On a quiet Monday morning in Kiama, Tony Panecasio sits basking in the warm autumn sun outside The Hungry Monkey. He says it is hard to imagine that it was not too long ago that he and the Australian over-60s cricket squad won their first-ever World Cup title in a scorching hot Chennai, India.

“We’ve been back for two months. But it feels like ages ago,” he says.

Veterans Cricket Australia will present the team with medals at the National Championships in Brisbane this November. 

Panecasio also received a trophy for the best bowling. At the moment, it is standing next to the TV. “We have to figure out what to do with it,” he notes, with a big smile.

“I ended up being lucky enough to get the most wickets. It was a good two weeks.”

It definitely was, and all began with one phone call.

Out of the blue

One evening last November, he received a phone call. The person’s name did not come up, and Panecasion says that he normally does not answer unknown calls, instead letting them go to voicemail. But for some reason, he answered this call.

On the other line was one of the Australian cricket selectors, Eric Higgins.

“I couldn’t believe it at first … ‘Sorry, who are you after?’ He said, ‘You’ve been picked in the Australian team.’ Really? So, it was a nice surprise,” Panecasio recalls.

But after landing a spot on the Australian over-60s cricket team, he didn’t pop the champagne quite yet. He wanted to wait and tell his wife Tracy, who was still at work.

“She sort of went, ‘Oh - hiya.’ We had, not really a celebration, but just a sit down. I went to her, ‘OK - you gotta come over.’”

Tracy came over for the last week of the tournament.

The rest of Panecasio’s family watched his World Cup adventures unfold on TV.

The Australian over-60s cricket team. Photo credit: Tony Panecasio.

The fittest team

Competition aside, the weather brought its own challenges during the 15-day tournament. The temperature in Chennai, the capital of India’s most southern state Tamil Nadu, averaged between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius. 

It is the kind of heat that normally would not phase an Australian cricketer. However, adding high humidity to the mix, the team had to make sure they did not end up being dehydrated.

That said, they were well prepared.

“Even though we're all 60 and over, we were the fittest team there,” explains Panecasio.

All the selected players had been given a program to follow, after going through physio. They had three months to get ready.

“Everybody really understood that it was going to be challenging,” Panecasio says. 

Yet, every team member put in the hard work, and it paid off.

“At the end of the two weeks, teams who were good at the beginning, you could physically see they deteriorated as the two weeks went on. Whereas we maintained pretty well,”  he explains. 

At which point the coffees arrive, a cappuccino for Panecasio.

Game plan

After beating New Zealand in the semi-final, Australia’s long-time rival England awaited in the final. They were the undefeated favourite with no losses, while Australia had lost one game. (Adding to insult, Australia went to England last year and got beaten 3-2).

Albeit being the underdog, they had put a great game plan in place.

“Our captain and vice-captain, they had a couple of guys who were really big hitters and could smash the ball really well. Rather than letting them get fours or sixes, they put the field back where they would hit. And they only got one the whole time,” Panecasio says. 

“Whereas against all the other teams, there was one guy (his name is Montie Douglas) and he scored 100s in a row in a game but he was scoring them really quickly. He still made 50 against us in the final, but in the double amount of time and they got frustrated.

“In the end, because they thought they would dominate, they panicked a little bit and we fielded and bowled really well,” Panecasio summarises.

The final score: England 9/214 and Australia 2/215.

The English were a bit shocked. The British High Commissioner who presented the trophy at the end of the final joked that he wasn’t happy presenting it to the Australians.

Luckily perhaps, both teams had donned their finest for dinner at the British Deputy High Commission (the club dates back to 1858) before the final.

Tony Panecasio in action. Photo credit: Tony Panecasio.

“It’s a religion to them. It’s amazing”

Everywhere the team went, there was either a cricket ground waiting to be played on or a cricket game going on. Pure cricket paradise.

During a practice game ahead of the World Cup, an Indian umpire refereed. Standing next to him, Panecasio asked, “What do you do as a job?” The umpire looked at him and said, “What do you mean?” Paencasio rephrased his question. “So, what’s your normal job?” “I’m a cricket umpire,” he replied. 

“He does it six days a week,” Panecasio says, impressed.

The team had brought spare gear with them, bats and bowls, which they gave out at some of the kids’ games. “They thought that was really cool,” he says.

When going to the markets, the team would be surrounded by people who wanted to take a selfie with them. “It’s a religion for them. It’s amazing,” Panecasio reflects.

“It’s one thing that really unites them. We actually ended up having a half hour conversation with one guy because he just kept asking questions such as when we play and what it’s like to play in Australia. They had a real interest.” 

More serious as he got older

As to whether Panecasio has been playing cricket for a long time, he laughs good-heartedly. Originally from Sydney, he’s lived in Kiama for the last 30 years. Panecasio was the coach when his son Matthew played juniors for Kiama. 

Panecasio played with Lake Illawarra, and then joined Southern Highlands when he retired from grade cricket.

They won the State Cup for over 60s. After winning, Panecasio got picked for the New South Wales (NSW) team. Then, six players from the NSW team got chosen for the Australian national cricket team.

“You’d like to go as well as you can always, and represent. But I didn’t think anything like that was on the cards. There’s no way if you’d told me 12 months ago that I thought I’d be playing cricket in India,” he says.

But, there is more. At the upcoming State Cup in October, Panecasion will captain the first-ever over 60s team, representing the region.

The bowling trophy. Photo credit: Tony Panecasio.