26/9/06
Some of the biggest names in cricket will hit a unique pitch on Scarborough Beach over the Australia Day long weekend next January, in a world-first for Western Australia.
XXXX Gold Beach Cricket will pit Australian cricket greats including Allan Border, Kim Hughes, Dean Jones, Dennis Lillee, and Mark Waugh against former England and West Indian legends such as Graham Gooch, Darren Gough, Allan Lamb, Joel Garner, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose.
Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said the two-day tournament would be free to the public and involve special guests and players on the Friday, with the Tri Nations event up for grabs on Saturday between Australia, England and West Indies team.
"The first day of the event lets the general public interact with some of the greatest names cricket has produced, making it a fantastic family day out," Ms McHale said.
"There is something quintessentially Western Australian about this event - it combines our love of summertime, beaches, surf and cricket - what a great way to celebrate Australia Day!
"The event is themed for television and will include a barbecue and hospitality area and general entertainment throughout the day."
Each beach cricket match will last approximately one hour, with eight overs per innings, and will feature a special pitch ensuring realistic bounce, the ocean as part of the outfield, players miked up for television and deck chairs and informal seating for the crowd.
The WA event will be the second of three events in 2007, following the Gold Coast on January 20-21 and preceding Sydney on February 3-4.
The Perth XXXX Gold Beach Cricket event will be the first international event to use the 5000-seat amphitheatre being built at Scarborough Beach and due for completion next month.
The event will return enormous national and international media exposure via a highlights program to be potentially broadcast into Asia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, The Caribbean and around Australia.
The XXXX Gold Beach Cricket event will coincide with the International One-Day Series at the WACA on January 28 and 30.
The State Government through EventsCorp has invested more than $50,000 into the XXXX Gold Beach Cricket.
Minister's office - 9213 7150
