Next week’s national championships will take on a different meaning for Ashtonfield’s Pat Magann following the death of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes on Thursday afternoon.
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Not only is the cricket community in mourning, but the under 17s tournament, which starts in Tasmania on Monday, is one that Hughes played in less than a decade ago during his rise through the representative ranks.
On top of all that, Magann was at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday, along with 60 others from Maitland Grossmann High School, when Hughes was struck by the fatal bouncer.
“It just came out of nowhere,” Magann said.
“We have been down the last three years for a school excursion and it had been a good day for the first session and a half.
“Then it all turned bad from there.
“When it happened, he was just standing there, so we thought he would be all right, but then he just fell.
“Then they had to stretcher him off, there were three ambos and a helicopter, so we knew it was pretty bad.
“It’s just devastating.”
Magann said it would be tough to enjoy nationals, but the Eastern Suburbs first grader would be doing his best to make an impression with the new-look NSW Country-ACT combined side.
Magann begins his campaign with a one-dayer against Queensland.
