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History

Blind cricket has been part of New South Wales sporting history for more than a century, with NSW playing a central role in the development of the game across Australia. What began as a simple idea — adapting cricket so blind and low-vision players could participate — has grown into a competitive and inspiring sport played around the world.

Blind cricket was first developed in Melbourne in 1922, where players experimented with ways to make the game accessible using an audible ball. The sport quickly spread interstate and, by 1928, New South Wales was involved in the first interstate blind cricket match ever played when NSW faced Victoria in Sydney. Later that same year, the NSW side travelled to Melbourne for a return fixture, beginning one of the oldest rivalries in Australian disability sport.

In the decades that followed, blind cricket in NSW continued to grow through local competitions, interstate carnivals, and representative cricket. Players adapted the game using specially designed audible balls, underarm bowling, and modified fielding rules, creating a fast-paced and highly skilled version of cricket that remains unique to the sport today.

NSW became one of the foundation states involved in the establishment of national blind cricket competitions during the early 1950s, helping shape the future structure of blind cricket in Australia. Over many decades, NSW players have represented their state with pride while contributing to Australian representative teams and international competition pathways.

Today, Blind Cricket NSW continues to build on this remarkable history through men’s, women’s, and junior programs that provide opportunities for blind and low-vision cricketers of all ages and abilities. NSW teams now compete at the National Cricket Inclusion Championships (NCIC), Australia’s premier disability cricket tournament, while Australian blind cricket continues to grow on the international stage.