New British pub The Pitch and Wicket opens in Airlie Beach

A ban on schnittys, proper pints and all-day sport on the big screens – a classic British-style pub is opening in a North Queensland holiday hot spot.

The Pitch and Wicket is Airlie Beach's newest British pub run by mates Rogan Hunter, Ivan Lonsdale and Matt Bayford.

Three hospitality veterans are launching a laid-back pub in the Whitsundays, with a British twist.

The Pitch and Wicket is opening this weekend with mates Rogan Hunter, Ivan Lonsdale and Matt Bayford taking the helm to offer something distinctly different from the town’s existing scene.

The trio are all experienced hospitality managers, with backgrounds including Mr Lonsdale’s 15-year tenure at Magnums and Mr Hunter’s three-and-a-half years managing Paddy’s Shenanigans, who saw “a really big gap” in the market they thought they could fill.

“A lot of the UK guys just don’t really have an option to eat their own food,” Mr Hunter said.

“We wanted to go for just a nice relaxed British pub and offer all the British food and just a good atmosphere, a chill out zone.”

The Pitch and Wicket is Airlie Beach's newest British pub.

What sets The Pitch and Wicket apart from the Aussie pubs in the area is the cosy, family-friendly environment where conversation doesn’t require shouting over live bands or DJs, they said.

“It’s going for that homely vibe,” said Mr Lonsdale.

“As much as everyone supports the music, we love to see it happening, we also just want to have somewhere where you don’t have to yell over a table to have a conversation,” added Mr Hunter.

The pub offers proper pints instead of schooners, serving unfiltered ales in airconditioned comfort which Mr Hunter said was a welcome relief in the summer months.

The venue will offer all-day dining, seven days a week, with sports playing on the big screen and beers flowing well into the evening.

The bar will feature plenty of British and Aussie selections.

Sports entertainment is central to the concept, with multiple screens showing everything from Premier League football and Formula One to NRL and cricket.

For local and visiting sports fans, that means no more staying home to catch the big games, said Mr Lonsdale.

“The whole reason we applied for a commercial hotel licence, which took a lot of hoops to jump through, was just so we could be open when the football was playing,” he said.

The team have partnered with Mackay’s Goanna Brewery for a revolving tap of proper unfiltered ales crafted by a Welsh brewer and will also have Aussie lager Travla on tap, which was founded by Travis Fimmel and a couple of his mates.

The Pitch and Wicket are the first distributors in North Queensland with Travla on tap and Mr Bayford said the company’s ethos really resonated with them.

Sports will be a major focus of the pub, playing all day on the big screen.

“It kind of sums us up,” he said

“Giving it a go, just seeing where the journey takes you.”

The pub promises classic British food including proper roast dinners with Yorkshire pudding, catering to both locals and UK backpackers alike, but you wouldn’t see any schnittys on the menu warned Mr Hunter.

The team said it was all about creating a laid-back atmosphere that feels like home, even in the tropics.

“When it’s the middle of wet season and it’s chucking it down, you can sit in front of a big screen, watch a team play, get a roast meal with Yorkshire pudding, without a band playing in the background” Mr Lonsdale said.

Originally published as New British pub The Pitch and Wicket opens in Airlie Beach