Townsville cricket trio staying put

QUEENSLAND Cricket has reaffirmed its commitment to the regions despite the organisation reducing its workforce by 29 per cent as part of a restructure.

North Queensland will remain unaffected by the restructure, with Townsville still home to three community cricket officers.

Coaching guru Tony Hampson will remain in his talent identification and coaching coordination role while also picking up a community engagement portfolio to work with clubs in the region to get more people on the pitch.

A Queensland Cricket spokesman said it was important for the organisation to have people in the regions to help fight back following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The staffing restructure came as a result of reductions in funding from Cricket Australia (CA) and uncertainty of other revenue streams due to the prospect of future disruption to the summer cricket calendar. But it is understood community cricket is high on the agenda to resume in the summer after Townsville Cricket was forced to call an early end to its competitions back in March.

QC chief executive officer Terry Svenson said it had been a difficult time for the organisation but that its focus had not shifted due to the pandemic.

“Our presence in community cricket and regional Queensland remains strong, and in some cases, we have offered employees the opportunity to take on cross-role responsibilities,” Svenson said.