Far North Coast cricket veterans shine at over-70 state championships

FAR North Coast Veterans Cricket Club hosted a week-long state tournament featuring the best senior players competing in the over-70s division across the region.

It saw 11 teams in two divisions playing 40-over matches at venues across Ballina, Lennox Head and Lismore.

Games were modified to ensure the format remained competitive while tailored to the over-70s division.

Lismore was the major hub for the event with its ability to host large-scale competitions across multiple grounds.

Far North Coast went into the event as back-to-back champions with Roger Boyd and Doug Trigg having just represented Australia in the over-70s World Cup in New Zealand.

The local tournament included many former zone and state representatives.

Event organiser Wayne Garrard said the local veterans hosted the over-65s state championships in 2022, with many playing this week in the over-70s.

Garrard is also part of the local team and has represented NSW in veterans’ competition.

“It’s competitive, but it’s also about catching up with people you’ve played with and against for years,” he said.

“We have a few players who come down from north of the border and have been playing with us for about 10 years in different championships. Then we play against them again at nationals.”

The championships also served as a pathway to higher honours, with players able to nominate for NSW teams to compete at national level in the Cooper Finlay Cup State of Origin series against Queensland.

Garrard said veterans’ cricket had expanded significantly since its early days.

“It used to just be over-60s when it first started around 2007, but it’s really kicked off since then,” he said.

“Now you’ve got competitions from over-40s right through to over-75s.”

“There’s even a fellow in Tamworth still playing at 96. You can’t do that in many sports.”