Carnival of cricket set for Harrup Park as Mackay plays host to four WBBL teams

Mackay cricket fans are set to enjoy a two-day spectacle with four WBBL teams travelling north for the first time since 2019.

Jess Jonassen and the Brisbane Heat will return to Mackay after last year’s WBBL season was played entirely in Sydney. Picture: Quinn Rooney

The carnival of cricket is set for a return to Mackay in November with four Big Bash matches scheduled at Harrup Park.

Brisbane Heat will play host to Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL after the 2020 season was restricted to a sporting bubble in Sydney.

Heat all-rounder Jess Jonassen said it was exciting to bring elite cricket north to Mackay again.

“Games are just becoming more and more exciting and to take a few more games up there again this season is really exciting, and whenever we go up there to play we always love it,” she said.

“We’ve got a really great fan base up in Mackay, there’s a real passion for the women’s game and you just see the participation levels continue to grow.”

Jessica Jonassen (right) of the Heat celebrates with Amelia Kerr (left) after winning the WBBL Cricket match between Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers at Harrup Park Country Club in Mackay, Queensland, Sunday, November 3, 2019. Picture: Darren England

Hobart and Melbourne will play the first game of a double-header on Friday, November 19, with Brisbane set to take on Sydney straight after at Harrup Park.

Hobart and Sydney will then play the next day, with Brisbane and Melbourne following for a Saturday night clash under lights.

Jonassen said regional trips were very important for the growth of the game.

“You can’t be what you can’t see and we have some immense talent, particularly in the women’s pathways, in regional areas,” she said.

“To be able to take not only our side but three other teams up there just gives these girls a massive advantage in the exposure to their pathway and the women’s game.”