In the heart of rural Victoria, Australia, the Sandhill Ashes cricket match stands as a powerful testament to community resilience in the face of devastating bushfires. This unique sporting event, born from the ashes of the catastrophic 2019-20 wildfire season, has played a pivotal role in rebuilding the spirits and connections within the small communities of Sarsfield and Clifton Creek.
The Devastating Backdrop of the Black Summer
Australia is once again facing a severe bushfire season, with a record-breaking heatwave and intense winds creating tinder-box conditions across the south-east. Jason Heffernan, chief officer of Victoria's Country Fire Authority, recently stated that the state is exceptionally dry, making any fire that takes hold a significant challenge for communities.
This current situation serves as a potent reminder of the 2019-20 'Black Summer', when 19 million hectares of land were burned, 33 people lost their lives, and approximately 3 billion animals were impacted. The fires affected every aspect of life, including cricket, with Big Bash and school matches cancelled and a Sheffield Shield game played in heavy smoke that was likened by New South Wales spinner Steve O'Keefe to "smoking 80 cigarettes."
Personal Loss and Community Devastation
For the communities of Sarsfield and Clifton Creek, the 2019-20 fires were particularly devastating. John Kinniburgh and his wife Carol were among 80 families in Sarsfield who lost their homes. "We had a cedar house with decks all around," Kinniburgh recalls. "Once it got started it just exploded. It was certainly a shock. There was lots of devastation and drama."
The community initially focused on survival before gradually crafting their recovery. Kinniburgh was involved in the Sarsfield recovery group, which considered how they wanted their community to look in five to ten years. "The whole process was very positive," he notes. "Some new people moved in, some people rebuilt, it all felt more connected."
The Birth of the Sandhill Ashes
The idea for a cricket match to bring together the two fire-damaged communities originated with the local fire brigade. Volunteer Phil Schneider salvaged tea tree wood from a peat paddock fire that had burned for weeks and took it to a wood turner in Lake Tyers. Together they crafted what would become the Sandhill Ashes urn, named after a hill between the two communities.
The first Ashes match took place in January 2021 and generated tremendous excitement. Both sides secured sponsored shirts and shorts, and communities practised diligently. The event attracted attention from the Australian Cricket Foundation, with former players Merv Hughes and Greg Matthews running a clinic alongside the match.
A Day of Healing and Connection
Kinniburgh remembers the inaugural match fondly. "There was something like 20 people a side – a few were really athletic, some could barely hit the ball, a couple of super catches were taken, and most of the runs were hit through square leg. There were lots of laughs and a big crowd of spectators drinking and eating from the food trucks." Sarsfield won by a narrow margin of just one run.
Perhaps most significantly, the game managed to reach individuals who had withdrawn from community programmes after the fire. "Mostly men who just stuck to themselves, doing it tough," says Kinniburgh. "But some of them got involved in the cricket and the benefit was significant. One man told me that he'd had a fantastic time, and the match had made a real difference to how he was feeling about himself."
Legacy and Ongoing Impact
Though subsequent events have been smaller, the Ashes have been contested twice more, with Clifton Creek currently holding the trophy and the next battle scheduled for 2027. From this inspiration, Sarsfield Cricket Club, which had folded in 1999, was reborn.
The club now plays at Sarsfield Oval, where a local volunteer mows the grass. They are currently second in the Bairnsdale C Grade competition, having won it last year, with Sarsfield player Craig O'Brien named player of the season for his impressive performance of 339 runs and eight wickets.
Current Challenges and Climate Concerns
As Victoria swelters under extreme temperatures – reaching 48.9C in Waleup recently – Sarsfield and Clifton Creek are once again on high alert. Kinniburgh, now living in a new house with his wife Carol, their cat Luna and border collie Millie, watches and waits with the nearest blaze currently 50km away.
He expresses bewilderment at climate change scepticism. "I'm a bit nonplussed as to why conservative people think climate change is a con. It seems so obvious from here. It's not just fire, it's temperature, it's number of days of heat, it's floods, it's more hot north winds, more extreme events."
Kinniburgh notes that while some default to blame culture – targeting either volunteer fire brigades or environmentalists – the reality of climate change is increasingly evident both anecdotally and statistically.
Philosophical Reflections and Moving Forward
Despite the ongoing threat, Kinniburgh maintains a phlegmatic attitude, even about lost cricket memorabilia. "When we lost the house, I lost lots of things that I wouldn't have seen for ten years. In a bag on top of a cupboard, I had a lot of cricket caps that I collected and treasured, but you don't miss them as such, you have the memory of them."
He acknowledges with a grin that "over time the number of trophies I lost may have got inflated," demonstrating the resilience and humour that has characterised the community's recovery journey.
The Sandhill Ashes represents more than just a cricket match – it symbolises the power of sport to heal communities, foster connection, and build resilience in the face of environmental challenges that are becoming increasingly frequent in our changing climate.
