EP junior cricketers to emulate Big Bash heroes in Quality Wool Cup

EYRE Peninsula (EP) junior cricketers playing in January’s Quality Wool Cup can emulate their Big Bash heroes when the competition trials a new look in its ninth year.

Shirts and colours of the eight under‑14 teams competing from across the peninsula have been brought into line with franchises from the Big Bash League (BBL) for the two‑day, Twenty20 tournament beginning January 16 in Port Lincoln.

2019 Quality Wool Cup winners, Le Hunte, will now sport purple, while the teams lining up to dethrone them are Eastern Eyre (teal), Lincoln Tuna Kings (blue), Far West (turquoise), Tumby Bay Dolphins (lime green), Lincoln Great Whites (magenta), Kimba Cats (gold) and Great Flinders (orange).

Matches will be played on a round‑robin basis at Port Lincoln’s Centenary Oval, Poole Oval and the Ravendale Complex, giving the region’s emerging cricketers an opportunity to play on the excellent turf wickets at all venues.

With many of the youngsters also taking part in the SACA Country Cup in the Barossa Valley the week before, EP Junior Cricket President Tom Kenny said the Quality Wool Cup rounded‑off a great fortnight of cricket for them.

“All associations are fielding sides and while some teams are having to rebuild from previous years, there is a strong field of under‑12’s coming through,” Tom said.

Tom identified Seb Henderson (Port Lincoln), Hugh Redden (Great Flinders), Noah Ramsey (Eastern Eyre), Ezra Foster (Le Hunte), Joey Lienert (Kimba), Tyson Higgins (Tumby Bay) and Tye Kenny (Streaky Bay) as stars on the rise to look out for in the tournament.

A family‑owned company established in 1991, Quality Wool first staged the tournament back in 2012 as a way of giving back to the Eyre Peninsula community.

Managing Director Mark Dyson said support from the EP’s seven cricket associations and the family’s involved had been crucial for the tournament’s success.

“It’s wonderful to think the Quality Wool Cup will be celebrating its tenth anniversary soon (in 2021), and we love that the families have embraced it and often use it as an opportunity for a well‑earned break in Port Lincoln during the school holidays,” Mark said.

Results from the competition will be published on the Eyre Peninsula website (http://eyrepeninsula.sa.cricket.com.au) and can be accessed from the ‘MyCricket’ menu by navigating to ‘Matches’ and then ‘Fixture’, and selecting ‘2019/20’ and ‘Quality Wool Cup’ from the drop down menus.