PLAYING cricket has been a passion of Mike Riley’s for the past 60 years.
Ever since he picked up a bat as a seven-year-old back in Wilcannia in north-western New South Wales he has loved the game.
This week he has been in Sunraysia as part of the South Australian team which is competing in the over 60 division of Willowfest.
But unlike most of his teammates, Riley has traveled from the other side of the world to be part of this year’s event.
“I’m based in Colorado in the US now,” Riley said.
“I had the chance to come out for my son’s birthday so I’ve combined that with some cricket.”
Riley, 67 moved to America in his late twenties to further his education.
With no cricket competition available he decided to establish his own.
“I went there to do my PHD in mechanical engineering and I met my future wife on the first day of graduate school almost 40 years ago – so it was all over after that,” Rile said.
“I played a reasonable amount of cricket when I played in Adelaide and Sydney and then when I went to the US in Colorado there really wasn’t a cricket league going so I helped start the league there because I wanted to play cricket – I just wanted to play and I have been doing it ever since.”
A successful career in the engineering field has meant in latter years Riley has been able to travel regularly between Australia and America, combining work with as much cricket as he can fit in.
“I’m older enough now and doing well enough in the work I do I am able to take it with me and I can work while I’m here and while I’m traveling on the road and now I can play cricket during the summer in the US (America) and in the summer here (Australia) so why not?,” Riley said as he padded up at Irymple’s Henshilwood Oval on Monday.
“This is probably my third or fourth time going away with the South Australian veterans.
“Everyone is still pretty serious about their cricket when they are out their playing, but off the field we all do a good job socialise and enjoying ourselves.
“It is as much about the camaraderie as the cricket actually.”
