NORTH Coast have qualified for the NSW Country cricket final after an undefeated run in the first five rounds of the tournament at Newcastle.<\/p>\n
The team will play a 50-over game against Central Coast in the final at Port Macquarie tomorrow (Saturday, December 14).<\/p>\n
The competition is played under a new format this season with the team also qualifying for the Twenty20 regional bash final, which will likely be played at the SCG.<\/p>\n
North Coast captain Alec Williams said the team have been working hard for the last few seasons under coach and former Australian Country representative Pat Rosser.<\/p>\n
“We thought we were a good chance in the weeks leading into the tournament,” Williams said.<\/p>\n
“The main thing is that the group got on well and had a good time off the field as well.<\/p>\n
“We’ve tried to improve the culture of North Coast cricket, Pat has built on that for the last few years, and he’s brought some younger guys into the team.<\/p>\n
“We ended up overcoming a bit of adversity with a few players pulling out before we went and we had some injuries in the early games.<\/p>\n
Williams was among the early casualties along with stand-in skipper Cal McKiernan.<\/p>\n
Lismore opening batsman Jack Cooper was a standout, he scored two centuries and was 85 not out in another innings.<\/p>\n
“The first one was impressive, and the second one was probably even better,” Williams said.<\/p>\n
“It was pretty incredible to watch and great to see how some of the younger guys really stepped up.”<\/p>\n
The performances have put Cooper in the box seat for representative selection, while Williams has also played for NSW Country in recent years.<\/p>\n
Ballina teenager Kai Dalli top-scored with 66 not out in the second round against Riverina and was the top-wicket taker in the final game against Newcastle.<\/p>\n
“The Riverina game was probably our toughest win, and I didn’t think we would get the 250 runs until Kai and the guys in the middle order got things back on track.” Williams said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NORTH Coast have qualified for the NSW Country cricket final after an undefeated run in the first five rounds of the tournament at Newcastle. The team will play a 50-over game against Central Coast in the final at Port Macquarie tomorrow (Saturday, December 14). The competition is played under a new format this season with […]<\/p>\n