Rain can’t stop sides in battle for victory

FOR the second year in a row, the Goldfield Ashes was at the mercy of the heavens.

But no amount of rain was able to spoil the party for the Grandstanders, with the group of North Queensland representative cricketers taking out the A Grade title.

It came down to net run rate after the A Grade finals were washed out yesterday, with the Grandstanders narrowly edging out the Burnett Bushpigs.

Most of the remaining grade games made it on to the pitch despite the rain yesterday, but some clubs were forced to pull the pin as they headed home to beat the rain.

The inclement weather could not dampen the spirits of Goldfield Ashes organisers, with the tournament deemed another success.

“Overall it was quite successful,” committee member Kerri Forno said.

“I think we are down about two or three teams on last year, but we still had approximately 240 teams take the field this year.”

There was plenty of colour and classic outfits across the pitches of Charters Towers, including a few familiar characters in Ronald Mcdonald and the many faces of Nicolas Cage.

“As the organisers we don’t get to see all that because we don’t get out of the office,” Forno said.

“It is a mammoth task trying to organise games for that many teams. Just having the fields ready for these people is a big effort.

“At the end of the day we enjoy seeing the sheer amount of people coming to town and having a great time.

“That makes all work worth it.” the hard