THE past two months have been whirlwind of emotions for local cricketer, Nic Cullinane, who has represented Victoria in two national cricket carnivals at Over-50s and Over-55s level while dealing with the loss of his son eight weeks ago.

It was during a veteran’s cricket tournament in Mildura, which formed part of his preparation for the national carnivals, that Cullinane received the news that is every parent’s worst nightmare, that his son, Alex, had died in Brisbane.

“I’m still dealing with his loss now, but the carnivals have helped me get through this horrible period, and I cannot thank my teammates enough for the support they have given me”, Cullinane said of his son’s passing and the way he has been embraced by the veteran’s cricket community.

“As a kid growing up in Dunkeld, my sporting dreams were always about footy and I was lucky enough to play to a high standard, but I’ve only become serious about cricket since moving back to the district.

“My junior cricket coaches such as Kevin Myers, Les Dahl, and Graham “Grub” Templeton guided my cricket so well early on that it stuck with me to this day.”

Back in March this year, Cullinane was invited to tour New Zealand as part of the Spirit of Cricket squad that played in a four-way tournament along with the host country, Australia, and the USA.

He starred so well with the bat that he was in contention to be selected for the Australian team in the last game of the tour.

His selection didn’t eventuate that day, but it gave the Hamilton Cricket Club A grade opening batsman a fire in the belly that has grown over the last nine months, pursuing a place in the Australian team.

“I learnt about veterans’ cricket and decided why not give it a go, which meant having to drive a round trip of up to nine hours to sometimes bat for only 10 minutes, but it was something for me to set as a goal,” he said.

“I turned up to state squad training and there up to 200 players there and I thought how am I ever going to get selected, but I was chosen for Victorian Third XI in the Over-50s and did alright, which saw me climb through the ranks.

“At this level it’s all about playing different roles within the team.

“I got the call up to the First XI this season and was told I was batting at number three and that our opening pair were a dasher and a nurdler and that depending on which opener was dismissed first, I was to take on that players role when I went in.”

The Over-50s carnival was staged in Newcastle and Cullinane batted well at number three posting 40 against the ACT on the first day, sharing a 70-run stand with Matthew Drain who finished with 95-not-out, as Victoria easily accounted for its opponents.

The Vics continued on their winning streak throughout the carnival and were victorious against New South Wales in the grand final, but Cullinane suffered a calf injury in the semi-final and was ruled out of the last game.

“To win the national title was brilliant and I couldn’t have wished for a better bunch of blokes to represent with,” he said.

“We are all still in touch with each other and have formed friendships that will last for the rest of our lives.”

Having met the Over-55 cut off date by a few days, Cullinane was also chosen for the Over-55s carnival in Canberra, but by his own admission he was emotionally and mentally drained and didn’t perform as he wanted to during the carnival.

“My sights are now firmly set on the Over-55s national titles in Albany, Western Australia next summer and my goal is to get selected to play for Australia, but with veteran’s cricket state teams and Australian teams picked all the way through to Over-70s I have time on my side,” Cullinane said.

“My hero is a 100-year-old marathon runner, and if he can do that, then why not set my goal as I have.”