By Goya Dmytryshchak
Damien Oliver will join the first female to win the Melbourne Cup, Michelle Payne, at a charity cricket match for injured and fallen jockeys in Williamstown next week.
It is the first time the annual National Jockeys Trust T20 Cricket March has been held in Melbourne’s west.
Oliver, who lost both his father and brother to horse racing accidents, dedicated the second of his three Melbourne Cup wins to his brother Jason who died during trackwork.
Jason Benbow, who fractured his vertebrae in a trackwork fall at Caulfield last March, said the trust had paid out more than $3.5million since it was established in 2004.
“That’s 350 jockeys assisted in that time,” he said. “It assists in all aspects.
“If someone does pay the ultimate price … they’ll cover costs for the funeral and they’ll also continue to support their family, so they’ll put their kids through school.
“Then, there’s obviously incidents where people require wheelchairs or things like
that, or they may be injuries that plague
you later on down the track and you can apply for a grant and have the trust cover those costs if it’s deemed to be related to injuries from riding.”
Hobsons Bay’s deputy mayor Michael Grech said the jockeys would play against celebrities including Brendan Fevola and Archie Thompson.
The National Jockeys Trust T20 Cricket March is at Williamstown Cricket Ground (Burbank Oval) on Monday, January 21 at noon for a 1pm start.
There will be sausage sizzle, kids activities, a raffle and giveaways.
For more information or to donate, visit www.njtcricket.com.au
