Cherry Street Sports Group to sponsor 2023 Ballina Cup
An institution of the North Coast racing and social scene, the Ballina Cup is the epitome of fashion, fun and friends. Find yourself in our mega flashback gallery.
Lismore
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lismore. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Nothing beats a grand day out at the track, and for the North Coast, the best race of the holiday season is the Ballina Cup.
A nice lead-up to the Cup, Ballina Jockey Club’s traditional Boxing Day races drew solid crowds after a long hiatus brought by Covid lockdowns.
“Based on this year’s figures the crowd was up 40 per cent,” Ballina Jockey Club general manager Matthew Bertram said of the forerunner.
What will be new in 2023 for the Cup itself is a sponsorship deal with the Cherry Street Sports Group.
For starters, Cherry Street Sports Group will be the naming rights partner of the 2023 $65,000 Ballina Cup.
With its connections in Ballina and Lennox Head, the collaboration aims to stoke economic growth across the region.
Ballina Jockey Club chairman David Daniel said there is a lot of ‘synergy’ between the businesses.
“The Cherry Street Sports Group is an excellent local organisation,” Mr Daniel said.
“They are well known for their community support, as well as their family-friendly hospitality.
“We are proud to form what we hope will be a long-term relationship.”
Cherry Street Sports Group general manager Tere Sheean said the organisation is excited to back the 2023 Ballina Cup.
“We have a large local membership and look forward to building value into their support of our clubs, the Cherry Street Sports and Club Lennox Sports,” Mr Sheean said.
“The Ballina Cup is an iconic annual community event with over 100 years of local history.”
Mr Bertram said the future was ripe with opportunity.
“We will commence with the Cherry Street Sports Group Ballina Cup this January 2023, and we have plans for many more events to follow,” he said.
The collaboration of clubs seeks to promote the North Coast as a choice tourist destination by showcasing more of what makes the region so popular.
Mr Bertram said having the Racing NSW Big Dance qualifying status adds to their vision.
“The $2 Million Big Dance concept and success will help attract participants from far and wide and various qualifiers from all over the state,” he said.
“There is no better tourist destination than the Ballina/Lennox/Byron coastline. We expect the Cherry Street Sports Group Ballina Cup will become one of the best examples of the Big Dance qualifier concept for years to come.”
Pre-Cup celebrations start on Cup Eve with the Cherry Street Sports Group Ballina Cup Calcutta – to be held at Cherry Street Sports in Ballina, from 7pm on Thursday, January 12.
The Ballina Cup will feature on Friday, January 13 at the Ballina Jockey Club. Gates open 11am.
Lismore sale and auction results, week ending May 10
Lismore recorded 36 property sales over a million dollars last week, the latest auction and sales results reveal.
Duo allegedly stole man’s wallet before spending spree
A pair have fronted court after they allegedly nicked a man’s wallet before going on a spending spree at a Lismore shopping centre to stock up on smokes and food.