Grudge match helps Kable

A GRUDGE cricket match between two Officer sporting clubs has raised much-needed funds for cancer-stricken sports identity Kable Dowsett.
Raffles, spinning wheels and a silent auction were among the attractions at the fundraiser on Sunday which attracted a strong crowd of 300.
But the game was the big attraction and the Officer Cricket Club took the points against the ROC Football Club, winning by 74 runs.
People from various sporting clubs in the area gathered at the Officer Recreation Reserve in support of Kable, a popular ROC Football and Officer Cricket Club player.
The 37-year-old was set to play his 300th game with the Kangaroos last season, but hung up the boots when he discovered he had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow, after breaking a hip in three places during a practice match.
A percentage of funds from Sunday’s game are being poured into Mr Dowsett’s Trust Fund and the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund.
A fundraiser held by the two clubs last year raised more than $20,000 for those funds, and Sunday’s tally is still being calculated.
Kable’s father Rob said he had been overwhelmed by the support of the Officer sporting fraternity and the community.
“There were a lot of past players of the cricket and football that came and the (Officer) tennis club even chipped in,” Rob said.
“It was really well-attended and there were some funny moments in the cricket.”
Kable was unable to attend the match because of low immunity, but Rob said it wouldn’t be long before his son was up and about. “It will be six months before things will start to happen for him and he will get a lot better,” he said.