Queensland Veterans Cricket: The greatest state vs state clash you’ve never heard of

“They were cocksure they had the physically superior side but skill-wise there wasn’t much in it,” Queensland’s opening batsman John Guiver said. SUBSCRIBE TO READ THE FULL STORY

Masters cricket is exploding on the Coast. Training at Mudgeeraba Cricket Club are from left to right Gary Lovett, John Guiver, David Russell. Picture Glenn Hampson

John Guiver played his last cricket match in the summer of 1987 – or so he had thought.

The 72-year-old made his cricketing return with the Gold Coast Over-60s in the Queensland Veteran’s Cricket league five years ago.

Since 2018 the wicketkeeping opening bat has been the Queensland Over-70s resident ‘young gun’, helping lead the state to back-to-back national championship victories.

The national final win over rivals Victoria in 2019 – his true state of origin – was an upset fit for a Hollywood screen.

“There’s plenty of state rivalry in all sports but particularly in the (Over) 70s,” Guiver explained.

Masters cricket is exploding on the Coast. Training at Mudgeeraba Cricket Club are from left to right Gary Lovett, John Guiver, David Russell. Picture Glenn Hampson

“You love to get one up on the Victorians because there are 2000 Veteran’s Cricket players in Victoria and just 500 in Queensland.

“It’s very Queensland, underdogs overcoming great odds to beat the southern rivals, but this game in particular (was special).

“The Vic’s we played against in Perth were ‘young’ 70s instead of the 76- and 77-year-olds in our side.

“They were cocksure they had the physically superior side but skill-wise there wasn’t much in it.

“We had one guy pull a calf muscle and another pulled a hamstring and they both came back to bowl two overs at the end.

“We hung in there, got on top of them and didn’t let them back in.”

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Masters cricket is exploding on the Coast. Training at Mudgeeraba Cricket Club is John Guiver. Picture Glenn Hampson

Chasing that winning feeling again will keep him coming back until his flexibility and mobility fail him, Guiver said.