AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FREMANTLE

 

I love a good game of cricket, so might spend a bit of time at Fremantle’s Stevens Reserve at Swanbourne Street this weekend. The future stars of Australian cricket will be on display there when the 2019-20 Cricket Australia Under 19 National Championships come to Stevens Reserve.

New South Wales Country will take on the Northern Territory on Sunday 8 December, while the combatants in a second game on Monday 9 December will be determined by results throughout the tournament.

A reserve day on Tuesday 10 December has also been pencilled in case of bad weather.

Players in the current Australian test squad like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head all used the Under 19 championships as an important stepping stone in their careers.

To help in preparing for the championships and to protect the playing surface during the event dogs at Stevens Reserve will be required to be kept on a lead from 7pm on Friday 6 December until the close of play on Monday 9 December.

In the unlikely event that the reserve day is required due to bad weather dogs will also be required to be on lead on Tuesday 10 December.

For more information about the Under 19 National Championships visit the Nationalchamps website.

DOGS CAN’T BOWL OR BAT

 

The Fremantle District Cricket Club has issued a plea to dog owners to keep their pets off the wickets at Stevens Reserve.

As well as being home to one of WA’s oldest cricket clubs, Stevens Reserve is also a popular dog exercise area.

Cricket Club President Dave Davenport said they were happy to share the reserve with dogs but needed their owners to keep them off the wickets.

“Our wickets rival the WACA ground as some of the best in WA and our curator puts hours of work into making sure they’re in perfect condition,” Mr Davenport said.

“A lot of people might not realise that to prepare a cricket pitch the clay is actually quite soft, so if a dog runs over the pitch it doesn’t take much to dig it up.

“There was an unfortunate incident at the start of the season where dogs had been running across the covers we put over the wickets to protect them from the rain.

“The dogs’ claws ripped small holes in the covers which let the water through onto the pitch and meant we had to call the game off until we could dry it out.

“We’ve also had situations during breaks on match days where we’ve had to keep someone out on the field to protect the wicket and stop dogs running onto it.

“We recognise people love their dogs and that Stevens Reserve is a great place for them to have a run around, but we’re just asking people to help us out by keeping their dogs off the wickets.”

As a designated dog exercise area dogs are allowed off leash at Stevens Reserve most of the time, however dogs are required to be on a leash whenever there is a game or training taking place.

Dogs are also prohibited from the two centre wickets and the practice nets at all times.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE BREEZE JUST HOT AIR?

I don’t often write about sport on Freo’s View but must express my amazement about the City of Fremantle’s involvement with the Fremantle Breeze Big Bash League cricket team and that the franchise will be playing at Fremantle Oval.

It tactically seems very inappropriate when C0F is in a legal battle with the Fremantle Dockers AFL club to relinquish their long-term lease for the oval when they relocate to Cockburn next year.

With the (unlikely) possibility of a BBL team playing at Freo Oval the Dockers’ management must see dollar signs flashing in front of their eyes, so they now have an incentive to hold on to the lease and stay put and sub-let the ground to Fremantle Breeze, should that franchise ever eventuate.

With the City of Fremantle also wanting to develop and shift the oval Fremantle Breeze might not have the oval available to them for a long period during development.

I think John Townsend, sports journalist with the West Australian, put it succinctly “It is a thought bubble dressed in a cricket shirt.”

Roel Loopers

GYUTO MONKS FREO’S CRICKET MATCH

 

The delightful Buddhist Gyuto Monks of Tibet played a cricket match for the Divinity Cup against the motley mob of Clancy’s Fish Pub on Sunday morning and it was a lot of fun.

There were even a few among the lot of them who did not chuck and could actually hit and catch the ball. ; >)

The official opening of the visit of the Gyuto Monks is this Monday October 10 at 7 pm at the Fremantle Townhall with a welcome to country by Noongar elder Richard Walley. All are welcome to this free event, so come along!

Roel Loopers