Aquinian playing Cricket for Estonia: Ben Jones 2007-2009
We had a lot of fun in that room, but inevitably caught the attention of Professor Ralph after an over-exuberant Sunday session, and reluctantly had to return the room to its original setup. Other notable highlights included Music Nights, pub nights, pub crawls, sabotaging each other’s rooms, and the weird and wonderful games we’d play to keep ourselves entertained (piff ball, danger foam, 6-pack challenge, 100s club). These brilliant memories were all made possible by the wonderful friends I made during my time at Aquinas, of which some friendships continue to this day.
I was lucky enough to play for and captain the cricket team to three premierships and an unbeaten run over those three years. We were unbeaten during my time in men’s netball and also took part in hockey and volleyball premierships. My biggest regret on the sporting field was never claiming a football trophy, and the effort it took to lose the weight I put on during my first year (the fresher 5 is real).
After leaving Aquinas, I spent the next few years based in Adelaide working at the Bunyip newspaper in Gawler as their sports journalist. During this time, fellow collegians Tom Daly and I played in a band (Terracotta Palace) where we recorded an EP (Medicine), before we formed another band (Bills) with other fellow collegians Tom Gallagher, Robbie Miller and Daniel Talanskas.
I took a break from work during part of 2013 and travelled Europe, before moving to Port Augusta to take up the role of editor of the Transcontinental newspaper. I then moved to Griffith, New South Wales to take up the role of editor of the Area News, Leeton Irrigator, and the Coleambally Observer. While in the area, I met my future wife Laura, from Estonia, who was undertaking a farm stint as part of her working holiday in Australia. After a proposal and with a baby on the way, Laura and I decided we’d like to raise our child at her home – an island in the Baltic Sea off the Estonian coast called Saaremaa.
I found work in the capital, Tallinn, working for what is now the Yolo Group, headed by fellow Aussie Tim Heath. Travelling between Saaremaa and Tallinn weekly, I took up a position leading content management at the company’s sports betting brand, before moving on to my current role as product owner of our cryptocurrency education brand, Learn Crypto.
The work is incredibly satisfying, and the people involved, particularly the strong Australian ex-pat community, have been a big part of my successful integration and settlement in Estonia.
My daughter Ellie was born in June 2020, just a week after restrictions were loosened and fathers were once again permitted to be bedside with expecting mothers. We left the Saaremaa capital, Kuressaare and bought a converted barn around 15 minutes outside of town in the countryside at a place called Pihtla. Beautifully placed within walking distance of the beach and the local brewery, it’s an idyllic home. Though it’s hard work, particularly in winter when I’m spending most of my days either chopping wood, lighting fires or shovelling snow.
Summers are also special for me since joining the Tallinn-based ex-pat cricket club, the Tallinn Hippos (https://www.instagram.com/tallinnhippos/) The cricket setup is still in its infancy, but it’s here almost exclusively here thanks to the vision and financial support of our company owner Tim. The Hippos have provided me with opportunities I’d never have dreamed possible, from actually playing cricket in Estonia, to the tours we take part in throughout Europe. This year the Hippos took part in the Mediterranean Cricket League in Tivat, Montenegro, where we were lucky enough to have Brett Lee and his son Preston come and play for us.
We also played against former internationals Brad Hogg and Darren Maddy, and mixed with them and the likes of YouTube sensations Thogden, Thogdad and Pavel Floren on Tim’s yacht in Porto Montenegro after the day’s play. The memory of facing Brett Lee (albeit a Brett Lee approaching his 50s) as he ran in with a new ball is something I’ll take with me to the grave.
Cricket in Estonia has also provided me with the unthinkable possibility of playing ICC-sanctioned international cricket. I, like every young cricketer, always dreamed of playing international cricket with a baggy green, but to actually get the opportunity, albeit with a black and blue cap, is a dream come true. With three years of living in the country, I qualified to play for the Estonian national team and took part in tours to Spain and Gibraltar in October this year.We played Gibraltar on a field literally under the rock and was part of Estonia’s first-ever T20 international win before we took on Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Serbia in Malaga, where we also overperformed to make the finals of that tournament.
Overall, it’s been a rollercoaster ride since leaving college. I never thought I’d be settled so far away from home. I miss my friends and family, and little things like decent red meat, pies, sausage rolls (and sometimes the weather). But I’m certainly happy with the path I’ve taken and where I’ve found myself today.