Australian cricket's "annus horribilis is not turning people away from the game," with Cricket Australia set to announce "strong growth" in national participation numbers, according to Andrew Wu of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. CA will announce "one of its highest year-on-year increases in participation" on Thursday, according to figures from the '17-18 National Cricket Census. There has been "a growth in female participation numbers," with the census showing six in every 10 new participants is female, bringing the overall percentage to 30. There are "more females playing the game than ever before," the census shows. The release of the findings follows last week's announcement of the A$35M ($25.2M) funding increase over three years for the game at grassroots level. CA CEO James Sutherland said, "We are thrilled to see the number of Australians playing cricket continue to grow year on year. To have more than 1.5 million Australians participating in cricket last season is a fantastic result, highlighting the passion Australians have for cricket" (SMH, 9/6).
ETHICAL TREATMENT: In Sydney, Peter Lalor reported CA's "determinedly opaque board" met Wednesday "as the game prepares itself for the delivery of the cultural review" and the directors prepare to face the shareholders. While the Sydney Ethics Centre interviewed a "wide range of cricket people" to prepare the review, it reportedly did not approach Dir Bob Every, who quit the board in April after "a fiery clash" with Chair David Peever. CA is refusing to say if it will release an "unexpurgated copy" of Ethics Center Exec Dir Simon Longstaff's review and the Ethics Centre did not return phone calls (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/6).
