“It was a dream”: Century Cricket co-founder heaps praise on Mackay event
Century Cricket Group co-founder Joel Hamilton has heaped praise on their event held in Mackay over the weekend, describing it as a “dream” to host.
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Century Cricket Group co-founder Joel Hamilton has lauded Mackay’s Harrup Park facility as “a dream” to host at in the aftermath of their event held over the weekend.
The inaugural Century Cricket Group Mackay 100-ball competition saw some of the best emerging and experienced talent from Queensland and beyond descend on the city to take part in a three-day event with $80,000 in prize money on the line.
An exciting final saw the Adelaide Rockets defeat Sunshine Coast-based team Coastal Marlins by four wickets with 28 balls remaining.
Rockets player Josh Kann was named MVP of the series, as he notched up 140 runs at 46.67 with a high score of 60 not out, while also taking a trio of wickets, catches and run outs.
“He was a class above, he was very damaging and took the game on whenever he got the chance... he provided a lot of entertainment for us as spectators,” Hamilton said.
“There were a lot of great individual performances across the board, and that’s probably reflected in the closeness of the matches... both of the semi-finals came down to the last ball.”
The efforts of former Pakistan international cricketer Mohammad Irfan were also praiseworthy, and he got off to a red-hot start with the ball as he took two wickets within his first five deliveries of the competition.
But Hamilton said while his own performances were strong, his presence as a player for the budding talents playing alongside him was a major asset to the competition.
“He’s obviously a little bit older now, but certainly not so old that he can’t play... he put on some really good performances,” Hamilton said.
“The experience and wisdom he was able to provide to the local players was fantastic, to be able to share that especially with the young fast bowlers was a great asset to us.”
As for the host venue itself, Hamilton said he was “beyond pleased” with the product they were able to get out on the field.
“The Mackay Cricket Association and the Mackay Regional Council have been unbelievable to us, to be able to get those sorts of facilities up at this time of the year for cricket is quite a feat,” he said.
“Guys in Adelaide and Melbourne aren’t even getting a look in at any outdoor cricket around this time, so for the players it’s unbelievable to play some cricket in proper conditions.
“For us to have a fully-fledged cricket stadium at our disposal, is a great experience for all.”
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