HOWZAT: Ashes warm-up sees medical staff hit competition for six

There was no rest for the wicket last weekend as medical staff from across North and Central Queensland converged on Harrup Park Country Club in Mackay for the inaugural North Queensland Hospital T20 cricket tournament, which was taken out by none other than Townsville HHS.

The two-day, tri-series tournament saw Townsville Hospital and Health Service (HHS) bat above their average against Queensland counterparts from Mackay HHS and Central Queensland HHS to take a three-from-three win.

Townsville University Hospital (TUH) resident medical officer, opening batsman and man of the series James Coventon said he was proud to see his team hit the competition for six.

“Twelve of us travelled to Mackay to represent Townsville in the inaugural event,” James said.

“Ultimately, the weekend saw some very competitive cricket played between all three sides, and many highlights were taken away.

“The competition was organised to a very professional standard, and we are extremely grateful for all the work the Mackay team put in behind the scenes to get it up and running, as well as to delegation from Rockhampton for making the journey north.

“We hit the nets a few times in the lead-up to the event, so we were stoked when we could finally get on the front foot and rip in.”

Team captain and TUH resident medical officer Justin Smith said he had high hopes for future games.

“We hope that next year we can bring it to Townsville and create an even bigger tournament with more hospitals involved – Cairns, we’re looking at you,” Justin said.

“Overall, it was a great culture-building initiative that allowed us to have a bit of fun and establish relationships with fellow regional hospitals.”

Event organiser and Mackay HHS pharmacist Taksh Singh Mann said the Mackay team were proud to host the inaugural tri-series tournament.

“We wanted to create an event where hospital staff could compete in a friendly nature and enjoy some time together outside of work,” Taksh said.

“We thought we had it in the bag as many of our players bought years of beach and backyard cricket experience to the tri-series tournament and looked forward to sending 22 defeated cricketers back to their respective hospitals.

“However, we might have to wait for next year for that to happen.

“This tournament may not be a Grand Rounds but we’ll make sure that next year the crowd gets a free lecture on textbook cricket.”