Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
“The Gladiator from Perth,” cricket player Tom Beaton, signed an exclusive multi-year contract with Premiere Aussie Cricket Club and American Premiere League. Beaton will play for the Premium Aussie Cricket Club and act as team captain.
Beaton is a right-handed batsman with an impressive cricket career. He has previously played for Western Australia, the Perth Scorchers, the Melbourne Renegades and the Otago Volts.
How did you hear about American Premiere League? What made you want to be a part of bringing cricket to America?
We first heard about it through a good friend and manager back home, Ben Tipper. And we… didn’t think too much of it. And then it all evolved. And we spoke to [APL Founder and CEO] Jay. And we started to think more and more deeply about it, the opportunities and how cricket in America could work. We thought it was a great little opportunity. Well, not little. Big.
Are you surprised that cricket is not more popular in the United States?
(TB) Very much so. The population here is huge. And the expats are all here playing cricket. I went and played in a tape ball game last Saturday night, and to see how many players are out playing cricket in those parks. Geez. It blew my mind. I just sat there at the other end literally watching these guys. They were so skillful and so talented in what they did. And it just made me think, “Why isn’t cricket bigger than it is here?”
What was it about the American Premiere League that made you want to be a part of this year’s tournament?
(TB) For me, and for us, I played cricket for as long as I’ve known the planet. I’ve got a coaching business and academy back home, which I run full time, and it’s still running now. And I thought well, with where I’m at in my career and where we’re at as a family, now it’s time to use everything that I’ve done and put it to use. And this was an extremely exciting and cool opportunity. So, it was easy enough in the end. We had to think about it properly, but it was an easy decision in the end to come over and do this.
What is your most cherished moment in your cricket career?
(TB) My most cherished moment in my cricket career would be making the highest score ever on debut for Western Australia in my first one day game for them. And that record still stands today. And there was another one, which I wanted to mention too, which was winning the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand against Pakistan in 2010. That’s a pretty special team achievement.
What advice would you give to a young cricket player in the States who is interested in learning more about the game?
(TB) My advice would be very simple, I’d say go have fun. Try everything. And when I say try everything, I mean bat, ball, field, wicket-keep, ball spin, ball pace, so that you can explore every option and find out. Give yourself time because you might be better at something than you realize. You might see something on TV and try to be like someone, but you might actually be better at something else.
Do you think the American Premiere League is going to help usher in a new era for cricket in the United States?
(TB) I honestly think that this revolution, having the American Premiere League here, it’s gonna grow. It might take one, two – it could take five years. But I honestly think that, with what I’ve seen here, this could become really big. And I also think with the USA [Cricket] endorsing us and giving us a certification as well… that’s massive to get USA [Cricket] approved, ICC approved. Anywhere in the world that is huge. It just means that you can create medalists, get better players and that’s where the competitions grow and become huge.
What has it been like for you and your wife, team owner Sherri Beaton, to work together on Team Aussies?
(TB) It’s been something pretty cool, really. You know, we’ve had to go through things we’ve never been through before. But at the same time, Sherri is amazing at what she does. We’ve got two young little kids and we’re up at all hours to get this going and get over here and it hasn’t been that much of a fuss because of the people that we are. We’re a pretty good team and we hope to build a pretty formidable team over here with the Aussie franchise too this year and years to come.
Watch the full interview HERE.
