What a fantastic weekend of cricket for Rovers.
Plenty of matches were played over the weekend, with some great results across the grades. Our 1st Grade side continues its winning form, which is fantastic to see! Well done to all our players, coaches and supporters for another great weekend of cricket.
Wednesday Night Pizza Night!
This Wednesday, after junior training, stick around for Pizza Night! A great opportunity for our junior players, parents and families to enjoy a bite to eat, catch up and spend some time together off the field.
Thanks to everyone who continues to support our great club. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Go Rovers!
1st Grade: Rovers 5/170 def. Cassowary Coast 7/166
The Mighty Rovers have continued their perfect start to the season with a five-wicket win over Cassowary Coast, chasing down 167 in another gritty performance.
Cassowary Coast batted first and we couldn’t have asked for a better start with the ball. Berry bowled Spataro and TK removed both Camilleri and Kalkat to leave them 3/11.
From there, Cassowary Coast’s fourth wicket partnership batted superbly. The pair added 137 and we struggled to find the answer to break it. We weren’t at our best during that period in the field, but it’s something we’ll definitely learn from as the season progresses. Berry finally broke through by bowling Basra at 4/148, and the boys lifted again, taking 3 more wickets for just 18 runs to restrict them to 7/166. Berry (3/26 off 8) and TK (3/23 off 8) led the way, Henry chipped in with 1/31 off 7, and Vicky was miserly, going for just 11 off 7 overs while bowling through a very tough period.
In the chase, Ian (16) and Dayne (16) got us going, Archie (18 off 10) provided a quickfire cameo, and Henry (20) dug in through the middle. Vicky (who is still waiting for Archie to run out a soft drink) anchored the innings with a gritty unbeaten 50 off 87, and TK finished the job with 31* off 24, including a bomb. It was an all-round day for Vicky and TK, who led from the front with both bat and ball.
Three wins from three is our best start to a season in over a dozen years. As we slowly earn the nickname “Cardiac Rovers”, with each result going down to the wire! There’s still plenty to work on, but the belief in this group is real.
R-O-V-E-R-S
It was a Rovers showdown in 2nd Grade this weekend, with both our Rovers teams taking to the field against each other!
Red Beret Rovers came away with the win, posting 7/158 against their fellow Rovers teammates, who finished on 108.
Congratulations to all players on a great game of cricket. Always good to see our Rovers teams battling it out on the field!
Terranovus Rovers 3rd Grade took on Barron River at Brendan Nash Oval.
Terranovus put on a great show against the ladder leaders.
We had to call on the young guns to join us due to illness and injury. A big thanks to Caleb, Tobi, Travis, Rocco and Eli for stepping up after already playing the morning game.
Congratulations Tobi on making your senior debut.
After winning the toss we went about setting a target after losing both openers early. A 100 plus run partnership between Caleb and Jason and some very smart death batting by Brodie Masina allowed us to set a decent target of 161 for Barron to chase.
Caleb batted with great maturity and Jason’s performance was a brilliant example of how to build an innings as he top scored with 79.
We got off to a flyer with Darren Halpin hitting the stumps on the first ball of his spell in the second over of the game and then
taking a wicket on the next ball which put him on a hat trick and Barron at 2 for 1.
Unfortunately the next ball went past the edge of the bat to deny the all so close hat trick.
Barron chased down the runs with the loss of only one more wicket which was a spectacular catch by Rob Thirkell off Caleb’s bowling by throwing himself upwards and backwards to snag a one handed chance. (Unfortunately Frogbox does not capture how good the catch actually was).
Although it was loss we had some great signs that we may be able to turn the tables in our next encounter.
Well done lads.
SGS Rovers 5-94 lost to Mulgrave Papare Lions 3-95
HVAC Bhutanese Rovers 8-120 defeted Mulgrave Century Cranes 39
Another away game for the mighty Rovers, this time a little closer to home at Crathern Park.
With rain absolutely bucketing down on arrival, we somehow managed to get underway just 8 minutes late! Luca won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch where the ball barely got above ankle height all day. Definitely not a day for the highlight reel!
Batting was tough going, but Bikram (18 off 28) got us off to a solid start before the ever-reliable Hugh dug in for a gritty 47 off 79. Some good old-fashioned hard yakka saw us finish on 9/127 off 34 overs. Competitive, but would it be enough?
The boys came out firing in the field, bowling tightly, taking regular wickets and making Barron work for every run. With the scores tracking closely, Elijah produced a brilliant direct-hit run out from square leg to dismiss a key batter and swing the momentum our way.
From there, some outstanding team fielding kept the pressure on. Hugh, Rocco, Bikram and Neil all held sharp catches, while Elijah, Charlie, Riley and Rocco combined for some terrific run outs. Neil’s sharp catch off Bikram finally sealed the win, with Barron River all out for 93 and the mighty Rovers claiming a 34-run victory!
Bowling honours:
Hugh – 2/13 off 5 overs
Bikram – 2/12 off 4.2 overs
Players of the Match
Hugh – A gritty 47, a sharp catch and 2/13 with the ball. Not a bad day at the office!
Elijah – That brilliant direct-hit run out that turned the game in our favour. One stump to aim at from square leg? Apparently that’s all he needed!
Volunteer Shout-Outs
A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who keep everything running smoothly!
Tash – Faultless scoring as usual!
Tim, Pete F and Kevin – Amazing work with the umpiring. Really appreciate you giving up your time!
The Hutton family – For supplying an absolutely amazing morning tea. Keeping the boys (and probably a few parents!) well fed!
Coach’s Wrap: Fantastic team effort, particularly in the field where everyone contributed. Still plenty to work on, but we’re building nicely and finding ways to win the close ones.
Well done, lads!
Rovers Tier 3 FNQ Nature Tours V Norths
FNQ Nature Tours maintained top position on the ladder with Mareeba after a disciplined all-round performance secured a seven-wicket victory over Norths.
With the match featuring 2nd versus 3rd on the ladder, FNQ Nature Tours delivered one of their most complete performances of the season. Thankfully, the weather held out and provided ideal conditions for a great day of cricket.
The bowlers once again set up the victory, dismissing norths for 89. Toby led the way with three wickets, while Carter claimed two and Hayden grabbed two catches in the field. The side’s discipline with the ball was a major improvement, conceding just 13 extras compared with the 29 extras bowled the previous week.
Chasing 90 for victory, FNQ Nature Tours reached the target comfortably. Eli continued his outstanding form, backing up the three wickets he took last week with a match-winning unbeaten 54. Will made a valuable 21, while Caleb finished unbeaten on 15 to help complete the chase.
A big thank you to Eli’s family for supplying a fantastic morning tea that was enjoyed by players and supporters alike.
Player of the Match awards were presented to Hayden, Wil, Carter and Will for their strong contributions.
The team now turns its attention to next week’s bus trip to Innisfail as it looks to maintain its winning momentum and hold its place at the top of the ladder.
Tier 2. WGC Rovers 1-218 v Mareeba Bandits 105.
The mighty Redbacks fired their most ominous warning so far with a venomous display with the bat. Our skipper Riley was absent with a knee now resembling a Halloween pumpkin but our top order did not flinch and regularly punished any wayward bandit bowling. Andrew top scored with 41 not out but he had plenty of friends with Aadit 23*, Luca 26*, Max 18*, Shenuka 23* and Jacob 25* all amongst the runs. Poor old Ryan was the only wicket to fall – the victim of a cruel run out with Jacob – apparently the first time a Dutton has ever been involved in a rovers batting mix up.
When it was our turn to bowl, we were a little wayward at times but hit the stumps when it counted. The figures went to Jacob D 3-14, Mac 1-6 and our super sub Xander whose first game in tier 2 was a pearler – red ink, 2-1 with the ball and 2 catches.
Our awards today went to Jacob and Xander.
Tier 2 – Barron River U13s v Zarraffas Rovers
Well, cricket can turn quickly, and today we got a fairly brutal demonstration of exactly how quickly.
For the first 20 overs, we were right on top. Oliver, Thomas and Teddy all bowled really well, kept things tight and made scoring difficult. Isaak also bowled better than the scorebook will suggest and could consider himself extremely unlucky not to pick up an LBW that was, shall we say, somewhere in the general vicinity of the stumps (……..Ben!).
Then the opposition’s main run-scorer decided he’d had enough of all that sensible cricket and basically took matters into his own hands. The last five overs hurt, wickets became very hard to find, and suddenly a very manageable total had become 152.
We did manage to slow the damage thanks to a cracking run out from Cooper H and a brilliant catch from Danura. Both were outstanding bits of fielding when we desperately needed something to happen.
With the bat, our trusty openers got us off to another solid start before Cooper H was run out. Unfortunately, this started something of a trend. Three run outs in one innings suggests that running between wickets may feature somewhere on next week’s training agenda.
Cooper L batted nicely, Roly dug in well, and then Isaak returned to the crease and decided he wasn’t going down quietly.
At 43 from 44 balls, including four sixes, Isaak gave us a genuine sniff and started flaying the ball around the ground. For a little while you could just about convince yourself we might pull off something ridiculous.
Unfortunately, it was simply too much for Isaak to do on his own and we eventually finished 8/105, 47 runs short.
Not our day, and we probably didn’t have enough contributors with the bat, but plenty of positives and some really useful lessons. We competed hard, produced some excellent moments in the field and saw what can happen when a batter gets on top and makes the most of the final overs.
We’ll learn from it, brush up on our running between wickets, and go again next week.
Cooper L and Isaak were our award winners
Tier 1 AGL Rovers 98 def by Mulgrave Red 171.
So far the best performance of the season for AGL. Batting first there were some solid contributions from everyone, with James 16, Indira 12 and Hendrix 10 reaching double figures. Our fielding was a highlight despite a lot of big hitting from Mulgrave. Herbert (4 wickets) and Emmett (2 wickets) led the way, with Indira and James chipping in with 1 wicket each. Onward and upward for the AGL! Award winners were Indira, Herbert and James.
Archers Body Corporate Rovers Gold 144 d Norths Lords Insurance Black 90
A great day out for the tier 1 Rovers today with a win that was in the bag, then in danger, then back under control again. If we had enough player of the day awards all seven would have won one, with great contributions across the park. The bowlers were the stars though, the highlight undoubtedly Aaron picking up a hat trick that had players, fans, and officials all jumping for joy. Oscar also picked up 3 wickets and was a coat of paint away from a hat trick of his own.
Our turn to bat, Liesel and Oscar were solid at the top, Bradley passed 20 for the third week in a row, and both Johno and James had career best scores.
Big thanks again to the mums and dads who helped out with the scoring and umpiring.
Mulgrave specsavers girls 132 def by Westpac Rovers 180
Mulgrave won the toss and elected to bowl which turned out to be greatly in our favour as our team had turned up in excellent batting form, led by this weeks captain and our man of the match – Hudson Laws. Hudson opened the batting and showed excellent composure scoring 27 off 20 balls including 3 boundaries. The start was supported well by Damandeep 19, Xander 17 and Campbell and Arkie both on 15. Our newest Rover Arkie continued to shine with a brilliant 4 in only her third ever match.
Our bowling and fielding work was again excellent, taking another 13 wickets, helping greatly with our success, and more importantly the excitement and fun had by our Jnr Rovers.
Damandeep was our best bowler taking a 5 wicket haul for only 14 runs off 4 overs. Campbell was also excellent with his line and length and his figures of 1/5 off 4 clearly showed class and maturity.
We continued to rotate players through all positions and roles, and another new keeper again this week Hudson taking the gloves for the first ten overs and doing a great job at it. Our main keeper Xander has been a fantastic role model in this position for his 10 overs each match.
Awards (well deserved) went to Hudson, Damandeep, Campbell and Arkie.
Well done again to Westpac Rovers.
With First Grade unbeaten after three rounds and enjoying a great start, the 2026/27 Player of the Year race is heating up!
The 3–2–1 votes are rolling in, but the leaderboard is staying under lock and key until presentation night!
A SNEAK PEEK AT THE VOTING…
One vote separates the top THREE!
The leader is on a hot streak – polling in back-to-back rounds!
An early hero is breathing down the leader’s neck!
Missing in action! One contender has missed two games, while two others have missed one. Imagine what could have been!
Three rounds down. Plenty of twists to come. Nobody’s safe at the top!
With representative commitments affecting player availability, the race is wide open!
Who will be crowned Rovers Player of the Year? The votes are secret, and all will be revealed at presentation night!
R-O-V-E-R-S!
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