Geoff Jacobs excited by pitch for Far North Coast Cricket Council all-star match for flood fundraising

The best batters and bowlers in the Northern Rivers could be set for a showdown in a match designed to raise money for flood-affected cricket clubs. Here are the details.

A Far North Coast Cricket Council all-star match could be on the cards to raise funds for flood-affected clubs on the Northern Rivers. Pictured are Sam Weir (left) and Nick Asser.

With cricket cancelled for the second weekend in a row, the Far North Coast Cricket Council is backing a proposal for a Northern Rivers all-star match to raise funds for flood-affected clubs.

Cudgen Cricket Club youngster Sam Weir might get a chance to play in a proposed all-star match. Picture: Mike Donnelly

The match, which was discussed in a cricket council meeting on Wednesday night, was touted as a way to ensure funding to repair clubhouses and cricket pitches was available so teams could enter next year’s competition.

Far North Coast Cricket Council secretary Geoff Jacobs said it would be a sensational way to drive funding to clubs that needed it.

Far North Coast Cricket Council secretary Geoff Jacobs loves the all-star match idea.

“We are hopeful we might even get some star players down to play as well,” he said.

“There are plenty of options on the table but the clubs on the North Coast love the idea and we’d love to kick on with it.”

The possibilities for the all-star match have excited clubs, with suggestions even made to play the best of the LJ Hooker League and Coastal League against a Mid-North Coast rep team.

Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia have already provided avenues for clubs to access money with $1000 grants made available to all clubs and associations through the Grassroots Cricket Fund.

Cricket pitches in the Northern Rivers like Geoff Watt Oval in Alstonville, which was inundated last week, will need time to recover. Picture: Nicholas Rupolo

Clubs like Marist Brothers Lismore, Pottsville and Cudgen have suffered damages with repairs expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The meeting also confirmed that most cricket matches will be cancelled for the upcoming weekend except for Tweed District semi-finals and junior comps as well as Ballina district junior matches.

However, the finals series of the LJ Hooker League, Coastal League and Ballina district will continue as normal from March 19.

The Northern Rivers Junior Cricket Association season has been abandoned, with all matches cancelled.

Originally published as Geoff Jacobs excited by pitch for Far North Coast Cricket Council all-star match for flood fundraising