James Allsopp walked among the sold-out crowd at Manuka Oval's first Test and saw tears running down the cheeks of an elderly man.
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As Kurtis Patterson raised his bat to mark his maiden Test century, the outgoing Cricket ACT boss asked him if he was okay. And his emotional response hit home.
"For 16 years I've been travelling to the SCG for a Test match, but the last four years I got too old for it," he told Allsopp.
"I never thought I'd see a Test match again, and here I am at Manuka Oval seeing the first ever one."
To Allsopp, it showed how his team's work behind the scenes enriched the lives of others in the cricket community - capturing what sport is truly about.
"It sums up the power of sport and how it can enrich the lives of everybody. It's not just young boys and girls, but people who are well and truly at the back end of their life and you can still provide that hope and inspiration to them as well," Allsopp said.
That memory has stayed with Allsopp until his last week at the helm of Cricket ACT, with the 37-year-old joining the national peak body on March 29 as the executive general manager of community cricket.
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It brings an end to a two-year stint as the association's chief for Allsopp, who rose from ACT Meteors coach to the leadership role at the end of 2018.
He was thrown straight into the box seat as Manuka Oval delivered its first Test match when Australia hosted Sri Lanka at the iconic venue in February 2019, with day two selling out.
Under Allsopp, Canberra hosted five matches in last year's Women's T20 World Cup, including the Australia-Bangladesh fixture that drew 6000 fans to Manuka Oval.
This season the venue hosted 23 per cent of men's elite content, playing an integral role in the Big Bash League schedule amid the COVID-19 crisis.
On the local front, junior registered team numbers boomed.
But achievements aside, Allsopp is most proud about how Cricket ACT has gone about their business in the sport and community, as well as the culture built within the association.
"What I'm most proud of is how we've gone about business with cricket," Allsopp said.
"I think we're a very respected organisation within the community, we've got a great relationship with the government and with the venue. I think we've been a leader in terms of sport surviving and hopefully come out the other side thriving through Covid.
"I think the way we've engaged with our stakeholders, community, and customers has been respectful and we've treated them like partners in the game - which they ultimately are.
"How we've gone about our business and culture within the organisation underpins the delivery of what we've been able to achieve in the past few years."
Taking the helm at Cricket ACT is Olivia Thornton, who is shattering the glass ceiling as the first female chief executive officer in the organisation's 99-year history.
Allsopp said it would be hard to say goodbye to Cricket ACT at the close of business on Friday afternoon, but is excited about his next chapter with the national body.
"I'm following in the footsteps of the great Belinda Clark which is really exciting," he said.
"The way she and the national community cricket team have modernised the cricket offerings, we've got amazing products to inspire people to take up the game.
"My fundamental belief is the whole cricket ecosystem is underpinned by the strength, passion, growth and participation of our volunteers.
"With that core belief of mine, I'm excited to operate the national network and ensure we're supporting our customers on the ground and that they have a great experience in the game. That unlocks the potential of the whole cricket ecosystem."