By Casey O'Connor
Organisers of the 2019 Australia Day Cricket Carnival in Warwick should be extremely satisfied with the outcome of their efforts over the long weekend. Officials can control most things, unfortunately for players, umpires and spectators the weather is not one of them. Despite the heatwave conditions, the iconic carnival which draws players from across Queensland and interstate each year was a great success.
As an Australia Day cricket event it is only rivalled by the famous Gold Fields Ashes tournament in Charters Towers. This year while Warwick sweltered through the hottest temperatures in the carnival’s history, those in the Towers were forced to use 3 x 3 popup shelters as team umbrellas, such was the downpour up there.
It was an Australia Day weekend that highlighted a country of extreme but vastly different conditions.
A total of 34 teams played in the Warwick competition. It was good to see so many familiar faces and teams back for the carnival. It was wonderful that young Basil Nolan brought together a team of family and close friends to honour his late father Basil Nolan Jnr. I’m sure Basil’s XI will be a fixture in many future Australia Day Carnivals. Well done young man, you are doing your father and your family proud.
They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun and after the weekend please include cricketers and definitely umpires.
After somehow making it through seven T20 games, I must applaud those teams who played at Wheatvale (Saturday) and Mayhew (Sunday and Monday) for their sportsmanship.
I come from what many consider to be the dinosaur era and what impressed me most over the weekend was the number of young players who addressed the umpire as ‘Sir’, with please and thank you added in. Have barely seen or heard that on the field for years. How refreshing. Perhaps the worm has turned.
Congratulations to Warwick Cricket Association President Dave Walker and his team on a job well-done.
Now I’m just off to soak my feet in another ice bath.
Casey.
