, their new Pride Cup ‘whites’. Even the umpires on the day chose to get involved by fashioning themselves rainbow ribbons for their hats!
‘Our members have expressed gratitude and complete support for Kew Cricket Club hosting this game, and several presidents from other clubs have contacted me with messages of support and congratulations. ‘
‘Both the Kew Cricket Club and the St Bernard’s Cricket Club are 100% on board with this event in the future and games between these two clubs will always be played for the Pride Cup. I would strongly encourage other clubs to host a Pride Cup.’ – Peter Sist
