GPS First XI cricket’s Team of the Week; quiet achievers of 2024 uncovered

GPS First XI cricket: Who have been some of the quiet achievers of 2024? More than 20 revealed here, along with the round 7 Team of the Week.

Who were the quiet achievers in the GPS First XI cricket competition? All is revealed here along with the round seven Team of the Week.

Unbeaten The Southport School will be at home on Saturday to Churchie as the group looks to retain an outright lead from Ipswich Grammar School in the race for the First XI cricket premiership.

If TSS win its remaining two games, the players will hand the school its 10th premiership in 14 seasons.

Ahead of round 8, we look at 20 unsung heroes, while also revealing our Team of the Week.

UNSUNG HEROES

Jacob Cibulka (IGS)

If you were looking for reasons why Ipswich Grammar School have had such a good First XI season, one of the answers is Cibulka. He has 147 runs at 29.50. and taken 12 wickets at an average of 14 and has been a top sleeve performer.

Angus Storen (Churchie)

Churchie batsman Angus Storen walks of the ground after losing is wicket. GPS First XI cricket between Churchie and Brisbane Grammar School. Saturday January 27, 2024. Picture, John Gass

Storen has been so good for Churchie this season, he will go close to making our Team of the Season. An opening batsman who has scored 172 runs at 28, Storen also has 12 wickets at an average of 13.

Dushyant Thaman (TSS)

TSS bowler Dushyant Thaman GPS first XI cricket between BBC v TSS at Parkman Park. Saturday February 17, 2024. Picture, John Gass

We entered the season knowing Thaman slow bowling would be successful again, - he has taken 15 wickets at 11.90 - but do you know what we didn’t know about him? His lower order batting. Scores of 34 20 and 29 were examples of the type of contributions he mustered down the list.

Gurnoor Singh Randhawa (TGS)

Gurnoor Singh Randhawa playing club cricket.

Gurnoor Singh Randhawa has been a revelation this season with the bat and ball. His 12 wickets have come at just 16.17, while he has 236 runs at 32.29. He is another who will be strongly considered for the Team of the Season.

Theodore Bacalakis (Terrace)

Theodore Bacalakis.

The Terrace rookie has gained invaluable experience this season with the bat and although the big blast innings has eluded him so far, he still has more than 150 runs at 25. But with the ball he has also snared 10 wickets at 19.17. Watch for him in season 2025.

Karmichael Dee (Nudgee)

Dee has been steady for Nudgee this season, just what the doctor ordered. He has eight wickets at 13.38, but has a tidy economy rate of 3.33.

Ryan Summers (TSS)

The young off spinner has been a tremendous team bowler this season, conceding just 3.16 runs an over while taking nine wickets.

Samuel Drinnen (Churchie)

While he has not rattled and shaken the statistics this season, like Emmerson of IGS, young Drinnen seems to be getting better with the more experience he gathers. He has a nice footing for 2025.

D’Arcy Satharasinghe (BBC)

BBC batsman D'Arcy Satharasinghe GPS first XI cricket between BBC v TSS at Parkman Park. Saturday February 17, 2024. Picture, John Gass

D’Arcy Satharasinghe has stepped up to the plate with both ball and bat. In six matches he has scored 157 runs at 31.40, while chipping in with five wickets bowling his off spin.

Spencer Green (Nudgee)

Leg spin bowler Green has burst onto the scene as a discovery player for Nudgee. He takes wickets - he has 11 this season at 19 - but for a wrist spinner he bowls tightly, having conceded less than four runs an over.

Will Pamanter (IGS)

The young quick fills in another piece in the IGS jig-saw puzzle. He has damaged teams with his bowling (10 wickets at 13), but has also built pressure, conceding just 2.98 runs an over across the summer.

Ashton Clark (BBC)

In six matches so far leg spinner Clark has done a splendid job for Brisbane Boys College, taking 10 wickets at 16 with an economy rate of around 3.30. He is an outstanding partnership bowler and we are excited to see what he can achieve in the next two matches.

Sam Wallwork (BGS)

BGS batsman Sam Wallwork Brisbane Grammar School v Terrace Saturday February 10, 2024. Picture, John Gass

Did you know entering round 8 that Wallwork was ranked in the top 10 batting averages this season? Wallwork has very much been a quiet achiever. His 177 runs have come from 262 balls, and with a dazzling 70 last weekend, we can’t wait to see how he finishes the summer. He has an average of 35.40.

Riley Johnson (TSS)

T for Team is very much a part of The Southport School’s cricket culture, and setting the highest example has been skipper and gloveman Johnson. He has also produced two thunderous individual knocks with the bat.

Matthew Fielding (Nudgee)

Let us not taken this fellow for granted. Fielding will be a strong contender for Team of the Season for the hotly contested wicket keeping and opening roles, but we wanted to mention him here as well because his 239 runs have come in a struggling side this season.

Cameron Sinfield (TSS)

TSS bowler Cameron Sinfield celebrates a wicket GPS First XI match between Nudgee College and TSS. Saturday February 3, 2024. Picture, John Gass

While big scores have eluded Sinfield at the top of the order, he invariably got a start and shared in good opening stands while also contributing with accurate off spinners. He is unsung for sure and certain.

Jettison Emmerson (IGS)

Emmerson has got better as the season has rolled by, gathering momentum to take 3-33, 1-28, 2-12 and 2-36 over the last month. This week he earned Team of the Week selection because of his right arm medium pace.

Rupert Bignall (Churchie)

Bignall has been outstanding at the bowling crease for Churchie, with his 13 wickets at 12 coming at an economy rate of just 2.77 runs per over.

Samuel Quinn (Terrace)

Quinn has done a good job for Terrace, taking his six wickets while going at a run rate of just over three runs an over.

Dominic Black (TGS)

While he would have liked more runs, Black has been steady and strong across the season. He has eight wickets at 20 while also averaging almost 17.

Oscar Bodimeade (Terrace) and Jayden Draper (Churchie)

Gregory Terrace batsman Oscar Bodimeade.

The competition is lucky to have two such wonderful glovemen in the competition in the one year. They are both batting well as well.

Special mentions: In teams which have not always gained a foothold, special mentions to both Pranshu Dave (BSHS) and Rishi Mehta (BGS), while Harry Frost (Terrace) seems to always be in the game. Frost’s teammate James Eustance has been a great partnership bowler for Terrace this season as well.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

In Team of the Week selection highlights, Matthew Fieldings’ brilliant 76 for Nudgee was the batting performance of the round, closely followed by Sam Wallwork (BGS) lovely unbeaten knock and the fast emerging Rushi Kakkad (IGS).

Both Jettison Emmerson (IGS), Cooper Beachy-Head (BBC) and Hayden Dalmazzo (BGS) make our Team of the Week for the first time.

Cooper Beachy-Head, a player who gives his all each match, was excellent with both bat and also with his off spin bowling and throughly deserved recognition.

Although he narrowly missed the side, the 10 over spell by James Eustance (Terrace) was outstanding team bowling and we wanted to doff our hats to him.

THE TEAM

1. Sam Wallwork (BGS)

2. Matthew Fielding (Nudgee)

3. Rushi Kakkad (IGS)

4. Gurnoor Singh Randhawa (TGS)

5. Jacob Cibulka (IGS)

5. Oscar Bodimeade (Terrace)

6. Cooper Beachy-Head (BBC)

7. Jettison Emmerson (IGS)

8. Charlie Lachmund (TGS)

9. Hayden Dalmazzo (BGS)

12. Joshua Lossberg (IGS)

13th man: Spencer Green (Nudgee)

Special mentions: James Eustance (Terrace), Henry Hillier (Churchie), Harry Frost (Terrace), Cruz Baker (BGS), Samuel Jones (Terrace), Kazuma Stafford (BSHS), Theodore Bacalakis (Terrace), Samuel Drinnen (Churchie)

ROUND 8

TSS V Churchie

The Southport School v Nudgee

Brisbane Boys’ College v IGS

BGS v Ipswich Grammar