A LONE cricket bat personally signed by Sir Donald Bradman, a NSW Combined Country cap and a shiny new six-stitcher sat in the centre wicket area of the Bathurst Sportsground yesterday.
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It was a stark reminder of the outpouring of emotion which has spread across Australia following the passing of Phillip Hughes.
On learning of Hughes’ death on Thursday, Sydney father Paul Taylor placed his cricket bat at his front door as a “mark of respect”. He then tweeted the image using the hashtag#putoutyourbats.
The social media campaign to pay tribute to Phillip Hughes is now spreading around the world – as well as across Bathurst and the Central West – as cricket fans photograph their bats outside their homes and post photos on social media.
Sports stars, fans and cricket-mad kids have since put out their bats and caps as a poignant gesture of respect and mourning.
Photos of bats are now popping up in Britain, the US and the Middle East.
One of the most retweeted images has been from former Australian batsman Dean Jones, who snapped a picture of his 1989 Ashes bat and his dog.