Another big weekend of cricket for our Rovers teams, with plenty of action across the grades! Read on to catch up on all the results and highlights from the weekend.
Keeping it in the Family!
Another special father-and-son moment for Rovers this weekend, with Steve McDavitt making his Rovers debut alongside his son Tadgh in 3rd Grade!
Congratulations to the McDavitt family! It’s always great to see families sharing the field and making memories together. Check out the photo below!
Thank You to Our Raffle Volunteers!
That also wraps up our Saturday night raffle commitments at Cazalys for September and October!
A huge thank you to everyone who generously gave up their Saturday evenings to sell raffle tickets on behalf of Rovers. Your time and support are greatly appreciated, and these fundraising opportunities make a real difference to our club.
Our New Kit Has Arrived!
Our new Rovers kit has arrived, and it’s looking fantastic! It’s great to see our players looking sharp and proudly representing the club in their new gear. We can’t wait to see everyone out on the field wearing it!
A big thank you to everyone who continues to support Rovers, both on and off the field!
No Games
The mighty twos (5/83) have defeated second-placed Mulgrave (82 all out) on a tricky Walker Rd pitch to move 3 games clear on top of the ladder.
A bad call from Captain Presty at the toss on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon meant Mulgrave had no hesitation in batting first, looking to cook us in the afternoon sun.
Fortunately, our bowlers had other ideas. Watto (1/15) struck with a beauty second ball of the innings to remove the dangerous Stampa. Not to be outdone, Brodie Masina grabbed two and at 3/7 their joy of winning the toss was long gone.
Walker Rd specialist, Thresher (3/8) hit the top of off and when Sykes chimed in, Mulgrave had been reduced to 5/22.
But Mulgrave will always fight, pushing the score toward 70 before Thresh broke a dangerous stand. From there Rovers were clinical, with Masina returning to close out the innings and finish with 4/12 from 7.5 overs. Another fine performance from Brodie, who has delivered every time he has been asked to step up to second grade.
It was a great team performance in hot conditions. The three quicks in particular worked tirelessly. Our best bowling performance of the season thus far.
Despite the low target, we knew we would have to work hard for the runs. Like Mulgrave, we lost early wickets in our chase. Despite us falling to 3/17 early, Jason Pennisi, making his first 2nd grade appearance for the season, looked solid. He and Presty added 27 for the fourth wicket, before Presty made his second bad call (after the toss), leaving one that crashed into off stump.
4 for 44 became 5 for 45, but there were to be no more hiccups as Dutto (21no) joined Pennisi to see us home. Jason finishing 45no from 83 balls, looking at classes above on a pitch that troubled batters all day.
Magnum Plumbing KSS Rovers V Barron River
Barron River 4-165 defeated Rovers 164 by 6 wickets.
Barron River 4-165 defeated Rovers 164 by 6 wickets.
Terranovus Rovers 3rd grade 3-73 defeated Cyclones 72
Super Global Services 7-147 defeated Mulgrave Kerala Blue 100.
HVAC Bhutanese Rovers 132 lost to Mulgrave Kerala Red 155.
Our first game in postcode 4870! A rare occasion where we didn’t need to pack an overnight bag.
Lost the toss and were sent into the field on a very slow outfield.
We started well, building pressure with plenty of dot balls. Only three Norths scorers reached double figures – unfortunately, one of them was Extras, who scored 33! Not exactly the opposition batsman we wanted to make look good.
Norths finished their 35 overs at 6/141.
Bowling highlights:
Alex Ireland – outstanding figures of 3/9 off 2 overs.
Ashton and Bikram – 1 wicket each.
A spectacular catch from Alex and a brilliant run-out by Ashton.
Rocco, Lucas and Bikram all chipped in with catches.
Our run chase started solidly with Thomas and Bikram, but unfortunately our middle order never got out of first gear. Too many dot balls, not enough strike rotation, and a late flurry wasn’t quite enough.
We finished 17 runs short.
The frustrating statistic? We bowled 18 more extras than Norths. There’s your 17-run margin right there, with one to spare!
Plenty of lessons again this week. Our match awareness, strike rotation and ability to build an innings all need to keep improving.
The good news? There’s cricket again next week! Back on the road to Innisfail – apparently playing close to home was just a one-week trial!
FNQ Nature Tours Tier 3 Rovers
Tier 3 FNQ Nature Tours v Cassowary Coast
FNQ Nature Tours produced a cracking all-round performance to defeat Cassowary Coast by 14 runs, posting 8/141 before restricting the opposition to 6/127.
After being sent in on a green, damp wicket, Tommy, Eli and Will got the innings off to a flyer, pushing the scoreboard along in conditions that offered the bowlers plenty. A flurry of wickets then threatened to send things sideways, but Caleb and Toby steadied the ship like two seasoned deckhands navigating a tropical squall.
Caleb showed patience and determination in compiling an important 25, while Toby top-scored with 33, including the only six of the innings. Carter also chipped in with a valuable 17, helping FNQ Nature Tours reach a competitive total.
The bowling effort was a genuine team performance. Eli was tighter than a new pair of cricket spikes, returning 1/6 from three overs, including a maiden. Toby claimed 1/4 from two excellent overs, while Will, Hayden and Caleb each collected a wicket to prevent Cassowary Coast from building momentum.
Jett provided one of the day’s highlights with a sharp run-out, helping maintain the pressure as the chase fell short.
Congratulations to Jett, Caleb and Toby, our Players of the Match.
FNQ Nature Tours will look to continue the winning momentum next week against Norths at Griffiths Park.
Tier 3 FNQ Nature Tours v Cassowary Coast
FNQ Nature Tours produced a cracking all-round performance to defeat Cassowary Coast by 14 runs, posting 8/141 before restricting the opposition to 6/127.
After being sent in on a green, damp wicket, Tommy, Eli and Will got the innings off to a flyer, pushing the scoreboard along in conditions that offered the bowlers plenty. A flurry of wickets then threatened to send things sideways, but Caleb and Toby steadied the ship like two seasoned deckhands navigating a tropical squall.
Caleb showed patience and determination in compiling an important 25, while Toby top-scored with 33, including the only six of the innings. Carter also chipped in with a valuable 17, helping FNQ Nature Tours reach a competitive total.
The bowling effort was a genuine team performance. Eli was tighter than a new pair of cricket spikes, returning 1/6 from three overs, including a maiden. Toby claimed 1/4 from two excellent overs, while Will, Hayden and Caleb each collected a wicket to prevent Cassowary Coast from building momentum.
Jett provided one of the day’s highlights with a sharp run-out, helping maintain the pressure as the chase fell short.
Congratulations to Jett, Caleb and Toby, our Players of the Match.
FNQ Nature Tours will look to continue the winning momentum next week against Norths at Griffiths Park.
WGC Rovers Redbacks 5-219 v Norths 7-199.
The mighty Redbacks made it 4 from 4 to start the season with a hard-fought win over arch-rivals Norths. We won the toss and had no hesitation in batting, but for the first time this season we were in trouble early at 2-7. But no panic as Ryan and our resident master blaster, Andrew (61*) combined for a crucial 62 partnership to steer us to safer waters. The middle order then dug in with each of Max (25*), Jacob (28*), Nish (25*) and Shenuka (23*) making valuable contributions as we amassed another ominous score.
Our turn to bowl and openers Ryan and Jacob struck with a wicket apiece early to leave Norths teetering at 2-14. We possibly got a bit ahead of ourselves thinking of the victory Cokes on ice, as Norths slowly but surely played their way into the game. As we rounded the home 10 overs the visitors were a sneaky chance. Then a game changing moment arrived as Max “I thought I would take a screamer today!” Le Prevost did just that – an absolute gem at fly slip to remove Norths’ dangerous left hander. That seemed to steady us and Xander (2-19) and Luca (2-11) ensured it would be a Green Day with important late wickets.
Our awards today went to Luca and Andrew.
What a response after last week! A fantastic all-round team performance saw Rovers defeat Mulgrave by 7 wickets, chasing down 6/106 and finishing 3/171 from our 30 overs.
Thomas got us off to the perfect start, taking a wicket with his very first ball. From there, the pressure barely let up. Everyone bowled well and made runs extremely hard to come by. Thomas finished with the outstanding figures of 1/3 from 4 overs, including 3 maidens, while Danura, Kieran and Cooper L were also incredibly economical.
A special mention has to go to Roly, whose brilliant run-out was one of the highlights in the field, on top of taking a wicket himself.
But the performance of the day belonged to Big Bad Brad! Stepping up from Tier 1, Brad absolutely dominated and showed he was more than comfortable at this level. A terrific contribution and great to see someone take their opportunity like that.
Even with a couple of Tier 3 fill-ins, the boys restricted Mulgrave to just 6/106, giving us a great platform for the chase.
With the bat, Isaac and Cooper H set the tone immediately. Both were typically aggressive and gave us all the early momentum. Isaac finished the day with 38* including 6 fours and 2 sixes. Cooper H made a quick 24 from 23, while Thomas continued his good day with 22 from just 14 balls.
Oliver then steadied things through the middle, before Cooper L, Danura, Big Bad Brad and Kieran all finished unbeaten. Danura chipped in with 18 not out and Cooper L 14 not out, helping us build all the way to 171.
A really impressive performance across the whole team. Great bowling, sharp fielding, positive batting and contributions right through the order. Most importantly, a fantastic response after last week and plenty of confidence to take into next week.
Award winners: Brad, Danura & Oliver.
Well done, boys!
TIER 1 RESULTS
Tier 1 AGL Rovers 118 def by Barron River 137.
Another performance which showed we’re heading in the right direction. Some great scores batting first from Ollie (20), James (18) and Henry (29). We were sharp in the field and once again on point with our bowling. Henry (3), Mahish (2) and Ollie and Herbert (1 each) were in the wickets. Add on 3 run-outs and it was a very productive morning. The early season signs are promising with the mighty AGL! Award winners were Mahish, Henry and Ollie.
Archers Body Corporate Rovers Gold 167 d Salerno Fnance Norths Gold 129.
For the fourth week in a row, ABC won the toss and elected to bowl (we know this streak can’t last forever). A mostly disciplined bowling and fielding effort was on display, although there’s not much that upsets the coach more than a failure to backup resulting in four overthrows.
Johno and James had the best figures today, taking 2 for 7 and 1 for 7 respectively.
Norths bowled pretty well with not many extras, but they were no match for the Rovers power hitters who were on song today. Ben hit the team’s first 6 of the year, Oscar belted 5 boundaries, James hit his first ever boundary, and Bradley now has a whole lot more pocket money from his Dad after smacking four sixes!
A big thanks to the first-time umpire and scorer, and the scoring mentor (yes, that’s a real position) for your contributions to a great team win.
Awards went to Bradley, Ben, and Oscar for their dominant batting, and Kiani for her resilience and refusal to give away her wicket after a rough start. Unfortunately, two of them left before the coach remembered he is supposed to take photos.
Mulgrave Red Boys 176 def Westpac Rovers 151
Westpac Rovers had a fantastic morning full of fun and exciting cricket. With only six registered players currently on our list and week-long illness threatening one of them, we were extremely grateful to Woods and Theo, who filled in to ensure we could field a full team. Both boys had a fantastic day, taking a wicket each and performing well with the bat. One of the most impressive parts of the day was how well the team welcomed and supported them with encouragement and advice.
Hudson was again fantastic today, continuing his form and excellent batting and bowling streak. Four wickets from three overs and second top score as he continues to quietly get the job done each week. His cool head while batting is a fantastic example for the rest of the team that timing is far more important than speed when it comes to use of the bat. Did I mention two catches as well?
Led today by Captain Campbell, also maintaining his excellent form as he continues to be his own harshest critic each week, whilst performing well under pressure time and again. You love to see someone lead by example supporting new players in the team, and Campbell was fantastic at that today. Clearly a future leader for the Rovers.
Both our new players Theo and Woods managed to jag their first club cricket wickets, and the team couldn’t be more excited for them as they all ran in to celebrate. Theo established himself as all-rounder with both bat and ball, before showcasing great coordination and an excellent arm in the field. Woods just wanted to try everything, and that even included donning the keeping gloves for the first stint in our innings with the ball. Both boys showed great maturity for their age and clearly a love of sport and cricket. We would love to have both lads fill in again whenever they would like, or better yet, join us for the rest of the season.
From a coaching perspective this week, two elements stood out as significant improvements.
1. We reduced our wicket losses to our best result yet, beginning to understand the value of our wicket and implement great balance between run-scoring and intelligent batting.
2. Backing up from the non-scorers end and taking every possible chance for runs has been a focus during training and games over the last few weeks. This morning, even the opposition’s comments were how well this part of our game was executed.
Very proud to be facilitating and guiding this group of young cricketers, and I saw plenty of beaming smiles from the parents today who were clearly proud as well.
Congratulations to CFN open men’s team 2026 winning the Fred Jacobson Memorial Shield. Plus, a big congrats to Henry, Marcus and Tommy making the N.Q.CA Country North Team.
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