Australian Transplant Cricket Team celebrate their second innings in life at the Lodge

09 June 2011

Australia’s continually improving rate of organ and tissue donation is to be celebrated on the world stage with the most inspirational cricket team, The Australian Transplant Cricket Club, to take on their English rivals.

On Thursday June 9 the Prime Minister’s partner, Tim Mathieson, presented Australia’s most unique cricket team with their Baggy Greens, at the Lodge.

Throughout June the Australian Transplant Cricket Team will tour England, promoting the life saving benefits of organ and tissue donation and raising awareness of the importance of discussing organ donation with your family.

Every member of the Australian Transplant Cricket club is an organ and tissue transplant recipient celebrating their second chance at life. Each time the team of 11 players take the field 22 lives are represented.

During June and July 2011, the team will tour England and undertake a number of matches against able-bodied sides, as well as challenging the Great Britain Transplant Cricket Club for the David Hookes Memorial Shield. The shield will be presented by the team Patron, Robyn Hookes, who will be travelling with the team on the tour.

Whilst in London the cricket team will also attend receptions to which they have been invited at Australia House and Lords.

About the Australian Transplant Cricket Club

The Australian Transplant Cricket Club is a very unusual team of cricketers with its members being comprised of organ and tissue transplant recipients. Each one of those recipients has been given a "second innings of life".

One of the major aims of the cricket team is to actively promote organ donation in conjunction with Transplant Australia. Whilst Australia has one of the best transplant success rates in the world, it has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the developed world.

At any one time across Australia there are over 1,700 people on the official transplant waiting list. However this is only the tip of the iceberg. Many more thousands of people need a transplant but are often not placed on the list until they are in desperate need. For some, their health deteriorates until it is too late.

The Australian Transplant Cricket Club boasts a unique collection of talented individuals all with their very own story of triumph against the odds and all with a strong sense of pride at representing their country on the cricket field. Above all, each team member has immense gratitude to their donor families who made a courageous decision to give the gift of life in tragic circumstances.

Jeffery Sewell, ATCC President, said, "The tour demonstrates world-wide the ‘living proof’ that transplantation saves lives. Donation is an amazing gift that transcends all borders,"

"As we farewell our athletes leaving for England we ask all Australians to consider how they could support donation – and that’s simply by discussing it with their family and friends."