Cricket Report

Over the years each team has fielded its share of their State’s best practitioners, most famously Ian Callinan from Queensland and Roger Gyles for New South Wales. Those gentlemen are very much responsible for the firm establishment of the game in our calendar and also for ensuring it is remembered as much for the relationships it has fostered and spirit in which it is played, as for the cricket.

This year two matches were played, in celebration of the anniversary. Two of the Bar’s longest serving captains Roger Traves QC and Greg Egan led teams against the tourists. Egan ably led his team to victory, leaving, no doubt, to murmurs amongst player ranks for his return to the main game in 2014. The other team, playing for the highly sought after trophy affectionately known as “Tubs Club” (a bat donated by Ian Callinan at a previous anniversary match) unfortunately could not complete a sweep of home victories. Good contributions from Scott McLeod, McLeod, Dom Katter and Chris Johnstone ensured an almost competitive target was set but we were again devastated by some powerful hitting from the New South Wales batsman David Carroll, who stole the game in arguably the most ruthless batting display ever seen in a Bar cricket match. If you were at the Gabba last Friday you will remember David Warner’s first ball from Stuart Broad being walloped behind square for four — as it turns out a shot that typified much of the remainder of the match. There was a similar feeling at the Brisbane Grammar School grounds at Northgate just a few weeks ago. Carroll, who also had opened the batting, took strike for his first ball, the seventh ball of the game, as had Warner. In a departure from Warner’s record however, Carroll hit his first ball for six and the remainder of the over for a further fourteen runs. When he departed the field 45 minutes later New South Wales were past half way in their run chase and the engraver was preparing to carve their initials on the plaque.

Over the years, periods of dominance by both States have come and gone — generally reflective of the average age of the side at the time. However gone it seems are the days when either side could produce a large number of cricketers from the grade or subdistricts ranks, reflective perhaps of a general decline in participation in club cricket. We are fortunate in Queensland that a surge in interest in Bar cricket in the past twelve months has resulted in the selectors having a longer list of enthusiastic and capable cricketers to choose from than they have had for many years. As Ewan MacKenzie would have it, competition for positions, including for captaincy, can only be healthy for the state of the game.

(If you are interested in playing, please contact Rob Anderson at r.anderson@qldbar.asn.au)