When Sunbury Cricket Club’s Apolinaire Stephen didn’t make his school’s soccer team, he decided to try his hand at cricket.
Teachers saw something they liked with bat and ball in hand, and the youngster was selected in the school’s under-15 team.
The decision proved to be a sound one, with Stephen now one of Vanuatu’s most talented young cricketers.
He made the Vanuatu under-19 team when he was just 16 and now, at 21, he has already played for his nation’s senior team.
“I was picked in the under-19 Vanuatu team two or three times,” he told Star Weekly.
“The first time was when I was 16 and we went to South Africa. I was one of the youngest and it was a good experience.
“We are a small country playing against bigger countries like Afghanistan, Canada, Italy and Argentina.”
Stephen has also represented an East-Asia Pacific team, resulting in two trips to Australia to play cricket.
Looking to take his cricket to the next step, Stephen signed late last year with Gisborne and District Cricket Association side Sunbury, becoming the club’s first import.
Playing in Australia was something he’d wanted to do, and it’s an experience he’s enjoyed despite some typically chilly Melbourne weather.
“My [Vanuatu] coach Shane Deitz is Australian and knows people here,” he said. “He met with Justin [Nelson, the Sunbury coach] and they were talking about cricket and that’s how I ended up in Sunbury.”
Deitz, who played Sheffield Shield cricket for South Australia, said a bit of luck had played a role in getting Stephen to Sunbury.
Deitz met the coach while Nelson was performing his other role, as a comedian, during a performance in Vanuatu.
“We got talking and he said they would love to get a player in,” Deitz said.
“I had ‘Apo’ in mind, thinking he would be the right fit. He needed a family environment and the club has been fantastic for him.”
Stephen, who has been living with Nelson and his family, has had a tough start to his cricket in Sunbury, averaging 10.7 with the bat while taking 11 wickets across all formats.
But he’s also taking lessons from every game he plays. “It’s my first time playing on an overseas contract and it’s good to play a different level of cricket,” he says.
“In Vanuatu we only have seven clubs. It’s a lot higher level over here. When I arrived I was a bit shy and didn’t play well, but I’m starting to find my form. I love playing cricket in Australia, it’s been good for me.”
Deitz describes Stephen as a “really attacking” bowler. “We normally play 20 and 32-over cricket, so he has to learn the longer format of the game.
“He’s a different type of bowler with natural talent. He’s a great athlete who’s still learning the game. It’s about teaching them about the mental side of the game and turning them into good cricketers.”
With Sunbury on top of the ladder, Stephen is hoping he hits form at the right time. “Hopefully, we can make the grand final,” he says. “We’ve got a really good team. We’re a big chance to win the competition.”
Playing in Sunbury has opened up other cricket opportunities.
Stephen showed enough to be selected for the GDCA team which played in last week’s Bendigo Country week.
“I was sitting at home and they said I’d made the side,” he said before the competition.
“It’s nice and a good opportunity for me to play on turf for my preparation for the ICC World Cricket League coming up next month.”
Deitz had also tried for Stephen and other Vanuatu Australian-based players to become net bowlers for BBL side Melbourne Stars, but timing and injuries prevented it happening.
It was something Stephen had been looking forward to.
“It is disappointing.
“I want to go back to Vanuatu and share my experience, and that would have been something to tell them about.”
Stephen hopes his country can keep progressing through the levels of world cricket.
The game itself is growing in Vanuatu, becoming one of its most popular, with the Vanuatu Cricket Association now one of the nation’s biggest sports organisations.
First up for Stephen and Vanuatu is the 2017 International Cricket Council’s World Cricket League (WCL) East Asia-Pacific regional tournament to be held later next month in Bendigo.
The competition is a qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cricket League ‘Division Five’ competition.
Vanuatu will enter the event as favourites.
A change of format meant Vanuatu had to qualify anew for the Division Five competition, despite finishing fourth last time.
“Hopefully, we can compete in the bigger events and get to the World Cup,” Stephen says.
“That’s the aim.”
