As part of the cricket fraternity I was saddened to hear the tragic death of a young player . He was struck in the neck while batting in the nets. The bowler used a ball launcher something we have used many many times while bowling to our sons in the nets.

Heartbroken loved ones are uniting in grief to remember a "popular and much loved" teenage cricketer who died in a training accident

Ben Austin was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being struck in the neck by a ball at training at Ferntree Gully, in Melbourne's outer east, on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old was facing balls in the nets ahead of a T20 match when the injury occurred in front of his teammates.

The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club confirmed the death of the beloved player on Thursday.

"We are absolutely devastated by the passing of Ben, and the impacts of his death will be felt by all in our cricket community," the club said in a stateme

Cricket Victoria chief executive officer Nick Cummins said it was an "extremely challenging time" for all involved.
"The ball hit him in the neck in a similar accident that Phil Hughes suffered 10 years ago," Mr Cummins said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
In 2014, Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died after being struck on the neck by a ball while batting in the Sheffield Shield.
His death, for which a coroner ultimately found no-one was to blame, sparked improvements to safety equipment for those playing the sport.
The ball that hit Ben was apparently launched by a thrower using a handheld device, commonly used to accelerate the speed of the ball and ease the strain of bowling on the shoulders.
In a statement, Cummins said: "The entire cricketing community in Victoria - and nationally - is mourning this loss and it will be something that will stay with us for a long time."
He described Ben as a talented player, popular teammate and captain who was well- known in under-18 circles in Melbourne's south east.
"It is heartbreaking to see a young life cut so short, while Ben was doing something that he loved so much," Mr Cummins said.
Ben played for the Ferntree Gully Cricket Club who, in a social media post, paid tribute to the youngster as someone who brought joy to many.
The club also called on friends and supporters to "put your bats out for Benny", mirroring a similar gesture that was made for Hughes.

We have now placed a bat outside our front door along with one of my sons NSW baggie hat. We did the same for Phil Hughes who we knew well.

Penny4 said:

That was tragic news. He was wearing a helmet, but got hit in his neck. Perhaps the ball launcher was manually set incorrectly. Accidents can happen quickly.

Click to expand...

The ball launcher is the same thing some people use to throw a ball for their dog to get.

It was either a bouncer or it just hit his neck on the full.

My son Ben has been hit with a ball while his helmet was on. The face grid stopped him getting serious injury. He has had more injuries playing cricket then he did playing rugby league

This is what they use in the nets to throw the ball, usually non bowlers will use them


My son said everyone playing cricket this weekend will wear black arm bands.

We knew Phil Huges well and he died the same way. I remember we were on a cruise when we found out.

Penny4 said:

Oh, that's quite different than what I was thinking. I thought it would be similar to the baseball toss machine.
Baseballers can die from the ball to the head when playing ie. foul balls or line drives. It doesn't happen often, but it can. Every sport has their risk.

Click to expand...

Normally for cricket the bowling machines are in indoor centres when bowling in outdoor nets its the one in the picture. It makes bowling easier and less pressure on the shoulder.
Normally its a coach that will use it or a parent with only some players using it. Bowlers dont use it

My husband would use one mistake of the time when he was bowling to my son.
My son trained using a bowling machine in his lunch break today