Life has also knocked him around a fair bit he became blind four years ago.

He was fully sighted when he lived that outdoor physical life when younger, of course.

But from there a degenerative eye disease caused a gradual lose of sight.

However, Felton said he's ``one of the lucky ones''.

``I've belted around in trucks and motor bikes.''

Now he's belting a ball around.

Felton has been part of the Australian blind cricket team that completed the Trans Tasman series against New Zealand at the Kings School on Saturday.

He's also been an all-rounder.

Felton won gold and silver as a member of the Australian partially sighted rowing team at world titles in Finland, Spain and Canada in 1995, 2002-03 respectively.

But now ``I'm committed to cricket, it's my sport,'' said Felton, who works for Penrith Council helping the disabled.

``Rowing is a young man's game.''

Now he wants to make the sporting call that there are lots of games for anyone who's game partially or fully blind.

Said Australian team manager, Wentworthville's Graham Coulton: ``The world is their oyster''.

Coulton rattled off a spectrum of sports available: swimming, athletics, goalball, rowing, sailing, cricket, ten-pin and lawn bowling and on.

``It's a big problem,'' he said of the lack of awareness among the partially and fully blind.

``Since they were integrated into the school system they don't mix as much together and are unaware of the sports available to them.''

Felton pointed out another problem.

``We get some support from Cricket Australia but cricket is pretty much on its own,'' he said of the lack of financial support for the deaf and blind.

``We need more support at grassroots level. The elite athletes and Paralympians get most of the money.''

It didn't really matter who got the cash in the Trans Tasman series, or who wins the regular Ashes series, either.

The game's the thing, and it's played with a plastic ball with ballbearings inside, and bowlers hurl underarm at speeds of up to 100kmh.

Each team has the regulation 11 players.

They are classed in four categories and four players must be fully blind, like Felton.