Australian cricket great and media personality Mel Jones will join Big Bash League champion Stephen O'Keefe in participating in this week's Australian Cricketers' Association Masters Tour in Armidale.
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The two stars are the latest to be announced, with Jones joining for the whole tour, while O'Keefe is set to feature at the Sporties Night at the Armidale Golf Club on Thursday.
"Armidale Regional Council is very excited to be able to bring an event like this with players of this calibre to our region," Armidale Regional Council Mayor Cr. Ian Tiley said.
"By hosting this event, we are ensuring our community doesn't miss out on opportunities that are usually only reserved for metropolitan areas."
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A highlight of the tour will be the free Sporties Night function which will give attendees the opportunity to meet their cricket heroes. During the night, Jones will host two panel discussions which will include a number of the Masters on tour.
Jones, whose roots stem from country Victoria, said it is important to have events like this come to regional Australia as country areas have had a huge impact on the longstanding success of Australian cricket.
"I see within both the Australian men's and women's teams, and even at our state levels, the contribution made by players who have come from regional Australia has been absolutely huge," she said.
The tour will culminate with a T20 match against a local representative side on Friday night, which will see Jones joining the likes of Greg Matthews, Wayne Holdsworth, Josh Lalor and Sarah Andrews.
During their visit the Masters will also participate in school coaching clinics and community events.
A $1,000 scholarship will also be awarded to a talented young player, which includes the unique opportunity to receive mentoring from one of the Masters players following the tour.
The unticketed T20 match will begin at 6pm is just a gold coin fee, however numbers are limited to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. Tickets to the Sporties Night can be reserved through trybooking.com and numbers are limited.
THE FULL TEAM INCLUDES: Sarah Andrews, Mark Cosgrove, Scott Coyte, Rhiannon Dick, Michelle Gozko, Wayne Holdsworth, Mel Jones, Jason Krejza, Josh Lalor, Greg Matthews, Johnathan Moss, Julia Price, Daniel Smith
