Mortgage brokers and bankers took to the cricket pitch in November for a friendly game of Twenty20 cricket in support of a charity close to many Australians’ hearts.
The second annual Bankers vs Brokers T20 cricket match was played in Perth on November 4, 2022. It was organised by Rob Diodato (pictured above), managing director of brokerage Loan WA Pty Ltd, together with Patrick Holden, Macquarie Bank state manager WA/SA commercial broker channel and Natalie Price, MFAA state manager, business development WA.
Diodato said the McGrath Foundation, a charity which raises money to support and care for women and men experiencing breast cancer, was chosen because it is an iconic charity in the cricket arena.
“The McGrath Foundation is easily identifiable and as an industry, we acknowledge that we have all been exposed to cancer in some way, directly or indirectly,” Diodato said. “Collectively, we raised somewhere in the vicinity of $17,000.”
Diodato said a new committee was formed for the 2022 event, following 2020’s successful outing.
“Together with the players, sponsors and supporters, the committee made this year’s event a greater success and the industry was brought together to see a very tactical game of T20 play out,” he said.
“Some good batting from the brokers, especially late in the innings by the eventual man of the match Shivram Sharma of Amplified Group. The brokers ended up with 168 off their 20 overs, which was aggressively attacked by the opening batsmen for the bank who were 0-58 after three overs.”
Diodato said captain of the bankers, Ryan Rawlins, who is the director of Amplified Lending Solutions, set a defensive field and tight bowling drag which made the game highly competitive.
“Some heavy hitting by the bankers got the game back on their terms, but they were running out of overs. Eventually 15 runs short, the bankers were disappointed at the loss, but acknowledged that the winner was the worthy cause we were all there for.”
Holden said the event itself was a great example of how the finance industry could come together across lenders, brokers, aggregators and associations to raise funds for charity.
“The McGrath Foundation arranged for one of their nurses to present to us on the day, which really highlighted the reasons behind why this cricket match is so important,” Holden said. “Thanks to everyone who attended the event and to all those that sponsored, we were delighted to raise an impressive amount for a good cause.”
Price said the MFAA was proud to be the major supporter of the event and to have representation on the organising committee for this great initiative.
“Events like these really showcase the wonderful community that we work with and the generosity of our industry in supporting the wider community,” Price said.
“Whenever we have the opportunity to promote the value of our industry, we have always been able to rely on great stats and data to tell our story. However, events like these where everyone unites for a worthwhile cause just take our story to another level. Nearly everyone has been touched by cancer, so supporting this cause was an honour.”
Highlights of the game included James Davies (BOQ banker) taking a great catch on the boundary with “an element of self-preservation”, along with Travis Rawlins (Better Choice Home Loans relationship manager WA/SA/NT) reacting to pinning his brother Ryan Rawlins plumb LBW, only to be given not out. Mark Windram (FBAA state manager WA, SA, VIC & TAS) also received a shoutout for his all-round cricketing performance.
Diodato said the brokers won by 14 runs and the bankers could try their luck again when the game returns bigger and better in 2023.
In other sports-related news in the financial services industry, non-bank commercial lender Equity-One extended its partnership with Hockey Club Melbourne and CBA signed up to be an official partner of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
What do you think of the Banks Vs Brokers T20 cricket match? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
