Opinion
In June 2018, Australia’s Aboriginal XI competed in an historic six-match tour of the UK to commemorate the anniversary of the Aboriginal Australians cricket team that toured England 150 years prior.
The 1868 tour was the first time any Australian sports team had travelled overseas to compete. Within their grueling five-month tour that consisted of 47 matches and 15 wins, the side gained mixed reviews from the English public.
The team often exhibited boomerang demonstrations at the completion of a match and also competed in a cricket-ball throwing competition, in which they marginally lost to a 20-year-old WG Grace.
In honour of the 150th anniversary of this legendary tour, Australia fielded both a male and female Aboriginal XI that would again travel and show their talents abroad in the United Kingdom.
All the players that were selected for the final men’s team in this tour were also assigned the task to represent one of the past players in the 1886 team.
With Scott Boland, one of the key fast bowlers on the 2018 tour, making his Test debut, it begs the question, what are the members of 2018 men’s Aboriginal squad doing now?
Dan Christian (c) (Unaarrimin/Johnny Mullagh)
Since the tour, Christian (38) has further excelled as one of Australia’s most dominant white-ball all-rounders, having opened the batting and taking 2-14 with the ball in his most recent T20I in August of this year.
Currently, Christian still plays for the Sydney Sixers in the BBL as well.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Nick Boland (Grongarrong/Mosquito)
Brother of fellow squad member Scott Boland, Nick Boland (30) currently represents Prahran Cricket Club in the Kookaburra men’s premier firsts and the Victorian Super Slam.
This year, he is finding particular success in the Super Slam, having taken eight wickets at 12.13 in four matches.
Scott Boland (Yellanach/Johnny Cuzens)
Boland (32) is an international fast bowler who made his Test debut this week. His call-up to the side is coming off the back of a very successful start to the season with Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, with 15 dismissals at 10.80 after two matches.
Boland also has a reputation for performing well at the MCG, having taken 42 wickets at 14.35 in his last six state appearances at the ground. Now, Boland has made an immediate impact on his debut with the baggy green.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Sam Doggett (Pripumuarraman/Charley Dumas)
Older brother to Brendan (below), Sam Doggett (29) currently plays Queensland premier first and second grade for Ipswich. Since the UK tour, Doggett has played for the Queensland second XI and for Queensland in the National Indigenous Cricket Championships.
In his last full season, in 2019-20, Doggett averaged 15.94 with the bat and 20.27 with the ball in 21 first-grade games. In the last two seasons combined, Doggett has only played six games, potentially due to injuries that come with being a pace bowler.
Brendan Doggett (Murrumgunarriman/Twopenny)
Current South Australian Redback and Sydney Thunder pace bowler Brendan Doggett (27) has had a successful start to the 2021-22 season.
Having just moved from Queensland to South Australia, in his first four games in the one-day cup and the Sheffield Shield for the Redbacks, he’s taken nine wickets at 24.11 in 67.3 overs.
In 2020, Doggett performed well for Australia A against the England Lions, finishing with figures of 4-60 after the first innings. This is particularly impressive considering England finished the innings with 8-613.
Brendan Doggett celebrates a wicket for South Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/Getty Images)
Damon Egan (Jumgumjenanuke/Dick-A-Dick)
Having been the third top-run scorer on the 2018 UK tour, Egan (23) has continued his form with the bat back in Australia as well.
Egan currently plays in the Victorian premier cricket first grade for Prahran, alongside Nick Boland. This season, he’s scored 136 runs in four matches, with a top score of 92 against James Seymour’s Essendon.
Tyran Liddiard (Bripumyarrimin/King Cole)
Since the tour, Liddiard (24), son of former NRL player Glen Liddiard, has been dominating Sydney premier grade cricket with Penrith.
In 2018-19, Liddiard became the second youngest player to be awarded the Benaud Medal for man of the match in the Sydney first-grade grand final.
In the current season, Liddiard is averaging 61.67 in the NSW Premier T20 cup and 28.17 in first grade, having also taken 11 catches and a stumping behind the stumps.
(Steven Paston – EMPICS/Getty Images)
Jonte Pattison (Brimbunyah/Redcap)
In Pattison’s most recent season in 2019-20, he played for Western Suburbs District, alongside Brendan Smith.
In that season consisting of 24 matches, he picked up 18 wickets, 426 runs and 12 catches. As well as the Aboriginal XI, Pattison (25) has represented Australia’s under-19s, the New South Wales second XI and the Queensland second XI.
Nathan Price (didn’t compete due to unavailability)
Currently playing for Wallsend District in the Newcastle district first grade, Price (34) is averaging 14 with the bat and 15 with the ball after the first two games of 2021-22.
Between 2009 to 2017, Price played New South Wales premier first grade for Randwick Petersham, scoring nine centuries, and taking one five-wicket haul for the club.
D’Arcy Short (didn’t compete due to Australian international duties)
Australian international D’Arcy Short (31) is a current Hobart Hurricanes and Western Australia all-rounder.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
At time of writing, Short has scored 151 in his first four Big Bash League matches of the year, averaging 50.33. Short has played 23 T20Is and eight ODIs for Australia between 2018 to 2020.
Despite finding more success in the white-ball formats, in July 2020, he expressed his clear intentions to transfer his success also into the Sheffield Shield with WA.
This season, with Cam Green, Marcus Stoinis and Mitch Marsh often away with international duties, Short has had the chance to play in four Sheffield Shield matches, scoring 168 runs at 28.00 and taking five wickets at 42.80.
Brendan Smith (Lytejerbillijun/Jim Crow)
Smith (23) currently plays for Bankstown in New South Wales, having moved from Western Suburbs District in Queensland for the start of this season.
After the first six games of NSW premier first grade this season, Smith has scored 139 runs 27.80, including a 71 against Tyran Liddiard’s Penrith.
(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Rex Strickland (Bullchanach/Bullocky)
Strickland (23) is a wicketkeeper currently playing in WACA premier first grade for South Perth, having previously played for University. Since the tour, Strickland has played for Australian Universities XI, alongside state-contracted Will Bosisto and Peter Hatzoglou.
In only eight first-grade games this year, he has taken two stumpings and 22 catches, making him the current competition leader for most catches.
Brock Larance (Bonnibarngeet/Tiger)
Last season, Larance (20) played NSW premier first grade for Campbelltown-Camden, averaging 16.47 with 280 runs and 20.25 with 24 wickets in 15 matches.
The all-rounder now plays for Dubbo CYMS Cricket Club and the Western Plains Outlaws. Larance is the leading run-scorer for Dubbo CYMS in the Whitney Cup for 2021-22, with 210 runs in six innings, and is also the leading wicket-taker for the Outlaws among all competitions for the season, with five dismissals in three games.
As a result, Larance has maintained his status as a very bright prospect in New South Wales cricket.
Dane Ugle (didn’t compete due to unavailability)
Ugle (33) is one of WA’s most experienced grade cricketers, having played in 76 WACA premier first grade games and nine WACA premier T20s for Rockingham-Mandurah and Country XI between 2007 to 2020.
This season, Ugle has been playing for Warnbro Swans Cricket Club in the Peel Cricket Association A Grade and has scored 439 runs in only eight matches at 73.17.
Also in this competition, Ugle has picked up 14 wickets at 13.37. As well as Warnbro Swans, this year, Ugle has been representing the WA Indigenous XI in state-wide practice games against WA Country representative teams.
Brynley Richards (Arrahmunyarrimun/Peter)
In the season just gone, Richards (30) competed for NSW Country and the Rail Cricket Club and was contracted to the San Diego Surfriders in Minor League Cricket in the USA.
In the 2020-21 Country Cricket Invitational Series, Richards had a batting average of 25.33 and 71.55 in the Oak Flats Bowling Club first grade for Rail.
Ben Patterson (Ballrinjarrimin/Sundown)
Similar to Brock Larance, Patterson also now plays for the Western Plain Outlaws and Dubbo CYMS having previously played for Campbelltown-Camden.
In this season’s Dubbo District Cricket Association’s Whitney Cup, Patterson has scored 150 runs at 37.50, including a 101* that involved ten fours and seven sixes.
With ball in hand, Patterson has taken 13 wickets at 9.23, again in the Whitney Cup.
His first six games of the season have led to Patterson sitting at the top of the champion player ladder for the competition, with him eyeing off a place in the Dubbo District Cricket Association representative team.
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