Mum’s willing to have a crack

Barongarook West’s Linda Knight says her mantra of saying yes to most things has taken her on a remarkable journey in sport with her young sons. The mother of five celebrated another first on the weekend when Linda featured in a game of senior men’s cricket alongside her teenage twin boys Leo and Lionel Scott. Linda suited up for City United’s Division Three side, despite having never played a game of competitive cricket in her life. She said she couldn’t say no when Knights skipper Craig Hardingham asked her to help his undermanned side for its clash against Apollo Bay at the coastal town. “I’m a yes person,” Linda said. Buy the Colac Herald print edition, which has full coverage of all the region’s news and sport. Where To Buy “If there’s no reason not to, I say yes to most things. “I couldn’t bowl, I couldn’t bat, and I misfielded a few balls, but it was unreal and it was so much fun. “I had never even faced a cricket ball in the nets or put on the pads before.” It was her yes logic that led Linda to becoming a Colac district football boundary umpire when her youngest son Albert wanted to pick up a whistle like Lionel and Leo. Linda also started her tennis career last year and plays alongside Albert for the Elliminyt Jets in Polwarth district tennis. She had the weekend off tennis and instead helped City United not only field a team in the Division Three cricket competition, but secure a thrilling win. The match featured a mother-and-sons combination, with Linda and her two boys, and two father-daughters in Hardingham and his daughter Keeley, and the Bay’s Darren and Jasmine Dunlop. Gavin Clissold made a century for Apollo Bay with his youngster Zac in the side, but his efforts still couldn’t stop Hardingham from securing his first win as captain after a tough 2019-20. Linda said she had an enjoyable first outing on the cricket pitch, even finishing unbeaten with the bat with a run next to her name. “I’m in a tennis team and I never played tennis until 12 months ago,” she said. “We’ve got two extra women in our team this season, so I happened to have the afternoon off and travelled to Apollo Bay, so I ended up playing cricket because they were short. “Apollo Bay was great, they made me feel so welcomed.” Linda and her husband Simon raise their three boys and two daughters, Bronte and Gwen, on their Barongarook West property. She has become a familiar face at Colac district football matches with her sons as umpires in recent years and she said they were eager for the sport to return in 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of this season. “The four of us have boundary umpired a game together before,” Linda said. “Leo and Lionel play football at the Western Eagles and we did miss the umpiring, because it’s a real social outing.” Linda said she hadn’t ruled out another crack at cricket.