AUSSIE HONOUR
SPARGO A BUSH HERO
QUEENS club dasher Jimmy Spargo has been named in an All-Australian squad for the second year in a row.
The tall right-hander cemented his place in the honorary selection with a big century in Queensland’s final match of the national Country Cricket Championship in Western Australia.
Playing in 43C heat against Victoria Country at Muir Park in Geraldton, Spargo cracked 134 not out from 152 deliveries (eight fours and five sixes).
He hit the winning boundary with an over to spare as Queensland replied to Victoria’s 9-263 with 2-266.
“I put my hand up to open so it was a good way to finish the carnival,” Spargo said. “I made a last dash at All-Australian and I got selected.”
The Queensland captain had earlier scores of 71 not out and a couple of 20s in the carnival format of T20s and 50-overs fixtures.
Spargo is one of five Queenslanders to earn AllAustralian Country caps.
The others are Sam Lowry and Jason Seng (Gladstone) Mitch English (Mackay) and Chris Stanger (Cairns).
As defending champions, Queensland finished this year in third place but did arch-rivals NSW a favour by beating the Vics in the final game, a win that handed the title to the Blues after they thrashed South Australia.
Spargo was the only one of five Gold Coast players in the Queensland squad to earn All-Australian honours.
The others were Broadbeach Robina veteran Sean Fitzsimmons, Chris Hall from Burleigh and Spargo’s Queens clubmates Sam and Harry Winton.