When Adelaide Strikers batter Bridget Patterson was asked whether she would be willing to participate in Sunday’s T20 Bushfire Showdown, it was a no-brainer.
Patterson, who was the Crows’ first selection in Wednesday’s draft, grew up on Kangaroo Island, which was devastated by bushfire over the last few months.
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The cause is therefore particularly close to her heart, with Patterson knowing people who have lost everything.
“It’s a great initiative by all parties involved to get this game up and running, especially after hearing the stories from people I know and the devastation it’s caused,” Patterson said.
“It’s hard to truly understand the complete impact that it has had on the community and you think about how people are going to come back from it – it’s going to take years.
“I’m looking forward to getting out there on Sunday to raise as much money as we can for them and for the Adelaide Hills.
“Everyone loves sport over in KI and it’s something that brings the community together over there, so hopefully it can also be a bit of a laugh for them and help take their minds off everything.”
Patterson, hailing from Emu Bay, was born into a family of lavender farmers and mad Crows fans.
Despite the circumstances of the game, having the opportunity to represent the Crows has been a lifelong dream for Patterson.
“When I was younger, I used to tell my family ‘when I grow up, I want to go into the draft and be drafted by the Crows’,” she said.
“It’s funny looking back at it now and it’s pretty cool to kind of have a dream come true.”
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The 25-year-old comes into the game in good form, having made 319 runs with a high score of 60 in the middle order for the Adelaide Strikers as they went on to make the grand final in WBBL05.
She also recently played for the Australia Governor-General’s XI, hitting 30 runs as they beat India by five wickets.
But Patterson believes that will not count for anything when she walks onto the ground on Sunday.
“It will be a little bit different facing guys, I’m happy I’m on Rashid’s team so I don’t have to face him,” Patterson laughed.
“I’m just looking forward to trying to put on an entertaining game for the crowd and hopefully we can raise as much money as possible.”
The game at Adelaide Oval starts at 2.30pm, with all ticket sales and takings from the game going towards South Australian bushfire relief.
Tickets are still available to the match and can be purchased here.
