HELENSVALE CLOSE TO PERFECT RECIPE

HELENSVALE Pacific Pines will search for the one or two missing pieces that can lift them into the finals after missing the top four for a second straight season.

With a bye this weekend, the club ended their Kookaburra Cup first-grade season with a loss to Burleigh on Saturday.

Set 209 to win on day one at the weekend, Helensvale Pacific Pines were all out for 136 at Oz Strength Oval.

Helensvale’s run chase got off to a strong start, with openers Kaleb Day (32 runs) and Samuel Lickiss (52) putting on 72 runs before the latter fell.

First drop Jack Lickiss said his team just wasn’t up for the fight after adding 27 more himself but that was where it fell apart for the fifth-placed team who had been in the hunt for finals with two rounds to go.

They lost the last seven wickets for just 10 runs, with Burleigh bowler Nathan James cleaning up with 4-44.

The club made the grand final in 2018-19 before finishing eighth last season and while captain Jack Lickiss said they were disappointed with the back half of the 2019-20 campaign, it was by no means a failure.

“It has been a pretty disappointing way to finish the year,” Lickiss said. “The key is going to be to try and keep the young core together.

“We probably do need one or two more pieces to really contend. In saying that those one or two pieces could come from some of our younger guys stepping up.

“I don’t think it was a personnel thing this season but moving into next season we will be looking for six or seven core members to step up and be those senior members of the group who take a bit more ownership.

“We are happy about how some things went but can improve others. We will be working on those areas to make sure we improve on this year. Things are looking pretty good for us in the coming years.”