Chloe Piparo has bravely opened up on how the loss of her father left a hole in heart.
The WA captain told the West Australian newspaper how she had been far from home in 2016 when she received the terrible news of her father Tony’s sudden death.
“I went and played for Worcestershire in the division two a few years ago, which was a really good experience for the first few weeks and months,” Piparo said.
“Mum and Dad had planned a trip over in early July but in mid to late June I got a call from Mum just in the middle of the day that unfortunately Dad had passed away suddenly.
“Within a couple of hours I was on a plane home to Perth and that was a really hard process to go through.
“Dad obviously pushed me to go over and play cricket in the UK but there was a lot of regret that I wasn’t able to see him for a few months and then unfortunately he passed away, so it was really tough.”
Piparo said her dad was such a huge part of her cricket career, travelling everywhere to watch her play.
And his absence was brought home again when she was appointed captain ahead of the 2018-19 season.
“He’d wear his Scorchers hat or shirt and he was really proud of me and what I’d done,” she said.
“It made getting the captaincy really tough and I guess everything I do now there’s a little bit of a hole in my heart because Dad’s not there to see me do it.”
But Piparo said there is no doubt he would proud of what she achieved.
“He bought these wine bottles, they were Dennis Lillee, Rodney Hogg – there was six of them,” Piparo said.
“I remember he said we’d open a bottle when something good happened like when I make a hundred or if I played for Australia.
“On the day it was announced I was captain I went home and opened one of these red wines for Dad.
“That was a special moment. As much as it’s tough he’s not here to support me through it all, I know he’d be super proud of me.”
Piparo also spoke about she put her hand up for the captaincy at just 23 with the support of senior teammate Nicole Bolton.
Piparo talked about how she had tried not to take the game so seriously in recent times and just enjoy her time out there.
The Perth Scorchers will be aiming to guarantee their place in the WBBL finals when they take on the Hobart Hurricanes at Lilac Hill on Saturday and Sunday.
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