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QUEENSLAND CRICKET
TOP HONOUR FOR MAROON GROWN GREAT
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The recognition keeps on
coming for brilliant
opener Matthew Hayden
after the big left-hander
from Kingaroy was made
an official ‘Queensland
Great’ early last month.
Premier Anna Bligh
launched Queensland
Week by naming five of
the State’s high achieving
individuals to join a
growing list of people
and groups who have
made enormous contributions
to their home region.
Hayden, regarded as
Queensland’ s finest
home grown batsman, is
only the second cricketer
to be acknowledged in
this fashion, with the
late Bill Brown honoured
in 2005.
All Queensland Greats
are recognized with a
special plaque which is
on public display at the
Roma Street Parklands.
Matthew Hayden...recognised again for his greatness.
Hayden was unable to
attend the plaque unveiling
ceremony due to his
West Indies tour commitments
but was represented
by his mother
and father, Moya and
Laurie, wife Kellie and
children Grace, Joshua
and Thomas.
Hayden sent a message
that congratulated the
other award winners and
highlighted his pleasure
at the honour.
Laurie Hayden said his
son had reaped the
benefits from hard work
and determination. "He
told me recently that
dreams will only remain
dreams unless you are
prepared to work hard to
realise them,'' he told
the ceremony.
Queensland Cricket Chief
Executive Officer Graham
Dixon said Hayden
was a worth recipient of
the honour. “Matthew
has been, and will continue
to be, a proud
Queenslander and we
are delighted for his success,”
Dixon said.
Since the awards began,
a total of 43 Queenslanders
have been
named Queensland
Greats.
The Kingaroy-born Hayden,
who made his
Queensland debut in
1991, debuted for Australia
in 1994 and has
gone on to be celebrated
as one of the world's
greatest cricketers.
He has now played 94
Test matches for Australia
and averages 53.51
runs per innings, while is
a master in the one-day
form of the game as
well, averaging 44.10 for
Australia when anything
over 35 is considered
good and an average
over 40 ‘great’.
His 380 not out against
Zimbabwe in October
2003 is the second highest
Test score of alltime,
and he scored three centuries
in Australia’s 2-1
Test series win over India
in early 2008.
He has also been actively
involved in fundraising
for breast cancer
research and children's
hospitals and is heavily
involved in the cricket
aspect of the Macquarie
Sports Program which
does clinics for disadvantaged
kids.
Hayden’s recent awards
include the Australian
and World One Day
Player of the Year gongs,
and is the reigning
Queensland Sports Star
of the Year. Indigenous
leaders Pearl Duncan
and Dr Thancoupie Gloria
Fletcher, Foodbank
director and former Alderman
Ian Brusasco,
and Griffith University
Professor Ross Homel
were added to the list of
Queensland Greats in
2008 along with Hayden.