The ACT Comets (also known as the Canberra Comets, previously the Federal Capital Territory) are a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team that represent the Australian Capital Territory. The Comets are the premier team of the

Cricket ACT Cricket ACT is the governing body of cricket in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In 1922, the Federal Territory Cricket Association (FTCA) was established to govern the sport of cricket in the then Federal Capital Territory, which had been ...

who are affiliated with Cricket Australia.

In the Domestic One Day Competition

The ACT Comets were participants in the Australian domestic limited-overs

Mercantile Mutual Cup The One-Day Cup, known as the Marsh One-Day Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an Australian domestic List A 50-over limited-overs cricket tournament. It has had many different names, formats and teams since the inaugural 1969-1970 season. Initi ...

competition. They did not, however, field a team in the four-day Sheffield Shield competition. Their Mercantile Mutual Cup involvement lasted from the 1997–98 season to the 1999–2000 season. It was found that there was insufficient local support at that time to be financially viable in the first-class and list-A competitions. Former Australian Test bowler

Merv Hughes Mervyn Gregory Hughes (born 23 November 1961) is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia national cricket team, Australia in 53 Test cricket, Test matches between 1985 and 1994, taking 212 wickets. He pla ...

was brought out of retirement to help ACT, as was former Test batsman Mike Veletta.

ACT and Canberra region players

Australian internationals Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon played for the Comets. Former Australian Test batsman Michael Bevan was born in Canberra and played cricket with the Weston Creek club, but did not play for the Comets. Police Magistrate A. T. Faunce was instrumental in bringing cricket to the Canberra-Queanbeyan region in the 1830s and died while playing the game at the Queanbeyan Market reserve (now Queen Elizabeth Park). There have been 25 players to play 50 or more games for the ACT. Four players have reached 100, while

Peter Solway Peter Solway (born 20 September 1964) is an Australian cricketer. He played in eighteen List A cricket matches for the ACT Comets between 1997 and 2000. In February 2020, he was named in Australia's squad for the Over-50s Cricket World Cup in Sou ...

is the only to have reached 150 games. The highest individual scores in ACT grade cricket have been: 339 - PJ Solway (1989/90), 300 - JR Dean (2012/13), 246 - CE Hincksman (1926/27), 238 - L Lees (1932/33), 220 - C Brown (2008/9), 215 - L Lees (1933/34), 211 - PJ Solway (1990/91), 207- NH Fairbrother (1988/89), 205 - JN Williams (1988/89), 200 - MJ Dawn (2001/02), 200- C Brown (2008/09) Owen Chivers 204* and Michael Spaseski 221 in same match 2013/14 .

In Futures League

Today, the team represents Canberra in the lower-level Futures League. The Comets finished the 2005–06 season in fourth place with two outright wins. The Comets took out their first ever title in the 2010–11 season.

Player transfers

In the period 2011-2012 six 20 to 23-year-old first class listed players who learnt cricket in Canberra have had to transfer interstate –

Jason Floros Jason Scott Floros (born 24 November 1990) is an Australian former professional cricketer who played for Queensland and for the Brisbane Heat. Early career Floros represented the Australian Capital Territory Under-17 and Under-19 cricket teams ...

(20, QLD),

Jason Behrendorff Jason Paul Behrendorff (born 20 April 1990) is an Australian cricketer, currently listed with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers in Australian domestic cricket. Although born in New South Wales, Behrendorff grew up in Canberra and pla ...

(20, WA), Nathan Lyon (23, SA),

Ashton May Ashton may refer to: Names *Ashton (given name) *Ashton (surname) Places Australia * Ashton, Elizabeth Bay, a heritage-listed house in Sydney, New South Wales *Ashton, South Australia Canada *Ashton, Ontario New Zealand * Ashton, New Zealand ...

(21, Tas),

Ryan Carters Ryan Graham Leslie Carters (born 25 July 1990) is an Australian former cricketer who represented New South Wales in the Australian domestic cricket competition and the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. In May 2017, he announced his retiremen ...

(20, VIC) and

Will Sheridan Will Sheridan Jr. (born January 12, 1985) is a former college basketball player who played for the Villanova Wildcats Men's Basketball program from 2003 to 2007. After graduation, he played as an international basketball player in Italy. He is ...

(23, VIC).Kieran Deck. 'ACT Comets- Time to Bring Them Back' The Fooyt Almanac 15 March 2011 http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/act-comets-time-to-bring-them-back/

References

External links