It was with curiosity Bonnie Hartshorn asked Mike Hamilton about his Blind Cricket Australia shirt, and with even more surprise she learned he shared a sight impairment with her eight-year-old son.
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Toby Hartshorn’s nystagmus, which affects approximately one in 1000 people, wasn’t obvious at birth.
Mrs Hartshorn and husband Chris were told Toby would never see, but he did – at eight months old.
“Toby also has foveal hypoplasia, so his retina isn’t as developed as it should be, meaning he struggles with fine detail,” she said.
“What we can read from 48 metres away, he has to read at six.”
Hearing the family’s story, Mike was eager to meet Toby and invited him to the annual game between New City and the BCA ACT team.
“I came away from the game humbled and my heart warm, with Toby coming on board,” he said.
“Yet again New City really jumped on board and embraced not only myself and the ACT team but somebody who is totally new.
“Toby’s leading the pack within Australia – I don’t think there are many people getting involved in blind cricket at his age.”
The Middle Indigo Primary School year three student isn’t new to cricket – playing for the Melbourne Stars is on his wishlist.
Getting his son involved in the sport years ago just made sense for Mr Hartshorn, president of the Barnawartha-Chiltern Cricket Club.
“This is his second year of the T20 blast in Wodonga … 99 per cent of the opposition wouldn’t know any different, they just know he wears glasses,” he said.
“We just go with the flow with Tobes, he goes out there and has a go no matter what.
“He normally holds back a fair bit, but playing with Mike on the weekend, he came out of his shell a lot more.
“We just sat back and went wow, he’s in his element.”
Toby and Mike made a stellar batting duo – Mike having just returned from the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in India.
“When we came up against some of the harder opposition we found ourselves in a bit of a position where we didn’t go as hard as we probably needed to,” he said.
“India are well and truly the world champions … you really do have to play credit where credit’s due.”
Mike said without the support of organisations like Johnsons MME and Joss Group, he wouldn’t have got there.
“Local places like Patton Albury, Rob McCarroll Massage, Award Orthodontics, Flex-Out Physiotherapy and Riverina Podiatry put me on my way,” he said.
“ACT and BCA are looking at really working on the grassroots in coming months so the options will hopefully develop.
“I’m really looking forward to what the future can hold for someone like Toby.”
