Plenty on our Xmas wishlist

EACH weekend The Chronicle sport team looks at pressing issues on the Saturday Soapbox.

Q: What is one Christmas present you would love the sporting community in the region to receive?

Ben Drewe: I WOULD love to see the region back in the Intrust Super Cup.

The Toowoomba Clydesdales have a great history and while the current push for a return to the ISC is under the banner of the Western Mustangs, the Darling Downs deserves a state league rugby league team due to the popularity of the sport in the region and the quality of players coming from the area.

Mustangs officials are working to earn admission to the ISC and have ticked plenty of boxes in terms of structure, governance, player pathways and infrastructure one major hurdle still stands in their way.

Funding a club is the last major issue to solve before putting up a strong case for admission so it would be great to see the Mustangs receive an injection of money.

In the UK version of The Office, Gareth is derided for wanting a tenner in an envelope for Secret Santa as it is not in the spirit of Christmas but I’m sure the Mustangs would love nothing more than to find a lucrative sponsorship deal or a few generous benefactors under the Christmas tree this Sunday morning.

Glen McCullough: WHAT I would love to see is more people think about getting out and supporting some of our higher profile sports.

It’s one thing to entice major events to our region, but to help keep them here we really need to prove to organisers and sponsors we are serious about sport in our town by putting bums on seats.

Why not hop off the lounge one weekend during 2017 and pop along somewhere you wouldn’t normally go to watch some live sport action. You might be surprised to see what you have been missing.

Anton Rose: I KNOW I will sound like a broken record but I have to side with Glen.

One of the big complaints from younger folk in the region is that there is nothing to do in Toowoomba.

Give the football a chance one weekend, and help give bigger sporting events a reason to come to the city by showing that there is a thriving sporting community here.

Don’t complain that nothing big ever comes to Toowoomba if you’re not willing to support it when it does.

Q: The festive period is a great time of year to play backyard cricket with family and friends. What are your top tips for an enjoyable backyard cricket game?

BD: BAT first would have to be my first tip.

There is nothing worse than having your stint at the crease cut short, or missing out completely, as the motivation of players wanes as the afternoon goes on.

If you are having a few beverages as well, batting early will be good before your hand-eye co-ordination starts to suffer due to the excessive Christmas cheer.

Other than that, equipment is a good area to focus on.

You want to have a decent bat but not someone’s expensive, new present they want to use in competition.

The tennis ball with tape on one side so it swings is also a must.

I will also be using my esky with a set of stumps attached this Christmas so the right equipment can make the game more enjoyable.

And finally on that, I always try and field at wicketkeeper as often as possible so I don’t have to run. That will allow me to have the esky by my side, limit my level of physical exertion while also staying heavily involved with the play and sledging.

I’ll take flats at the toss.

AR: WATCH out for the full-gear uncle.

Everyone has one, the bloke who rocks up in pads, helmet and all, the uncle who comes steaming around the wicket to plant a bouncer under your 12-year-old cousin’s chin.

He’s the guy who will take to the nets a week in advance and analyse the form of his son from previous years before giving him the chop after getting smashed for 18 in one over last Christmas.

He will forever lament the fact that ‘they should bring Hawk-Eye to grass-roots’ and argue until the pudding gets cold that his stumping dismissal was not fair-game. Don’t be the full-gear uncle. GM: MAKE sure you’re first in to grab the umpiring job.

I’m sure there are plenty of people adept at batting or bowling while juggling a drink but I’ve never been interested in trying.

Conserving energy behind the stumps or at square leg with both hands free has much more going for it on Christmas Day.

It also saves you having to jump the fence to retrieve the pill after being given six and out.