Cricket carnival on cards

Committee vows COVID won’t bowl over annual Goldfield Ashes event

IT’S all systems go for the 2021 Goldfield Ashes — for now.

That’s the message from the committee, which is proceeding with plans to host the popular Australia Day weekend event following a year of event cancellations.

Goldfield Ashes spokeswoman Kerri Forno said planning for the outdoor event was continuing as usual, with a few adjustments. “At this stage the Ashes are going ahead, subject to Queensland Health guidelines,” Ms Forno said.

“The COVIDSAFE plan is yet to be approved, but we’re not expecting that to happen until two weeks out from the event.

“A lot can change between now and then.”

Ms Forno said the committee was hopeful Queensland’s COVID-FREE record would continue and more restrictions would be lifted, allowing the annual event to be run with fewer complications.

This year’s event begins on Saturday, January 23, finishing on Monday, January 25.

Tuesday, January 26, is the Australia Day public holiday.

“The blokes contacting us are saying they’ll do whatever we need them to do to make sure it goes ahead,” she said.

“Teams will play a big role in everyone

Safe.”

Ms Forno said on each day of the three-day competition, teams would be given hand sanitiser and COVID forms to fill out along with their usual scoresheets and cricket balls.

She said teams would be expected to provide an honest record of who was in attendance at each game, including players and spectators, for contact being COVIDtracing records need arise.

The Goldfield Ashes attracts entries from 260 teams, each with up to 15 players, for the biggest amateur cricket carnival in the southern hemisphere.

The carnival began in 1949 as a small intertown competition and a “monster cricket carnival dance”. By the 1990s there were more than 100 teams taking part. should the

The competition was split to accommodate cricketers of all skill levels, with the more serious taking on the A1 and A2 competitions, while the blokes out for a good weekend of fun were put in the B1 and B2 contests.

Eventually the introduction of the Social division and a Women’s division rounded out the carnival as it exists today.

To nominate a team visit the Goldfield Ashes website.