A plumber who streaked across Perth Stadium at its first sporting match says he has no regrets about the dare, but now needs help to pay the $5,000 fine.
Ben Jenkins jogged onto the ground during a One Day International cricket match between Australia and England on Sunday night.
The 23-year-old evaded security for almost a minute, breaking several tackles before finally giving himself up and being wrestled to the ground.
Ben Jenkins, 23, says his friends convinced him to streak across Perth Stadium at its first sporting match
The talented footballer from Toodyay, northeast of Perth, showed off the speed that made him a former WAFL colts and reserves footballer and WA state representative.
Mr Jenkins said he was on a three-day bender with his friends and was planning the streak all weekend.
But by the time he got to the $1.5 billion stadium, he started having second thoughts about becoming the venue’s first ever streaker.
‘I sat there for a long time, I was looking at every security guard and the path I was going to take and I was just thinking, ‘I really don’t want to do this anymore’, he told 9 News.
A video uploaded to Facebook shows his friends sitting in the stands as a warning flashed on the big screen warning of a $5,000 fine for pitch invaders.
He jogged naked onto the ground during a One Day International cricket match between Australia and England on Sunday night
He managed to outrun the three guards and sprint back towards the pitch as people cheered
The camera then panned to Mr Jenkins who did not look enthused about the impending prank as his friends laughed, but in the end ‘peer pressure won’.
‘I talked the talk so I had to walk the walk. When the time was ripe and the clothes came off, there was no turning back,’ he said.
The bare-bottomed buffoon’s antics earned him a court summons for that $5,000 and a three-year ban from all Cricket Australia matches.
It looked like he wouldn’t have to pay the fine, however, as a fundraiser to spare him the financial pain reached $3,700 in just nine hours.
‘Hoping the good people of Western Australia can throw a couple bucks my way to help pay my 5000 dollar fine,’ he wrote.
A video uploaded to Facebook shows his friends sitting in the stands with Mr Jenkins not looking enthused about the impending prank as his friends laughed
The bare-bottomed buffoon’s antics earned him a court summons for that $5,000 and a three-year ban from all Cricket Australia matches
More than 170 people answered the call, many saying he was a legend and a true larrikin for upholding a time-honoured Australian tradition.
Some appreciative donors put up $600 and $200 each with many chipping in $5 to $20 saying they enjoyed the spectacle.
Others, both on the fundraiser and on social media, were less amused and slammed him for interrupting the game and exposing himself around children.
Australian batsman Marcus Stoinis seemed to find the funny side as he was caught on camera laughing to himself as play came to a halt.
‘We’ve got too many fielders on the field right now, and one in what we’d say is bone-coloured clothing,’ joked commentator Michael Slater.
‘Look at him go. He’s a prancer!’
The talented footballer from Toodyay, northeast of Perth, showed off the speed that made him a former WAFL colts and reserves footballer and WA state representative
He was finally caught, wrapped in a towel and escorted off the field by security guards
Mr Jenkins waved his arms above his head to cheers and cat-calls from the stands as three security guards closed in on him from the sides.
‘From the blindside!’ called the commentator as one of the officials collided with the nude man, but failed to take him down after he wriggled out of his grasp and took off again.
Putting on an incredibly display of speed, Mr Jenkins then outran the three guards and sprinted back towards the pitch.
‘He’s broken away, the big fella,’ said the commentary team as the officials give chase. One of them manages to lay a hand on the man but can’t catch up with him either.
Finally, he gives himself up and is tackled to the ground by two of the men amidst applause and cheers from the grandstand.
‘These shenanigans…A bit of an initiation here at the new oval,’ the commentator concludes, as the camera zooms up on five men in high-vis shirts handcuffing the streaker.
The streaker was handcuffed, wrapped in a towel and escorted from the oval on Sunday night
Australian batsman Marcus Stoinis laughed to himself as play came to a halt to catch the man
One can be seen covering the man’s modesty with a towel as he is pulled to his feet.
‘I don’t think they were expecting that…We just don’t see it too often these days,’ remarked the amused commentator.
‘Definitely added to the excitement of the afternoon. But he’s out, he’s in trouble, and we’ll get on with the game.’
Amused cricket fans have flocked to social media to praise the streaker and the commentator
Social media erupted as the streaker flashed across the screen, with hundreds taking to Twitter to bemoan how long it’s been since any kind of ground invader has been shown onscreen.
One woman praised the man for ‘having a body worth showing off’ and ‘making the cricket interesting’ while another congratulated the broadcast and commentator for covering the streaker’s run.
Another tweet asked, ‘Is there anything more Aussie than a streaker at the cricket?’ before adding that it ‘sucks’ how rare streakers are these days.
ATwitter user asked, ‘Is there anything more Aussie than a streaker at the cricket?’ on Sunday