Box Hill Brumbies Enjoying Debut Season
Box Hill Brumbies, the newest club in the Hawkesbury District Cricket Association, are enjoying a terrific debut.
Their Under-10s are lying second in the competition with six wins from eight matches. According to Chris Johnston, the secretary of the Hawkesbury DCA, this is a very impressive start.
“They (Box Hill) are close to having a senior team and we expect to have a couple of junior and senior teams next season,” Johnston said.
“The Hawkesbury DCA has a long history and it’s exciting to be welcoming a new club following the residential growth we are seeing in the North West,” Johnston said.
“A lot of people have put in a lot of effort to get this club off the ground and we’re excited to see it continue to grow and flourish in the coming years.
“Thanks to clubs like Box Hill, Hawkesbury has seen the biggest growth in junior participation of all districts across NSW.
Kian Singh Chawla of the Brumbies is the third-highest wicket taker in the Under-10s and has the best bowling average of 3.8 while his team-mate Samarvir Singh is sixth on the batting ladder with 68 runs.
Vice-president of the Brumbies Zeeshan Aqeel said the concept was first mooted by club president Bassam Sheikh in March. “It took us several months to address the absence of sports groups, clubs, and facilities in Box Hill and its surrounds,” Aqeel said.
They engaged with the community, approached the council, and liaised with sporting associations to highlight the dearth of events in Box Hill. 
The Brumbies field junior cricket and basketball sides after the club was officially incorporated in May 2023. “We registered with the Hawkesbury DCA and the Hawkesbury District Basketball Association,” Aqeel said.
Except for Amin Javed, who played Shire Grade 3 with Burwood Briars, the rest of the committee have not played competitive cricket. “Our cricket involvement stems from informal gully (street) cricket during our youth in Pakistan, India, and the UK,” Aqeel said.
“The passion and strategic minds of our coaches Haider and Harpreet are nurturing the Under-10s cricket team and the future Brumbies cohort. At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, we were running short of senior players. However, we now can at least one team for Grade 3 or 4 cricket, pending assessment. We are aiming to field at least one senior and three junior mixed teams.
“The under-12 basketball team has a had steady start to the competition with the boys improving game by game. We are also seeking female participants for our mixed under-10s basketball for next season.”
The Brumbies are also planning to start competitive football and are seeking an alliance with the Box Hill Rangers FC.
Aqeel confirmed the soon-to-be-open Brindle Parkway Reserve will be a major training and playing field hub for the Brumbies and the community.
