More Than Cricket: Finding Home at Lang Lang

When I arrived in Australia in 2024, I was a fresh migrant trying to figure out where I fitted in.

Cricket had always been something I loved, but I had never played the game professionally or at any particularly high level. I just wanted an opportunity to play, meet some people, and enjoy the game again.

Then, completely by chance, a friend gave me the number of Damien, Lang Lang's Head Coach, and suggested I give him a call to see if there might be an opportunity.

So I called him.

Damien told me they were short a player for a game that Saturday and asked if I was keen.

I didn't need much convincing.

I headed down and played my first game for Lang Lang in the One Day competition. I still remember Lucas Halden captaining the side that day. Somehow, on debut, I managed to take three wickets and score 41 opening the batting.

We lost the game, but what happened afterwards probably mattered more to me than the result.

Damien and a few of the senior players came over, had a chat with me and asked if I would be interested in playing District cricket with them.

That was where the real challenge started.

District cricket was tough. I was batting at No. 3, and it quickly became obvious that there were plenty of areas in my game I needed to improve if I wanted to compete consistently at that level.

But, all things considered, I think I did alright.

I think I made 12 in my first District game, which was a two-dayer. Oshadha was captain at the time, and from that first game, he and the rest of the senior group made me feel incredibly welcome.

I didn't feel like the new guy from another country.

I felt like I belonged.

One of my favourite memories from that season was batting with Oshadha in a partnership of more than 160 runs.

My contribution?

Twenty-eight.

Which probably tells you just how good Osh was — and perhaps how far I still had to go!

But those are the moments I remember. Not just the runs or wickets, but being out there with teammates, contributing in whatever way I could and feeling part of something.

At the end of that 2024 season, the club presented me with the Captain's Award.

It wasn't an award simply for scoring the most runs or taking the most wickets. It recognised the overall contribution someone made to the team — supporting teammates, getting involved, helping around the club and trying to make a positive impact.

For someone who had arrived in Australia not long before, unsure where I would fit in, that award meant a lot more to me than I probably expressed at the time.

Since then, Lang Lang has become home.

It's the culture, the people and the friendships I've made here. At no point have I felt like an outsider.

And now, in 2026, I'm fortunate enough to be part of the club's leadership team.

For me, that says everything about what sort of club Lang Lang is.

I went from being a new migrant who happened to get the Head Coach's phone number, to getting a last-minute game on a Saturday, to playing District cricket, receiving the Captain's Award, and eventually having an opportunity to help lead the club.

None of that happens without people being willing to welcome you, back you and give you an opportunity.

That's what Lang Lang did for me.

So, if you love cricket, want to meet good people, contribute to a team and enjoy the game without unnecessary pressure, Lang Lang is the kind of club where you can do exactly that.

You never know where one Saturday game might take you.