BOURKE CRICKET COMP FIRES UP THIS SATURDAY

The newly elected executive of the Bourke and District Cricket Association –President Ben Nott, Secretary-Treasuer Lisa Wade holding Oaklynn, Vice President Krystal Bock and Rep Teams Co-ordinator Mick Jackson. Photo TWH

The Bourke district cricket competition gets under way this weekend with the same four teams as last year – Boomerangs, Fords Bridge, Louth, and 2023/24 premiers Two Water Holes.

The competition kicks off with a series of T20 matches – three T20 fixtures played at North Bourke, Louth and Davidson Oval.

The T20s kick off at North Bourke Oval this Saturday 26 October – with Two Water Holes hosting two matches – Boomerangs versus Fords Bridge at 1pm and Louth playing Two Water Holes at 4pm.

The following week – Saturday 2 November will see two T20 matches at Louth between Fords Bridge at Louth at 1pm and Boomerangs and Two Water Holes at 4pm.

The first Brewery Shield match of the season will also be played on Sunday 3 November between Bourke and Cobar, at Cobar.

Then two weeks later two matches will be played at Davidson Oval on Saturday 16 November (the week after the Bourke Hot Nines), between Fords Bridge and Two Water Holes at 4pm and between Louth and Boomerangs at 6:30pm.

The one day matches then get underway on Saturday 23 November with Boomerangs playing Fords Bridge at Davidson Oval, and Louth hosting Two Water Holes.

President of the Bourke & District Cricket Association Ben Nott said that he is pleased with the team nominations for 2024, but that he would have liked to see Cobar and Brewarrina join the comp this year.

“We approached the Cobar club and asked them to nominate, but in the end, they couldn’t commit to a weekly match,’ Ben said.

“And Brewarrina doesn’t have the same organiser available as in previous years, so we missed out there too.”

Ben pointed out that the Bourke competition is the only intra-town competition left in the western area of New South Wales, which is a credit to the Bourke clubs.

“Aside from Bourke, there is no other cricket competition west of Dubbo and north of Griffith – all other cricket comps in this massive part of western NSW no longer exist,” he said.

“However, we do have the inter town Brewery Shield played each year between Bourke, Cobar, Narromine, Gilgandra and Dubbo.

“That competition will go ahead this year with the first matches played on Sunday 3 November between Bourke and Cobar.”