FORMER Wangaratta and District Cricket Association president Greg Hoysted is home after playing for the Australia in the inaugural Over 60s Cricket World Cup on the Sunshine Coast.

The tournament was originally scheduled for 2020, but had to be pushed back to this year due to COVID complications.

The Aussies went up against over 60s sides from all around the world including Wales, New Zealand, Canada, India and Pakistan in the tournament which ran from September 2 to 15.

Australia finished third in the tournament, going down by one wicket in the semi–final to eventual champions Pakistan.

Hoysted, picked as a batter, shone in the match for third place against Canada, where he scored 81* from 107 deliveries – he finished the tournament with 94 runs from four innings at an average of 47 and took three catches.

"It was a wonderful event, meeting cricketers from all over the world was terrific," Hoysted said.

"It was a real eye opener to see how good Canada was, they were a seriously good cricket side.

"Their team was pretty much all expats from India and Sri Lanka, but they were good players, their top six batting was as good as any top six batting in the comp.

"The Kiwis were good, Pakistan were very good – I think Pakistan had eight or nine ex–first class cricketers, so they were a very good side, and Wales were good, a well–drilled side.

"We saw a lot of good cricket over the time, but just getting together was fantastic."

Australia's final match of the tournament was against Canada for third place.

The Canadians set 172, and an unbroken Australian opening partnership between Hoysted and Tasmanian Glenn Richardson got the Aussies over the line.

"We'd bowled and fielded quite well – Canada's a good batting side so keeping them to 172, we were happy with that," Hoysted said.

"In the side we probably had five opening batters we had to juggle around so I had ended up batting down the order during the earlier rounds, so in the third v fourth playoff they gave me a chance to open.

"Glenn (Richardson) and I put on the full 173 to win the game, which I think is a record for Australia's Over 60s.

"It's played in terrific spirit, it's very competitive but you don't get blow–ups or anything – people have played enough cricket so they go as hard as they can but they make sure they acknowledge when someone else does something good and you shake hands and have a beer at the end,...