New-look Cyclones build unity

WHILE most of the region’s cricket lovers will be crackin’ coldies and moulding a new butt dent in the couch over the Christmas break, players from the competition’s newest team will get together as they put old regional rivalries to bed.

The Cassowary Coast Cyclones have been represented across three grades of the Cricket Far North season, following the amalgamation of Innisfail, Tully and Mission Beach cricket clubs earlier in the year.

The return of the region’s cricket clubs and players to the first-grade competition has been welcomed, after Tully was unable to field a first-grade team last season, Innisfail for the past two seasons, and Mission Beach had never fielded a first-grade side.

Cyclones A-grade captain Luke McAvoy said the team would be undertaking extra training sessions over the break, as well as getting together under more relaxed circumstances to further build club spirit.

“I’ll organise a social thing for us because it’s really three clubs coming together in seniors this year,” he said. “It will be good to spend a bit of time together during the break.

“We’ve got two clubs, in Innisfail and Tully, who have a huge rivalry in local sports, particularly in footy but that had played over to cricket in previous years.

“But we’re all getting along really well and love playing cricket together.

“We don’t look at each other and see Innisfail, Tully or Mission Beach players anymore, we just see Cassowary Coast players, which is great.”

McAvoy was impressed with the way the teams had been playing, considering it was the club’s first season as a combined unit.

“One really good thing is that we’ve all gelled in our teams this year,” he said.

“I know in first grade that’s definitely the case and our second-grade side has only lost one of their one-dayers, so they’re playing really well.”