Bulls Ready For Maryborough
The Queensland Bulls will put the polish on their pre-season with a pair of practice games in Maryborough next month.
Queensland Cricket and the Fraser Coast Regional Council have today announced a partnership that will see the Bulls take on Tasmania at Maryborough’s historic Newtown Oval for two limited overs pre-season games.
Queensland will take on the Tigers on Monday 8 September and Tuesday 9 September to apply the finishing touches to their pre-season ahead of the opening round of Domestic One Day Cup games on 17 September.
The partnership with Council will also feature community cricket clinics and school visits in Maryborough and Hervey Bay as well as destination profiling of the Fraser Coast region.
The Bulls last played in Maryborough in 1997, when they took on touring South African provincial team Transvaal in a pair of one-day games.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson welcomed the support from Council and Maryborough Cricket Club to enable the matches to be played on the Fraser Coast.
“We’re excited to be heading to Maryborough and will look forward to the opportunity to assist with the development of the game in the Wide Bay region while we are there,’’ he said.
“These games reinforce Queensland Cricket’s long-time commitment to take elite cricket content to regional areas whenever we can. The matches will be vital to the preparations of both teams, and the good reports we have had about Newtown Oval were an important factor in our plans.
“We’re grateful to the Fraser Coast Regional Council for agreeing to partner with us in this instance and look forward to a fruitful relationship with them,’’ Svenson said.
Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said it was fantastic to welcome the Queensland Bulls back to Maryborough for the first time in nearly 30 years.
"This is a special opportunity for our community to see elite-level cricket in our own backyard and to celebrate Maryborough's proud cricketing history," he said.
"We’ve seen homegrown talent like Australian stars Nathan Hauritz and Beth Mooney rise from the Fraser Coast to the world stage.
For our local young cricketers, meeting professionals and taking part in clinics could be the spark that ignites their own sporting journey,” he sad.
The Maryborough Cricket Club operates from Newtown Oval, which first hosted cricket in the 1920s.
Queensland played in the inaugural first class match at the venue in 1994 when the touring Zimbabwean team took on a Bulls line-up featuring the likes of Matthew Hayden, Carl Rackemann, Michael Kasprowicz and Martin Love.
For more details vist: https://www.qldcricket.com.au/bulls-preseason