Latest news with #CricketNSW
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Cricket NSW to review Michael Slater's Hall of Fame status as fall from grace continues
Cricket NSW will consider removing former Australian opener Michael Slater from the Hall of Fame and revoking his Life Member status following his domestic violence convictions. The 55-year-old last week received a suspended four-year prison sentence from Judge Glen Cash in Maroochydore District Court after pleading guilty to seven charges for a series of domestic violence offences that related to a woman in the Noosa region between December 2023 and March 2024, including two counts of choking, stalking, assault, and burglary. He was immediately released on a fully suspended sentence having already spent more than a year in custody. Slater, who represented Australia in 74 Tests and 42 ODIs from 1993 to 2001, was inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame in 2015 alongside Mollie Dive and Arthur Mailey. However, in the aftermath of his legal proceedings in Queensland, Cricket NSW confirmed to it would review Slater's status in the Hall of Fame and as a Life Member. Hall of Fame inductees are based on recommendations made to the Cricket NSW Board. Slater's fall from grace has sent shockwaves through his hometown of Wagga Wagga, which is grappling with how to appropriately celebrate the significant achievements of a sporting icon who has since tarnished its reputation. Last year, following a month-long debate, the Wagga Wagga City Council voted 4-3 in favour of renaming Michael Slater Oval, a cricket field that forms part of the city's Bolton Park sporting complex. Former Wagga Wagga mayor Rod Kendall argued against the move, attributing Slater's criminal behaviour to mental illness. The venue, located in the city centre, was named after Slater in 2014, seven years before he was first charged with domestic violence offences, while fellow international cricketers Mark Taylor and Geoff Lawson also have ovals named in their honour. 'There's a lot of sympathy for Slater in Wagga Wagga,' local councillor Jenny McKinnon told 'He's a Wagga boy. People know him and people know his family. People are sympathetic about the mental health issues he's had. 'At the same time, the convictions he has are for very serious matters and I think we need to be thinking about the victims of the crimes, and also what the messaging is for children who use those ovals. 'Slater still has his incredible sporting records. They can't be taken away from him.' The WWCC has yet to action any changes to the oval's name, postponing the decision-making process for nine months. 'A workshop for councillors to rediscuss a potential change to the oval's name will be held in the future, although a time for the workshop has not yet been set,' a WWCC spokesperson said in a statement to Disgruntled locals took matters into their own hands last year by spray-painting over the Michael Slater Oval sign, an act of vandalism McKinnon praised at the time. In March, anonymous vigilantes covered the sign with a big sticker that read 'End Domestic Violence', which the council promptly removed. 'Council responded very swiftly by covering up the amended sign and then removing it entirely in the same week as International Women's Week,' Wagga Wagga resident and local reporter Chris Roe explained to 'It was a surprising response.' Elsewhere, Wagga Wagga's Estella Public School will consider renaming one of its four sporting houses – Slater House – after receiving feedback from parents and community members. The sporting house names were chosen in consultation with the community when the school opened in 2021, before Slater's domestic violence charges came to light. 'Estella Public School has received some feedback from community members regarding the name of Slater House,' a NSW Department of Education spokesperson said in a statement to 'The issue will be discussed at the next P&C meeting.' When local media outlets reported on Estella Public School's Slater House last month, several parents expressed their anger online. Roe, who has two daughters in Slater House, contacted the school on multiple occasions to voice his concerns. 'It kicked off quite a furore,' Roe said of the social media backlash. 'I think given it's a new school, it's only four years old, maybe it's time that we change the name of the house. 'Who would it hurt to do that anyway?'
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Fresh blow for disgraced cricket star Michael Slater who is set to be stripped of honours after domestic violence charges
Former Australian Test opener Michael Slater is facing the complete dismantling of his cricketing legacy following disturbing domestic violence convictions. Cricket NSW has confirmed it is reviewing Slater's inclusion in the Hall of Fame and his Life Member status after he pleaded guilty to a string of serious offences. The 55-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Glen Cash in Maroochydore District Court, although the term was fully suspended due to time already served in custody. Slater had spent over a year in jail after being refused bail in 2024. The charges against him included two counts of choking, stalking, assault, burglary, and unlawful striking, all linked to a woman in the Noosa region between December 2023 and March 2024. In court, horrifying details of a months-long campaign of abuse emerged. On December 10, 2023, after a night of drinking, Slater accused the woman of infidelity before seizing her phone, kicking her, and unleashing a stream of slurs. He then wrapped his hands around her neck, shaking her violently, and struck her face, causing visible injuries. Just over two weeks later, on Boxing Day, he again attacked her - this time slamming her into a washing machine and choking her until she cried out that she couldn't breathe. Judge Cash told the former Test star, 'It's obvious, Mr Slater, that you are an alcoholic… Your rehabilitation will not be easy.' Court documents revealed Slater also sent hundreds of abusive messages, threatened suicide, and shared non-consensual intimate images. In one message, he wrote, 'You f***ing killed me.' In another, he threatened, 'I'll hang [my] skull at the front of [my] house.' On March 13, the woman's security camera captured Slater smashing a window and entering her home while yelling profanities and pouring himself a drink. Alarmed neighbours called police, and Slater was arrested at the scene. He was also fined $900 and disqualified from driving after pleading guilty to separate charges of drink driving and having cannabis in his system. While the court acknowledged his struggle with mental illness, prosecutors argued for a five-year sentence with parole after three years. His lawyer, Greg McGuire, urged the court to consider time served, saying Slater wished to return to New South Wales and had been alcohol-free for a year. Slater's fall from grace has shocked many, including his hometown of Wagga Wagga. The Wagga Wagga City Council voted 4–3 in favour of renaming the Michael Slater Oval, though the final decision has been delayed for nine months. Disgruntled locals vandalised the sign last year and later covered it with a sticker reading 'End Domestic Violence.' The council removed the sticker promptly during International Women's Week, drawing criticism from the community. Wagga councillor Jenny McKinnon acknowledged public sympathy for Slater's mental health struggles but stressed the seriousness of the convictions. 'People are sympathetic about the mental health issues he's had,' she said. 'At the same time, the convictions he has are for very serious matters.' Meanwhile, Estella Public School in Wagga Wagga is considering renaming its 'Slater House' after feedback from concerned parents. The house name was chosen in 2021 before Slater's criminal charges became public. A local reporter and parent, Chris Roe, said the backlash was swift and strong. 'It kicked off quite a furore,' Roe said. 'Maybe it's time we change the name… Who would it hurt to do that anyway?' Slater played 74 Tests and 42 ODIs for Australia from 1993 to 2001, scoring over 5000 Test runs and 14 centuries. He retired in 2004 and became a high-profile cricket commentator, working for Channel 9, Channel 7, Fox Sports, and Star Sports.
