Victoria fell frustratingly short of making the final of the Imparja Cup in the Northern Territory but Nathan Gardiner can rest assured he did all he could.
In what proved to be Victoria’s last match of the Twenty20 tournament, against South Australia, the Whittlesea batsman opened and top-scored with 51 from 37 balls. Victoria made 8/192 and went on to win the match, but a paltry run rate meant it missed out on the final.
Gardiner scored the sixth-most runs of any player in the tournament, which pitted each state’s best indigenous players against each other in Alice Springs in late February.
His 146 runs, including a half-century in the last match and 41 against Western Australia, were crucial for the Victorian team, known as Noogal Toengorrt Tani.
Born in Preston, Gardiner is a member of the Wurundjeri people and says he enjoyed the tournament despite not making the final.
‘‘We haven’t won a title, we equalled our best from last year,’’ Gardiner says. ‘‘But it was a good experience, all the boys had a good tournament and we gelled well together.’’
Gardiner was recognised for his bumper tournament with selection in the Black Caps; the team of the tournament. He was also recruited to Cricket Australia’s under-23 development squad.
‘‘I had a lot of confidence going into the Imparja Cup,” Gardiner says. ‘‘I’d made a few starts before the tournament so I was pretty confident I could make a few runs.
‘‘Twenty20 cricket is a new format for me really, I haven’t played a lot of it, you’re pretty much attacking from ball one.
‘‘It was good to play with all the people who have come from different backgrounds and communities and it’s just a really good tournament I think.’’
Away from national tournaments Gardiner plays with Whittlesea Cricket Club’s first XI in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association, where there wasn’t much to cheer about in 2012-13.
Playing in the Money Shield, Whittlesea lost every game, finishing last on just three points. Gardiner was one of the few shining lights with 296 runs at an average of 29.6, with a best score of 110 and a half-century.
“It was a pretty tough season, not many numbers around the club,” says Gardiner. But it may all be about to turn around for him, with a potential move to Premier Cricket on the cards. His captain in the Imparja Cup, Ben Abbatangelo, plays for Northcote.
‘‘I’ve been approached by a few people to go and play district cricket,” he says. “I’m thinking about it.’’
