Sport
2 March, 2026
Atherton claim glory in final local derby
IT was somewhat of a close local derby between the Mareeba Bandits and Atherton Cricket Club at the weekend, but ultimately Atherton proved too strong for the young Mareeba side.
The Bandits hosted Atherton at Borzi park on Saturday for the final local derby matchup of the season. After winning the toss, Atherton elected to bowl first.
Opening the batting for Mareeba was Remo Esposito and Tyler Misener. After being caught and bowled early on, Esposito was replaced by Greg Misener, who went on to create a solid partnership with his son, Tyler.
Greg was the first to get out, finishing with 36 runs off 39 balls including five 4s, while Tyler later got out on 37 runs from 86 balls, including four 4s.
The rest of the Bandits batsmen didn’t fare as well, however captain Brendan Falvo managed 17 from 42, Ryan Jaszczyszyn tallied up 18 from 19, and Brendan Payne finished 26-not-out from 28.
Atherton bowlers Cam Davis and Brandon Green showed their skill this round, with both players taking three wickets in their eight overs. Another noteworthy performance goes to Riley Lennon, who bowled four maiden overs and also claimed a wicket.
After their 40 overs, Mareeba finished 9/150.
Brandon Green and Charlie Lawrence opened the batting for Atherton and got off to a steady start, scoring 20 runs between themselves.
Captain Tom Boorman soon took to the crease following a duck and went on to score just one run shy of a half century, finishing 49 from 68, including five 4s.
Atherton were boosted by a fill-in player, who scored 35 runs off 40 balls, including one 4 and three 6s.
Logan Poggioli (30-not-out from 32) and Alex Nasser (5-not-out from 7) managed to chase down the remaining runs to seal the win.
Brendan Payne and Kye Harris stood out for Mareeba in the second innings, with both claiming two wickets each through eight overs.
Atherton finished 5/151 after 33.2 overs.
This weekend marks the final round of the regular season for the Cricket Far North competition. Atherton are sitting comfortable in fourth position but will face off against the first-placed Barron River side in Trinity Beach on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Bandits round out the bottom of the ladder with zero wins, and will travel to Cairns on Saturday to take on the Rovers in their final match of the season.
