THE YOUNG and old of Coffs Harbour cricket came together to practise the game they love, as youth and veteran players alike shared the nets for a training session in Sawtell.

It was a memorable sight at the Richardson Park cricket nets, as North Coast Cricket Council Academy juniors trained alongside Coffs Harbour Golden Oldies Cricket Club players, as two different generations of players trained side by side.

The North Coast’s top juniors received expert advice and honed their skills, while players from the Coffs Harbour Golden Oldies Cricket Club were putting in an extra session in preparation for their visit to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to play in the winter carnival hosted by Queensland Veteran’s Cricket.

The two groups showed that it might be the cricket off season, but the enthusiastic players were still working hard to refine their skills for next summer.

Coffs Harbour Golden Oldies Cricket Club player Graham Doust marvelled at the experience of training alongside the North Coast’s best juniors

“The ‘Vets in the Nets’ could only admire the agility and energy displayed by the teenagers as they went about their training,” he said.

“Perhaps the academy squad may have wondered ‘will we still be playing when we are 60 … or 70?

”Playing cricket from 8 to 80 now is no longer a dream and it was a pleasure to see such a wide range of age groups enjoying cricket on a sunny Coffs Harbour winter’s day,” he said.

By Aiden BURGESS