Queensland Bulls top 50 players of the last 45 years. Today are numbers 21-35
Queensland cricketers have been powerhouse contributors to Test and domestic cricket for decades. Today Andrew Dawson presents players No. 21-35 in his list of our greatest 50 since 1975.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Queensland cricketers have been powerhouse contributors to Test and domestic cricket for decades. Today Andrew Dawson presents players No. 21-35 in his list of our greatest 50 since 1975-76.
Old favourite Sam Trimble, who scored a remarkable 10282 first class runs, and left arm pace bowler Tony Dell (137 wickets at 26) just miss the cut-off. Trimble will go down as one of Queensland’s cricketing treasures who got as far as 12th man in a Test, but who was good enough to play for Australia.
And it is imperative Queensland cricket lovers never forget the deeds of greats like Mackay, Tallon, Grout, Burge, Allen. Oxenham or the Archers who played pre-1975
But for now we set sail on the best since ‘75.
RELATED LINKS
Bulls’ best player since 1975: No. 36-50.
Family affair at the Dooley household
Jack Clayton reflects on brotherly rivalry
Jeh siblings blessed with beginners luck
No. 35
JOE DAWES (Sandgate Redcliffe/Valley)
Lion-hearted Dawes was a student of fast bowling who learnt from the best – McDermott, Rackemann and co – and was good enough to put into practice what those grand warriors had passed onto him. In what was Queensland’s finest era of fast bowling, Dawes wriggled his way into a position to claim 285 first class wickets at just 25.38, an extraordinary return for a paceman who topped the class on attitude, but initially not ability. One of his finest moments came on day four of a Shield clash at the Adelaide Oval when he channelled the knowledge passed down to him from McDermott and Michael Kasprowicz to claim a match winning five wickets late in the third session on a slow, low pitch.
No. 34
RAY PHILLIPS
A South Sydney rugby league tragic and former XXXX salesman, the bespectacled Phillips adopted Queensland with gusto and was the cornerstone of the Bulls bold, but unsuccessful attempts for Shield glory in the 1980s. It was an era full of tough characters likes Border, Wessels, Rackemann and Thomson who could smell a weakness in character a mile away. But through 77 first class games for Queensland (batting average 30) Phillips earned their respect and his ultimate reward as a member of the 1985 Ashes touring party.
No. 33
JOE BURNS (Norths)
A modern day batting prime mover for Queensland with a beautiful cover drive in his kit bag. The Bulls are fortunate to have this Nudgee College product who is probably unlucky not to have played more than 21 Tests (average 38.30). A versatile campaigner who can speed up a match or slow it down, Burns can bat at No. 1 or No. 6 and his career still has some way to travel.
No. 32
TREVOR BARSBY (Sandgate Redcliffe)
A brilliant teenage hockey player, Barsby turned his razor sharp eye and cat-like reflexes into a glittering cricket career with Queensland. Originally lacking in self belief and confidence around some of his peers in the late 80s, Barsby started to flourish under Jeff Thomson but was at his peak under the coaching of John Buchanan. He was an attack first, defending second opener who, as he matured, could knuckle down and play a long innings as he did in scoring big centuries for Queensland in the 1994-95 and 1996-97 Sheffield Shield final wins. He had a fairytale finale in the 96-97 Shield final where, physically ill before play and dehydrated while batting during play, he amassed the century for the ages to set up the Bulls win. Then later in the game claimed the greatest short leg catch this author has witnessed. In all he scored 6913 first class runs at 35.81.
No. 31
MARTIN KENT (Sandgate Redcliffe)
Did we ever see the best of Martin Kent? No, but few would argue with his lofty ranking in this list of high achievers. The scorer of 140 on debut for Queensland, Kent endured the toughest initiations of any young batsmen when he joined Kerry Packer’s rebel World Series Cricket. A young man on an adventure of the lifetime, Kent confronted bowling attacks from the West Indies and World XI which will go down in history as the strongest ever. Having survived two seasons of WSC without getting his jaw broken – which was an accomplishment in that era – Kent’s career was about to flourish. The rookie batsman on the 1981 Ashes tour, Kent stylishly struck two 50s and a 40 in three of his six Test innings, earning applause from English fans who knew a class player when they saw one. Then, upon his return to the home summer, Kent hit 110 for Queensland against the touring Pakistan side but in doing so aggravated a back injury. He was named for the opening home Test of the summer, but never played because of that back injury and shortly after was prematurely lost to the sport. But the man nicknamed Super remains one of our finest talents.
No. 30
ROB KERR (Norths)
Elegant, classy, Kerr was a gun opener whose Test career was unlucky to coincide with Australia playing the legendary Kiwi paceman Richard Hadlee. He played two Tests, but in all honesty he was good enough to play 42. He also only played four one day internationals, but in one of those innings the nation saw his class on the way to 87 not out. Kerr was an outstanding player and Queensland were lucky to have him going in first.
No. 29
DAVID OGILVIE (University)
GPS schoolboy sporting doyen Ron Cochrane rates Ogilvie among the best, if not the best athlete to leave the front gates of Brisbane Grammar School. With a flaming red beard, Ogilvie hit heights only Bill Ponsford and Sir Donald Bradman had reached before him when he blasted six centuries in the 1977-78 Sheffield Shield season. That rich form led to his selection at Test level. Ogilvie was also a sensational gully fieldsman whose fifth day catch of Gundappa Viswanath during the first Test against India at the Gabba in 1977 proved decisive in Australia claiming a narrow victory.
No. 28
CHRIS LYNN (Toombul)
Before Lynn’s spectacular deeds with his big, heavy bat in the T20 competition, let us not forget he was an outstanding first class cricketer who never reached his potential because of injury and then a decision to concentrate on the T20 circuit. But he was a good one and a person earmarked for higher honours.
No. 27
DIRK TAZELAAR (Wests)
Iron-willed Dirk Tazelaar is an old favourite of Queensland cricket supporters and the community. Originally an Ipswich rugby league representative centre, Tazelaar swung his sporting career around to become a wonderful left arm swing and seam bowler. Tazelaar often played through the discomfort of injury in the honour of representing his beloved state. Fittingly a member of Queensland’s first Sheffield Shield winning side in 1994-95, Tazelaar was an unlucky omission from several Australian touring parties.
No. 26.
TREVOR HOHNS (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
A stalwart of Queensland cricket whose career spanned an extraordinary 19 years, Hohns evolved from a batting specialist in the early days into a specialist leg-spinner. A hard nosed campaigner which was to become further evident during his no-nonsense days as Australian chairman of selectors, Hohns’ leg-spin bowling developed late to such an extent that he scrambled to seven Test matches as a specialist spinner during the 1989 season. He iced his international career starring for Australia in the 1989 Ashes tour.
No. 25.
GREG RITCHIE (Wynnum Manly)
Ritchie had more ability in his pinky finger than most had using their entire hand. A stylish and elegant right hand batsman, Ritchie had what all the special players had – time. Sometimes batting seemed to come too easy for him, so gifted was he. He averaged 35.20 runs across 30 Tests, but many think he was probably better than that and his first class record of 10170 runs at 44.21 more accurately highlights the quality of player he was.
No. 24
JAMES HOPES (Norths)
Words do little to describe Hopes’ contribution to Queensland cricket. An all-rounder, he was the backbone of Queensland’s batting and bowling who got better and better the longer his career unfolded. Good enough to open the batting for the Australian limited overs team, he was a clever medium pace bowler who possessed an ability to swing the ball and deliver variations in pace. He was a genuine No. 6 (average 30), yet a class first change bowler (average 26) and simply put, he is one of our finest ever players.
No. 23
PETER ANDERSON (Easts)
Peter Anderson played less than 50 matches for Queensland, but remains one of the finest gloveman to don a maroon cap. Former Easts and Test paceman Tony Dell is adamant Anderson is the best. A wicketkeeping artist, Anderson’s career was curtailed by the arrival of Ian Healy. Anderson initially handed Healy his chance after he broke a finger while standing up to the stumps against Queensland import Ian Botham during a Shield clash in Perth. Healy was talented enough to task his chance, and with Greg Chappell (Australian selector at the time) showing great judgment in backing Healy, Anderson’s pathway into state and national teams was blocked.
No. 22
CHRIS HARTLEY (University)
Has there ever been a better Queensland sportsman from any sport more unlucky at a national selection table than Hartley? Not in my time. It is a crying shame Hartley did not, at the very least, even gain an Australian touring party berth. More frustratingly was that Hartley was ignored at Test level during an era when Matthew Wade was remarkably considered the No.1 gloveman in the country. The Brisbane Boys College old boy was also a wonderful left handed batsman (average around 34) who saved Queensland’s bacon on too many times to remember.
No. 21
JOHN MACLEAN (Souths)
Meet one of the few men to say no to Kerry Packer - all in the hope of earning a cherished Test cap. In 1977, when the final Australian World Series Cricket squad was being assembled, Maclean turned down an offer to join Queensland teammates Greg Chappell, Jeff Thomson and Martin Kent in the rebel competition for one reason – a desire to play Test cricket. Maclean, having been stuck behind Rod Marsh for a majority of his career, initially missed Test selection in the summer of 1977-78, but not for the English tour of Australia in 1978-79 where he was even named vice-captain. Maclean is a man with hands so hard from taking Jeff Thomson thunderbolts, he’d be a bloke you’d want at a backyard BBQ if no stubby opener could be found. He was a wonderful stalwart of Queensland cricket and a fine No. 7 bat who scored almost 4000 runs.