Weather scuttles local sport

By Casey O'Connor

Many Cricket pitches and golf courses and croquet courts across the Southern Downs resembled wading pools for much of last week and as a result many fixtures and games were cancelled.

In Warwick, local cricket fixtures were washed out as well as the first game of the Mitchell shield.

Club officials in Warwick are still exploring options for a date to replay the Round Six fixtures which have now been skuttled by wet weather twice. While it is understood the postponed Rep games will be played on the weekend of 9 January.

This weekend, weather permitting, Round Eight of the Warwick Fixtures. On Saturday, The Redbacks and Sovereign will play at Slade and Vic Hill and Allora will be in action at Allora.

On Sunday Colts and Maryvale will go head to head at Slade. Wheatvale have the bye this weekend.

The proposed Free training clinic for Junior players, which was to be run by the Brisbane based Wanderers’ Cricket club Friday, was another event scuttled by the weather. A new date for this event will be released in coming weeks.

Stanthorpe cricket fixtures suffered a similar fate at the weekend. The only thing on the fields other than water were ducks.

As a result, this weekend (4 Dec) if play is possible – fixtures will be Day two of the two day game postponed at the weekend. The game will get underway earlier than normal (12.15) with a minimum of 82 overs to be bowled in the game. Fingers crossed for better conditions.

Junior cricket was also disrupted across the region however a small group of juniors were spotted taking advantage of a break in the weather to get in some training in the Stanthorpe nets.

Stanthorpe’s first Mitchell shield game against Lockyer was also cancelled.

Warwick and Stanthorpe Mallet players were also confined to quarters over the past week with courts unplayable due to the conditions. Everyone will be hoping for a change or pause at least in conditions to allow them back on court sometime this week.