Qld cricket’s Past, Present and Futures aces Part 2 - our bold prediction
We’ve peered into the future to name the 2029-30 squad, alongside the Rookies’ Future side, as well as revealed the greatest ever pre-1975 outfit. Check out Part 2 of our Qld cricket special.
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Welcome to part 2 of our special report highlighting Queensland’s greats of the past, acknowledging our champions of today and predicting a Rookies’ Future side which could be representing the state in 2029-30 and beyond.
On Tuesday we announced our three super teams from players who represented Queensland post 1976.
QLD CRICKET SPECIAL, PART 1: OUR THREE SUPER SIDES SINCE 1976
OUR LATEST MEGA CLUB CRICKET COVERAGE HERE
Today we select our greatest pre-1975 Queensland outfit, along with peering into the future and naming two Futures squads to fly the state’s flag in 2029-30 and beyond.
Our 2029-30 squad has plenty of players blooded into the current Bulls system including pace bowling young guns Bartlett, Prestwidge, Whitney, Sully and Edwards, along with exciting teenage fast bowlers Callum Vidler and Cody Reynolds.
What a Bulls side could look like in 2029-30
1. Bryce Street (will be aged 32)
2. Matt Renshaw - captain (will be aged 34)
3. Hugo Burdon (will be aged 28)
4. Jack Clayton (will be aged 31)
5. Steve Hogan (will be aged 22)
6. Hugh Weibgen - vice-captain (will be aged 25)
7. Lachlan Aitken (will be aged 25)
8. Xavier Bartlett (will be aged 30)
9. Will Prestwidge (will be aged 28)
10. Matt Kuhnemann (will be aged 33)
11. Tom Whitney (will be aged 29)
12. Connor Sully (will be aged 29)
Squad members: Callum Vidler, Cody Reynolds, Blake Edwards, Jack Sinfield, Tom Campbell, Zanden Jeh, Max Bryant, Matt Willans, Ayran Jain, Toby Snell.
Our 2029-30 squad includes St Patrick’s College schoolboy Steve Hogan (Sandgate-Redcliffe), BGS old boy Hugh Weibgen (Valley), Terrace old boy Tom Campbell, gloveman Lachlan Aitken (Gold Coast), rookie quicks Cody Reynolds (Gold Coast) and Callum Vidler (Valley).
We also selected Zanden Jeh (Valley), a left arm orthodox spinner we think will play Second XI this season.
Weibgen (Valley) is named our 2029-30 vice-captain. He is a natural leader, excellent top order batsman and supporting off-spinner who was captain of the Australian under 19s on its tour of England.
Campbell (Wests) is a mild selection bolter, but is he really that big a surprise? In 2022, after naming him in our GPS Team of the Season, we wrote: “The classy Campbell was close to two centuries during a summer of dreams. He was the best bat in GPS this season, a class above whose wicket was celebrated like no other in the competition. And don’t forget he was also a very handy contributor with the ball.’’
Lachlan Aitken (Gold Coast) is our first choice wicketkeeper, but of course Tobias Snell was an Australian under 19 representative just two seasons ago and Snell will resume as the Toombul captain when he returns from a bad finger break. That is a huge achievement for a 20-year-old. That is how well Queensland is going for talent - having these two, Aitken and Snell - in the same positions.
Callum Vidler (Valley) is a genuine fast paceman who bowls at 140kph plus and who represented the Australian under 19s in England last month.
Reynolds is the grandson of Queensland Sheffield Shield batting great Ray Reynolds who we feature below in our best pre-1975 side. Reynolds is a fast bowler who toured England with the Australian under 19s.
Hogan is a Year 10 St Patrick’s College student who scores hundreds for fun in AIC First XI, Tav’s under 17s and second or third grade.
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In naming our Future’s Squads we have to stress every player’s journey is different, taking into account injuries, lifestyle, transition from school to adulthood, mental health etc.
Then you have to take into account late bloomers coming from left field, like Joe Dawes and Luke Feldman did in the past, and those who made big development steps in different ways like Norths’ Josh Brown and Aryan Jain (Souths).
Having said that we peered into our crystal ball and came up with these rookies who had the potential to be on the Bulls’ radar this decade.
Bailey Garnham (Gold Coast) is a Queensland under 17 national title winning batsman from earlier this year who plays second grade for the Gold Coast. He is also a wicketkeeper.
Alex Procopis (Norths) was a leading batsmen at the national 17s, including a top score of 83. But he also contributed with the ball (seven wickets).
Jack Balkin (Toombul) is an excellent off-spin prospect and top six batsman who captained Nudgee First XI this season.
Noah McFadyen (Norths) is already a young veteran who was playing first grade while still finishing college at Nudgee, and we refuse to write off this right arm swing bowler and hard hitting lower order batsman.
Tom Balkin (Toombul) is another wildcard fast bowler. Built low to the ground, he is quick and skids the ball through.
Eshwin Kapoor (Toombul) was one of the younger members of Queensland 17s. The young leg spinner took 30 wickets in Taverners last season.
Ashton Gumm (Gold Coast) was a batsman with a high price on his wicket who is developing nicely.
Jackson Steinhardt (Wynnum Manly) is somewhat of a junior batting prodigy.
Steinhardt has been an outstanding junior player on the bayside who, three years ago, made his grade debut aged just 13 years. He played in the final after initially being named a reserve.
OTHER CONTENDERS
Saxon Jeh (Valley) is a fast emerging teenager who bowls quick at Valley. His brother is spinner Zanden who we think can play for Queensland late this decade.
Jack Sonter (Wests) is someone we have a watch on. He has lots of ability and we enjoy it most when he bats time.
Griff Williams: The Mudgeeraba Nerang & Districts’ Cricket junior bowls off-spin and bats well down the order. Not a shooting star but always seems to rise to the occasion among his peers.
Dushyant Thaman: There is a long, long way to go but the young left arm orthodox spinner showed remarkable control during his debut season in the GPS First XI playing with The Southport School.
Zac McDermott (Gold Coast), the tall, athletic seamer, batting ace Reuben Burger (Wynnum-Manly), all-rounder Thisaja Samarawickrama (South Brisbane), robust Seth McGinty (Rovers, Cairns), classy Iona College student Harley Malpass(Wynnum-Manly) and the clever Brayden Meegama (UQ) were other top notch talents.
Of course there are more, many more including- Talon Reichert (Sunshine Coast), Joe Sippel (Ipswich), Brodie Murphy (Sunshine Coast), Charles Lachmund (Ipswich), young Toombul captain Toby Snell, Zac Robinson (Sunshine Coast) and others, but then we have to draw a line.
Interestingly many players of our projected 2029-30 side have come through the GPS First XI system where The Southport School, Nudgee, BGS, Brisbane Boys College, Toowoomba Grammar School, Ipswich Grammar School, St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace and BSHS were all represented.
OUR BEST PRE-1975 SIDE
Bill Brown (3493 runs at 56.33)
Toowoomba-born, his vast international career included three Ashes tours alongside the great Sir Donald Bradman (1934, 1938, 1948) and captaining Australia on it first ever tour of New Zealand.
Brown, who scored four Test centuries including 206 not out at Lords, was also the first victim of a Mankad when he was historically run out by Pakistan bowler V. Mankad after backing up too far at the nonstrikers end. Brown. Post cricket, Brown was an institution among CBD business owners, running the popular Bill Brown Sports Store.
Sam Trimble (8647 runs at 39.84)
From the glorious district of Bex Hill in northern NSW where green rolling hills seemingly go on forever, Trimble is adored by his peers. A big hearted country boy with a gentle demeanour, Trimble spent from 1959-1976 trying to win a Sheffield Shield for Queensland. He was the foundation of the Queensland batting across 123 matches and was once named 12th man in a Test.
Ray Reynolds (3518 at 47.54)
A Churchie old boy, Ray Reynolds was brute to bowl to who would have been good enough for Test cricket if called upon. His fabulous, 10 season career included scoring 3518 runs from just 50 matches. He could move a match along with his flashing blade, and once scored 203 not out.
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Peter Burge (7084 runs at 56.22)
Another Churchie old boy, Burge grew up in Brisbane’s inner east, attending Buranda State School, and spent the rest of his life in the Greenslopes area.
He was a powerful right handed, portly and powerful who could take Test or Shield attacks down. Until the arrival of Matthew Hayden, Burge was regarded as Queensland’s greatest born batsman. He scored an even century during his farewell match at the Gabba in 1968.
Ken Mackay (6341 runs at 45.29 and 122 wickets at 37.36)
The great compliment you can pay 100 game Shield veteran Ken Mackay was to recall the quote from former Australian captain Richie Benaud who once said he could never go into a Test match without Mackay in his side. A left handed batsman and right arm medium pace support bowler, Mackay opened for Queensland, but batted middle order for his country. He is famous for a last session stand with Test No. 11 Lindsay Kline (1960-61) when he took the final ball from West Indian fast bowler Wes Hall on the ribs. Not wanting his bat or gloves anywhere near Hall’s thunderbolt, he shouldered arms and wore the blow – leaving a bruise the size of a basketball on his body. It is little wonder Benaud thought so highly of him.
Tom Veivers (2726 runs at 37.86 and 86 wickets at 37.97)
From the famous Veivers farming family which worked the land between southern Logan and Beechmont, Veivers was a stalwart, playing 49 matches over 10 seasons.
A left handed middle order batsman, his off spinners were more than handy. Indeed he once bowled a world record most consecutive overs (55, six ball overs) on his way to an overall yield of 95.1-36-155-3 against England at Old Trafford. He played 21 Tests.
Ron Oxenham (167 wickets at 22.11 and 2314 runs at 30.85)
St Joseph Gregory Terrace’s greatest cricket old boy, Oxenham was a world class all-rounder who played pre-World War II. For Queensland he was a foundation player, playing in the state’s first ever Shield season in 1926-27. Oxenham, who bowled medium pace, was one of the first players chosen in this side. A true great.
Don Tallon (145 catches, 61 stumpings; 3594 runs at 30.71)
According to Sir Donald Bradman, Tallon was the greatest wicket keeper he played with or saw. A Bundaberg boy, Tallon had golden gloves behind the stumps, a light-footed athlete with the reflexes of a cat. He was Australia’s No. 1 keeper between 1946 and 1953, and for Queensland he was also a valuable late order batsman. But as a keeper, according to Bradman, Tallon was best.
Ron Archer (85 wickets at 24.48; 1497 runs at 31.18)
Archer’s career was cut short by a knee injury aged just 23, nipped in the bud when 150 Test wickets would have been at his fingertips. A Churchie old boy, Archer was an astounding all-rounder Queensland who was a bowler first, but also a stunning batsman who averaged 31.93 with the bat. In his 19 Tests Archer took 48 wickets, but also hit a Test hundred. He is one of the greats.
Ray Lindwall (93 wickets at 29.83, 895 runs at 29.83)
Although Lindwall played largely for NSW and rugby league for the St George club, Lindwall did finish his career in Queensland where his 32 matches yielded almost 100 wickets. He was a powerful paceman with unerring control who could also wheel the willow – he averaged almost 30 for Queensland.
Colin McCool (118 wickets at 34.55; 1533 runs at 27.37)
Primarily a leg spinner, McCool was also an outstanding lower order batsman whose deeds for Queensland included an unbeaten century. Short in stature, he’d give his googly a rip and his overall First class record best sums up how effective he was – 602 wickets at 27.47.
Peter Allan (206 wickets at 26.10)
Swing bowler Allan is etched in history for his remarkable innings haul of 10-61 against Victoria at the MCG. A one Test wonder, Allan took a career 206 wickets at 26.10
13th man Cecil Thompson (2458 runs at 49.16)
Thompson was Queensland’s first batting great, a pre-World War II foundation player whose 30 matches included six 100s. His record is even more stunning given the batting equipment and standard of pitches he would have encountered.
Special mentions
Wally Grout (213 catches, 63 stumpings; 3049 runs at 23.63)
It was with a heavy heart we omitted Grout from our best pre-1975 side. Grout, a Queensland great who played 51 Tests between 1957 and 1965, was outstanding standing back to the pace, or up to the spinners. Indeed 24 of his 187 Test dismissals were stumped. Grout was a gallant lower order batsman across 84 matches for Queensland. He tragically died young, aged just 41, but his legend lives on. And he was a legend.
Len Johnson (171 wickets at 24.39)
In another era, paceman Johnson would have been one of the first picked in Test teams. From the fertile soils of the Darling Downs near Warwick, Johnson was an absolute marvel for Queensland, taking wickets at a compelling 23.17, including a best of 7-43. He played one Test. He could easily have been in our best ever side.
Leo O’Connor (1772 runs at 44.30)
O’Connor was a foundation member of the Queensland Sheffield Shield side who between 1926-1930 played 22 games, averaging an imposing 44. His career included once scoring 103 and 143 not out in the same match against NSW to help his side to a brilliant victory.
Jim Bratchford (118 wickets at 29.55; 1628 runs at 22.36)
JD Bratchford was one of Queensland’s all rounders, playing between 1952-60, taking 118 wickets at 29.55, while also scoring 1628 runs at 22.92, including two centuries.
Tony Dell (114 wickets at 28.43)
The towering left arm fast bowler from Churchie was a wonderful strike weapon for Queensland who deservedly broke into Test cricket (twice capped against England). An outstanding bowler of his era, he could cause havoc with his angle and bounce.
Ross Duncan (175 wickets at 30.01)
The Brisbane Grammar School old boy was so close to selection in our top side, it was not funny. He claimed 175 wickets at 30.01, and was good enough to play a Test match.
Ken Archer (2448 at 28.13)
Ron Archer’s brother, opening batsman Ken was a staunch opener who achieved a boyhood dream of playing alongside his childhood idol, Bill Brown (mentioned earlier) representing Queensland. He played five Tests. He and Des Bull (62 matches, 3006), were gallant openers.
Jack McLaughlan (2857 runs at 34.01)
The recently deceased McLaughlan was an icon of Queensland cricket who, between 1949-1963, scored 2857 runs at 34.01 in 56 matches. Beyond that he was well known for his ABC television cricket reports. He was a doyen of Queensland cricket.
John “Sandy” Morgan: (1320 runs at 23.57; 107 wickets at 28.36)
Sandy Morgan was a prodigious talent who took 107 wickets at 28.36 across 35 games for Queensland in the 1960s. An all-rounder, Morgan was unlucky to play in the same era as the great Test No. 6 Doug Walters and the talented all-rounder Graham Watson.
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