The Weipa Crocs, led by the likes of Aaron Johnson, Brett Elms and Kurt Gane, had a ball at last year’s Musgrave Super 8s event. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
A bumper lineup of teams from across Cape York and Far North Queensland will converge on the historic Musgrave Roadhouse to vie for Super 8s cricket bragging rights over the Labor Day long weekend.
A crowd of more than 200 travelled along the Peninsula Developmental Road to witness the Mount Garnet Eagles and Mareeba Cricket Chicks claim the men’s and women’s trophies in 2023, with bigger numbers anticipated for this year’s incarnation of the event.
Roadhouse boss Adam McDowall said his team was in the process of installing an extra wicket to accommodate a spike in team nominations, meaning spectators will now be able to view the action on four fields on 4-5 May.
“We’ll have one out the front and three out the back,” he said.
“We’re putting an extra one in the weekend before the cricket; we’ve got it all formed up.
“I think we’ve got 17 teams this year, including five or six women’s teams, so it’s going to be good.
While the increase in teams is testament to the popularity of the annual cricketing showdown, Mr McDowall said he was confident all players would fall into one of two distinct categories.
“Weipa, Cooktown, Mareeba and Mount Garnet are pretty serious teams; the rest tend to just stand out in the paddock with their beer,” he laughed.
“The majority of it is just a good social weekend.”
With free camping for players and a barbecue celebration of bush cricket on the Saturday night, Mr McDowall said it was the last opportunity for Cape York teams to let their hair down before tourists began their PDR convoy.
“We wouldn’t be able to have it if it wasn’t this early in the year,” he said.
“Everyone’s got a bit of free time before it gets crazy for the season.”
For more information, about the Super 8s competition, call the roadhouse on 4060 3229.
The on-field action will be red hot (well, at times) when teams converge on the Musgrave Roadhouse for its annual Super 8s competition on the Labor Day long weekend. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
