Race to the finals wide as cricketers return to the pitch

FINALS spots are wide open with the Far North Coast LJ Hooker League cricket season to return on Saturday, January 17,

Ten rounds of the competition were played before the Christmas break with upsets and other surprises along the way.

Marist Brothers will host defending premiers Cudgen in its first game back with both clubs in the mix for a top four finish.

Goonellabah Workers Sports are also in mix and have not missed a finals series since joining the competition four years ago.

Moving to 40-over games this season has shown on the ladder with less games affected by rain.

Clubs voted for a change from the two-day format after a rain-affected season saw some teams play in as many as six washouts.

“A big thing is you don’t have to bowl teams out,” Goonellabah Workers Sports president Barry Cooper said.

“I thought we might have been a bowler short coming into the season, but it hasn’t really affected us.

Alstonville and Lennox Head have improved this season, while it only took Terranora Lakes five rounds to win its first game after a 15-year hiatus from the top grade.

They also gave Brothers a scare before claiming the scalp of the Tweed Banora Colts.

The Colts are hopeful of a return to finals with a strong line up of top order batsmen.

“The one-day competition really shakes things up and you have to be on your game, or you will lose,” Colts president Mark Wood said.

“The best thing is there a fairly even spread of talent across the competition with a heap of young guys coming through.

“Cooper Williams has really impressed me from Marist Brothers and Miller Scully at Casino is a great prospect.”

The competition has another eight rounds with the final set down for Saturday, March 21.