Weekly Update - 24th November

PLAYERS ACHIEVEMENTS

Cairns Rovers Cricket Club is proud to announce that Marcus Berryman and Tom King have been selected in the 2025–26 QCCA Brahmans squad.  

This selection reflects the outstanding form and commitment both players have displayed throughout the season. Marcus has been a consistent performer with both bat and ball, while Tom’s growth, determination and impact in key matches have been impossible to ignore. Their elevation to representative honours is richly deserved.

The club congratulates Marcus and Tom on this achievement and wishes them every success as they take on the next level of representative cricket. Their selection highlights the strong cricketing pathways within Far North Queensland and is a reminder of the talent and dedication within our Rovers community.

Well done, lads we are right behind you.

ALL GRADE RESULTS

TWOMEY SCHRIBER PROPERTY GROUP 1ST GRADE

1st Grade: Rovers 4/111 def. Mareeba 108

The boys are back in the winners circle after a strong all-round performance against Mareeba.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl, we set the tone early. Henry was outstanding with a match-winning spell of 4/15, while Archie backed him up brilliantly with 1/9 to put Mareeba on the back foot. Xavier followed superbly, bowling great areas for no reward, and Saucey kept things tight through the middle overs.

Ruben then chimed in with an important 3/32, before young Northy claimed his first A Grade wicket, finishing with 1/23. It was a terrific team effort in the field with every bowler doing their role and the energy staying high throughout.

Chasing 108, Dayneo got us off to a flyer, bringing up his maiden A Grade half-century and finishing with an impressive 62. He was well supported by Presty with a handy 23, helping us cruise to the target and secure a comfortable win.

A big thank you to Sim North and Dutto for scoring, along with the Bhutanese boys who stayed behind, supported the 1s and ran drinks — outstanding club culture on display once again.

RED BERET 2ND GRADE

Red Beret 2nd grade won by 7 wickets over Cass Coast Cyclones

The mighty 2s lost the toss and got sent in to bat on a flat track. Our young seamers did a job up front with Watto taking 4/21 and Big X 2/22. CCOAST got away through the middle of the innings but our spinners tightened the scoring with Joelene chiming in with 3/27. Setting us 149 to win Archibald (70*) and Dev (49) took to the CCoast attack scoring freely all around the ground. The 98 run partnership lead the Green Machine to a win in the 33rd over. Let’s take the momentum into the next few games leading into the break.

Congrats to Tommy and Murcus on their QLD Country selection.

FGF DEVELOPMENTS 3RD GRADE

Mulgrave Kerala won by 68 runs

3RD GRADE BHUTANESE ROVERS

Mareeba Bandits won by 22 runs

HALPIN PARTNERS COLTS (CPL)

Halpin Partners Rovers CPL Colts (1- 77) defeated Mulgrave (76)

Mulgrave won the toss and sent us into the field for a long hot afternoon.
 
Our opening bowlers Blake (5 overs for 12 runs and 1 wicket-econ 2.40) and Lucas (5 overs 2 maidens, 5 runs and 2 wickets – econ 1.00) gave us a wonderful start with Mulgrave being very slow to get their run rate moving. They were then backed up by solid performances from all our bowlers, but Captain, Ian was a standout (5 overs, 2 maidens, 7 runs for 2 wickets – econ 1.40). It was a real team effort that managed to pin down and restrict Mulgrave to just 76 runs, with wickets also taken by Shivy , Taj, Cody and Carter. Ben performed brilliantly behind the stumps once again taking three catches.
 
Our openers Cody (30/75) and Ian (33/57 not out ) batted steadily with a very slow outfield and nearly got us to the target without loss, but we ultimately needed Lucas to bring us home with a dashing 8 from 5 balls to secure the win.
 
Another great effort with some much-appreciated assistance from Tier 3 juniors, Travis Hodge and Carter Peters.
 
A big thank you to Dolf for taking all the coaching while Simon was assisting another team. Thank you also to Justin Hodge and Paul Brierley for scoring, Dolf and Wheels for umpiring in the heat and to Steve Mcdavitt and Lily for an outstanding home made afternoon tea.
 
Awards went to Blake, Lucas and Ian for your outstanding efforts.

TIER 3 U18 SUPER GLOBAL SERVICES ROVERS 

Rovers 6 for 141 defeated Cyclones 7 for 118

This week took us to the tropical cricket amphitheatre of Innisfail where the mighty Cyclones sat proudly on top of the table… at least until the Super Global Services Rovers rolled into town.

We lost the toss and were sent in on a pitch that looked like it had been flown in directly from Madras. There was variable bounce, sideways movement, skid, pop, stop-and-go – basically, the pitch was having an identity crisis. Early going was tough and the loss of an early wicket didn’t help.

Thomas dug in for a marathon 18 off 61 balls, showing more patience than a parent at a school fete. Hugh joined him and the two of them toughed it out to drinks, refusing to budge. After the break, Hugh transformed from Dr. Defensive to Mr. Destructive, launching into the Cyclones’ attack and sending balls to all corners of Far North Queensland. He brought up his fifty with a monster six over midwicket (rumour has it the ball is still orbiting Innisfail) and eventually finished with a brilliant 59 off 72.

The rest of the boys rallied to scrap, hustle and grind their way to 6 for 141 off 35 overs – an absolutely massive total on a pitch that played like a tin roof in a hailstorm.

Then came the fun part. With the ball in hand, Hugh struck immediately, nailing the first wicket LBW and setting the tone. Cooper then removed the other opener thanks to a great catch from Luca, and followed it up moments later with an absolute Superman grab from Lucas – full stretch, sideways, both hands… a scream-er with a capital S. Early contender for Catch of the Year? Absolutely.

With the pressure building, the season’s leading run scorer tried to swing momentum back for the Cyclones… only to smash it straight to Evan at mid off, who scooped it up like a pro and threw down the stumps clean as you like. Cyclones suddenly went from “ladder leaders” to “ladder wobblers.”

The dots kept building. Pressure kept rising. And every time the Cyclones looked like mounting a comeback, someone stepped up and took a wicket. Great fielding. Great catching. Great composure. The only thing keeping the Cyclones remotely in the contest was our wides, which we’ll politely pretend were part of a complex tactical plan.

In the end, Cyclones were bowled out of ideas and finished 7 for 118. A huge win away from home, knocking off the top team in the comp with grit, patience and a side order of brilliance.

Players of the Match:
• Lucas – Superman catch, game changer
• Evan – Direct Hit Run out, constant pressure, outstanding fielding

Next week we’re back at Endeavour Park to start Round 2, facing Barron again – the same Barron side we played in that last-ball nail-biter. Strap in, bring your voices, and get ready… the second half of the season starts now!

TIER 3 U18 FNQ NATURE TOURS ROVERS 

FNQ Nature Tours v Barron River Tier 3

Last week our FNQ Nature Tours took down the top of the table team and this week were asked to do the same thing again against Barron River.

After losing the toss, Rovers were sent in on a typically tricky Barron wicket.

Our top four yet again dug in with Pranil top scoring with an almost run a ball
30 from 31 balls, including four boundaries. The platform was set for a big score and things were looking bright but some tight bowling from the hosts during the last 12 overs kept us restricted to a total of 114.

In the field, the boys worked hard against a strong Barron River side and despite Kaden taking an early wicket, the visitors were never really in the game. Barron chasing the total down in the 20th over for the loss of only two wickets.

Awards went to Jack for taking two wickets in two balls and adding some respectability to the score card while Toby and Niel also received awards for sacrificing their Saturday morning sleep in and stepping up to help the FNQ Nature Tours out.

TIER 2 U 13 ZARRAFFAS ROVERS
Zarraffa’s Rovers 130 defeated Barron River 43

The Rovers batted first and, after losing both openers early, it fell to Toby (27), Neil (14), Kai (28*), and Oliver (14) to rebuild. They pushed the score along well despite wickets falling at steady intervals, with the innings closing in the 22nd over at 130.

Defending the total, the Rovers’ bowlers were disciplined from the outset, keeping runs to a premium even as wickets proved hard to come by before drinks. The momentum shifted with a sharp run-out from Alex I, triggering a middle-overs collapse that put Rovers firmly in control. From there, the bowlers tightened the screws: Alex (2/5), Neil (1/2), and Liam (1/8) all hitting their marks as Barron River were dismissed for 43.

Evergreen Park wasn’t the easiest venue—with a challenging surface and a long outfield—but the Rovers handled conditions superbly. Player awards went to Alex, for his impact with ball and in the field, and Kai, whose composed, unbeaten knock got us to a competitive total.

TIER 2 U 13 WGC ROVERS
WGC Rovers 3/168 v Cass Coast 95.
Did somebody say road trip?!?!

Piling into the bus the boisterous lads headed down to a dry, sandy oval at Kurrimine. Sent into field the boys were under the pump early until Riley dismissed the opening bat one ball shy of retirement. Cass coast however were cruising along, being 1/56 from just 10 overs. Then some smart cricket from skipper Finn, set up their destructive number 3 to be caught by Ashton on the boundary with an outstanding catch, which changed the momentum of the game. Ryan bowled his best spell of the season sending the bails to new south Wales twice finishing with 2/5 from 3 overs. Isaak 1/5, Ben 2/16, ashton 1/3 also bowled amazingly. Jacob continues to improve and show the older boys how its done, bamboozling batters with 3 overs 1/2. Cass Coast dismissed for 95 from 25 overs.

Charlie and Aadit continued their Hayden/Langer like opening partnership to weather the opening quicks barrage. Charlie scored 23 runs from 23 balls before being dismissed from a cracking keeper catch. Ashton kept the fielders busy searching for balls, by dispatching 3 massive sixes into the bush, hammering 34 runs from 24 balls to remain not out. Finn also took the shine off the new ball, slaying 11 boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 50 runs from 27 balls. Jacob also sent the ball to all parts of the field, hitting his first Tier 2 six, and finish with 17 runs from 13 balls.

Players of the match went to Ryan, Jacob and Ben.

TIER 1 U11 AGL PAINTING ROVERS GREEN 

AGL Rovers Green 153 def Mulgrave 122.

After being sent in to bat first Luca had us off to a great start with 26 from 15 and Roly chiming in with 24 off his 15. Wickets were shared around the group with Luca, Reuben, Roly, Henry and Kieran picking up 1 each. Awards went to Roly, Reuben and Henry. 

TIER 1 U11 ROVERS ARCHERS BODY CORPORATE 

Rovers ABC 167 defeat Norths 85

Our best performance of the season with the entire team playing like they know there are going to be some positions available in the Aussie test squad soon. Captain Ben won the toss and decided to field first . We were on from the start with Oscar opening with a maiden over and everyone following his lead to restrict Norths to 85 while taking 9 wickets including a caught and bowled from Kitty and direct hit runouts from Teddy and Cooper.

Kitty the top pick of the bowlers with 3/11 off 3 overs but all bowlers kept it tight.
Our turn to bat and unlike the Aussie team we protected our wickets and put away the bad ball when it was there to hit. Cooper L had a day out scoring 33 from 17balls, Aaron, Johno, Ben , Oscar and Teddy all reaching double figures with ease .

Awards went to Cooper L and Oscar but I have to say today everyone deserved one.

TIER 1 U11 CNW ELECTRICAL ROVERS 

Rover renegades 83  vs Barron 102

In lieu of Dutto’s match report being late due to being called up to the firsts up in Mareeba, just a quick run down of the Saturday morning play.

Renegades won the bat flip and decided to bat, some very tight bowling and slow outfield made runs hard to come by for Barron, very few free runs where given to them and they where made to run hard and work hard for every run. Hudson (2 clean bowls) and Shenuka (1 clean bowl) and a run out by Xander were the wickets today.

Then came the time to bat, Oliver and Damadeep got the team of the solid start and all batters chipped in with some runs some very hard running from all the players today with Jackson hitting the only 4 of the game almost signalling duttos time to leave for Mareeba, Simon stepping in at square leg had to make some tough calls as the team pushed for runs but ultimately we came up short. What the team was very happy with there score after hitting “67” runs of the bat…..

Big thanks to all the renegades and parents for helping pack up afterwards. Hudson and Jackson getting player of the match awards.