Group Photo - Moreton Bay BATS v Moreton Bay City Mayor's XI
Welcome to Blind Bats Inc! On this website, we hope to provide you with information about our charity, Blind Bats Inc. and the national network of our BATS Club’s unique All-Ability Inclusive Activities Program.
Cap Sponsor
Winner !!
2024 Business Innovation Award
All-Ability
2024 Team Shirt Sponsors
BAT image kindly supplied by MySpiritSphere
2023 Moreton Bay City Mayor's Team
2023 Bay BATS Club Moreton Bay Team
The Toss
Shield Presentation
Ian Healy
Beeping Cricket Ball
2023 WINNERS!!
Ian Healy & Community Bank Samford
Mayor & Kayden
Terry Young & Shai
Charlotte & Michael
Ian Healy Batting For The BATS
Charlie Sends The New Beeping Cricket Ball To The Boundary
Community Inclusion & Awareness
The Annual Mayor’s XI Beep Cricket Match was held on 5 November 2023
Below is a report posted on Facebook by Cr Mark Booth, a member of the Mayor’s XI Team
Today I had the pleasure of my Daughter joining me on the Mayor’s XI team for the “City of Moreton Bay Shield” Cricket Match, with the Mayor’s XI taking on the “Bats Sport Club” vision Impaired and All-Ability team using their award winning “Beep” Cricket Ball. This ball is an absolute game changer for vision impaired aspiring cricketers. The ball beeps as it flies through the air allowing an equal playing field. The game rules are slightly modified and inclusive for all abilities making it the only sport in the world where players can play together without disability classes making it a truly inclusive sport. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s XI went down for the 2nd year in a row 93 runs to 43 runs but there’s always next year!
Thanks to all the players for making it such a fun experience including Terry Young MP and Australian Cricket Royalty and owner of Hoppy’s Carwwash Ian Healy who were on the winning Bats team as well as Mayor Peter Flannery, Councillor Yvonne Barlow, Councillor Matt Constance, Councillor Cath Tonks, Councillor Tony Latter, Councillor Adam Hain, and Council Staff who made up the Mayor’s XI.
2023 Mayor's XI Match
All-Ability Activities
BATS Club Australia has added 5 new activities to its 2023 Events Calendar. In addition to Beep Cricket, the sport of Hockey, Netball, Soccer, Softball, and Touch Football has been added.
Deep Sea Fishing and Social Events have also been added to the All-Ability inclusive Activities Program.
Expansion to other locations in Australia, such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide is now in progress. In the period 2024-2025 a BATS Club will be set up in the capital city of each State and Territory as well as in other locations of Queensland such as the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Gold Coast.
BATS Club Moreton Bay schedules Beep All-Ability Inclusive Activity events are to be held each Sunday. A free BBQ lunch for all who attend is provided at these events. If required, residents of Moreton Bay City can be provided safe transport to and from events free of charge. Paul makes the perfect pitch for Beep Cricket read more
Beeping Cricket Ball
To watch the video click here
Winner!!
Congratulations to Blind Bats, the unanimous Judges’ Choice winner at the 2023 Creative Industries Demo Day!
🚀 Introducing the game-changer: Blind Bats’ Beeping Ball!
We’re thrilled to celebrate Blind Bats’ President, Paul Szep, and his Beeping Ball as the unanimous Judges’ Choice winner at the 2023 Creative Industries Demo Day.
Aiming to empower the blind community, Blind Bats enables participation in sports events many take for granted. Paul, the president of Blind Bats, presented the 7th prototype of the revolutionary Beeping Ball, with an 8th version already in development.
click here to read more
Winner!!
Congratulations to Paul Szep, President of Blind Bats Inc., winner of the 2024 Longman Volunteer Award!
Paul is the founder and President of this charity for the past 9 years, Paul is also responsible for the invention of the world’s first Beeping Cricket Ball and the soon-to-be National game of Beep Cricket. Paul has established BATS Clubs in each State and Territory of Australia. The major objective is to assist people with disability to be more inclusive in their local community, while at the same time, to lead a more healthy and active lifestyle. BATS Clubs will recruit, train and form teams of Beep Cricket players and then hand that team to a local cricket club. in the national carnival.
Beep Sport Events
On most Sundays of the year, Moreton Bay BATS Club conducts its All-Ability Inclusive, Activities Program. These events are unique as they bring together people with various disabilities to play organized activities together in a team envionment.
A grassroots program that includes skills training and lots of fun, and Volunteers who not only support the program, but also join in the fun. This program aims to introduce house-bound people to an active and healthier lifestyle, while at the same time, the opportunity to gain confidence, experience a leadership role, and learn new skills.
Although participants are initially in social grassroots activities, there is an opportunity for selection to represent their BATS Club in promotional and national events. Paul believes the international game of Beep Cricket will be established in the next 5 years.
Ben Felten is the world’s fastest blind man on a motorcycle! – by Paul Szep
I recently caught up with a dear friend of mine who is one of the most driven and talented blind people I have ever met. We go back to the late 80s and early 90s at Nepean Blind Sports Club where a group of people from the local community, unknowingly established the first inclusive sports club for the blind in Australia.
Ben Felten, Michael Linke, and I, were leaders who formed one of the most successful Blind Sports Clubs in NSW, winning the NSW Blind Cricket Competition at our first attempt. We all have moved on to bigger and better things now however, in my heart, Ben will always be a shining light for young legally blind people. He is living proof that if you have the will and are prepared to do the work, you can achieve your dreams no matter how much sight you have. to read more click here
Many thanks to the generous support of Taverners Queensland. BATS Club Morton Bay now have the use of a brand-new cricket pitch that is suitable for the game of Beep Cricket.
The pitch was installed on Monday 11 September 2023 by The Surface Pro Group who have done such a magnificent job. The 2023 Ian Healy Beep Cricket Competition had first use of the new pitch. Everyone found it to be a huge upgrade on the previous pitch. This pitch was the preferred venue of the annual All-Ability Beep Cricket match (the Morton Bay Shield) and like the BATS Team, proved to be big winner on 5 November 2023. This annual All-Ability event held between the Moreton Bay City Mayor’s XI and the Morton Bay BATS. This event demonstrated All Ability Activities (including Beep Cricket).
Several local dignitaries, Council Staff, and local business leaders participated on the day. BATS Club Moreton Bay conducts various All Ability Activities in which family, friends and support workers can participate and join in the fun. These activities are held each Sunday at the Devine Court Sports Complex, Morayfield. A big thankyou to Robyn White (Taverners QLD) and Cindy Maddison (City of Moreton Bay Council) for their assistance in making this project happen so smoothly.