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Queensland Premier Cricket: A to Z guide of who’s who in the zoo this season in first grade men and women competitions

Here’s our A to Z guide featuring more than 100 club cricket stars from the men’s and women’s first grade competitions. See who is firing with bat and ball inside.

The Queensland Premier Cricket season is in full swing. Picture, John Gass
The Queensland Premier Cricket season is in full swing. Picture, John Gass

The Wests women’s cricket powerhouse was in full effect last Sunday when the Katherine Raymont T20 Shield was snared by the Westside club from Valley.

Wests (0-96) beat Valley convincingly after restricting the hosts to 93 runs and further cementing the club’s status as the premier team in the women’s competition.

Jubilation for the Katherine Raymont T20 Shield winners, Wests.
Jubilation for the Katherine Raymont T20 Shield winners, Wests.

Wests currently lead the first grade ladder on 30 points. Behind them is Wynnum Manly (21pts), Sunshine Coast and UQ (19pts), Valley (17pts), Gold Coast (14pts) and Sandgate-Redcliffe (12pts).

Ipswich walk onto the field for a game. Picture, John Gass
Ipswich walk onto the field for a game. Picture, John Gass

In the first grade men’s competition, Valley are the two day leaders on 55.12pts, in front of the Gold Coast, Norths, Redlands, Wynnum-Manly and sixth placed Wests.

So who’s firing for their respective teams?

Here’s our A-to-Z guide highlighting the standouts from Queensland Premier Cricket’s first grade men and women competitions.

Teenage Wynnum batsman Harley Malpass is finding his feet in first grade. Picture, John Gass
Teenage Wynnum batsman Harley Malpass is finding his feet in first grade. Picture, John Gass

A-Z GUIDE OF CLUB CRICKET’S FINEST PERFORMERS SO FAR

A:A is for amazing Gold Coast debutant Amelia Kemp, who earlier this season scored 86 (83 balls) in her debut against Sandgate-Redcliffe. Kemp is on fire in T20 games as well, having taken seven wickets in four games at an average of just 8.86. She is also scoring runs efficiently at a strike rate of 111.63.

A is also for Wests club legend Ashleigh Sims, who is bowling well in both formats. Who’s surprised?

Angus Lovell has also been an A+ performer, having scored one century out of two attempts playing in the Two Day competition.

UQ batsman Angus Lovell. Picture, John Gass
UQ batsman Angus Lovell. Picture, John Gass

A is for entertaining 15-year-old Ayaka Stafford, a rising talent from the Land of the Rising Sun in Japan.

Stafford, a mighty mite from Wests, bowled the house down to start the season. She took nine wickets at just 8.22.

Pretty good, right?

B:B is for the brilliant Boycey, Yoku Road’s spin king. Cameron Boyce has taken 15 wickets in three games and his average of 12.73 is just fabulous for a leg spinner.

He can do no wrong, after all these years.

Valley bowler Cameron Boyce. Picture, John Gass
Valley bowler Cameron Boyce. Picture, John Gass

B is for another spinner, right arm orthodox bowler Brad Munro, whose deeds on the Gold Coast have been game.

His 6-47 performance against Wynnum was a stunning highlight across seven games that have produced 15 wickets at 18.73.

GC bowler Brad Munro. Picture, John Gass
GC bowler Brad Munro. Picture, John Gass

B also stands for Balkin, Jack Balkin, the young spinner from Toombul who is bowling very well so far this season.

This follows his top performance as last year’s under-19 national championships.

C:C is for none other than Chad Soper. Soper has been superb for the Scorchers, and that might be selling him short.

A leading paceman for years now, Soper has had the ball hooping and taken 16 wickets at 16.25 for his troubles.

Papua New Guinean representative Chad Soper. Picture: Stephen Archer.
Papua New Guinean representative Chad Soper. Picture: Stephen Archer.

In an underdog Sunshine Coast team, Soper’s ability to take wickets has been phenomenal. He has taken two fifers and is the only bloke with a 10-wicket haul (across two innings) to his name so far.

C is also for Sandgate duo Josh Creevey and Christopher Abbey. Both have been fabulous taking 12 wickets each for the Gators and operating at a high standard.

Right armer Josh Creevey. Picture, John Gass
Right armer Josh Creevey. Picture, John Gass

C is also for Charlotte Atkinson, a regular wicket taker for UQ who has been doing a wonderful job for the bowling attack. She has been successful in both formats this season (13 wickets all up).

C has to be for Charlie Lachmund, the exciting right arm fast bowler from Toowoomba whose progression in 2025 has been profound.

Charlie Lachmund bowls for Ipswich. Picture, John Gass
Charlie Lachmund bowls for Ipswich. Picture, John Gass

D: D is for committed Valley keeper Dylan McLachlan.

McLachlan has been thrown curve balls in his career and every experience has shaped him into the wicketkeeper batting weapon he is.

McLachlan has plundered 169 runs at 56.33 and the best is yet to come.

Dylan McLachlan. Picture, John Gass
Dylan McLachlan. Picture, John Gass

E: E is for mighty UQ opener Emma Jackson, the scorer of two fifties and the leading run scorer in the T20 Shield with 171 at 28.5.

Queensland products Lilli Hamilton, Emma Jackson and Georgia Voll are mighty talents.
Queensland products Lilli Hamilton, Emma Jackson and Georgia Voll are mighty talents.

E is for Ipswich spinner Noah Emmerson, a big improver whose economy of 3.75 across all formats is right up there for a spinner.

Daniel Fielding. Picture: Stephen Archer.
Daniel Fielding. Picture: Stephen Archer.

F: F is the for Fielding brothers, Dan and Matt, who deliver on and off the field at the Sandgate club.

Opening batters and bubbly brothers with a lasting loyalty to the Gators, Dan and Matt are averaging 38.29 and 30.8 respectively across all formats.

Matthew Fielding. Picture: Stephen Archer.
Matthew Fielding. Picture: Stephen Archer.

G: G is for Sam Geyer, the West allrounder enjoying a gangbusting season.

Geyer has two fifties and a ton to his name in three knocks playing Two Day cricket. In the One Dayers, he was first class as well.

Geyer has blasted 36 fours and two sixes, the most by any batsmen in the long format.

Wests batsman Sam Geyer. Picture, John Gass
Wests batsman Sam Geyer. Picture, John Gass

H: H is for Wests young gun Lucinda Hillier. Across six overs in the short format, Hillier has taken four wickets and leaked just 20 runs.

H is also for established ace Harmon Sandhu, whose 10 wickets for Wynnum have come at an average of 17.2 and with an excellent economy rate of less than three.

Wynnum-Manly bowler Harmon Sandhu. Picture, John Gass
Wynnum-Manly bowler Harmon Sandhu. Picture, John Gass

H stands for Harry, Wests gun Harry McNeilly. All in all this season, McNeilly has one century and four fifties in nine innings across all formats. He has been on fire (531 runs at 59).

Wests batsman Harry McNeilly is vastly underrated. Picture, John Gass
Wests batsman Harry McNeilly is vastly underrated. Picture, John Gass

H is for top-flight prospect Hugh Weibgen who will be giving his best for Valley when he can, outside of representative commitments.

Valley batsman Hugh Weibgen. Picture, John Gass
Valley batsman Hugh Weibgen. Picture, John Gass

I: I is for Wests top order batter and expert gloveman Isaiah Snell. Snell is a class act who hasn’t found his best form with the blade just yet but can’t be too far off.

The good players don’t stay away from the runs for long.

Wests batsman Isaiah Snell. Picture, John Gass
Wests batsman Isaiah Snell. Picture, John Gass

J: J is for Megan Jones, the Ms Reliable of club cricket. She is going swimmingly, again in yet another season, for Valley where she has chipped in 114 runs across four T20 innings.

J is for another reliable customer, Norths opener Aryan Jain, who has scored 173 at 57.67 and is scoring 70 runs per 100 balls faced.

Souths batsman Aryan Jain. Picture, John Gass
Souths batsman Aryan Jain. Picture, John Gass

J is for standout One Day bowler Jaimie-Lee Strang, a Toowoomba product starring for the Gold Coast.

She could not be stopped with ball in hand earlier this season when taking 12 wickets at 12.92. Strang also went for just 3.3 runs an over and is the only female who can say they’ve taken six wickets in a game so far this summer.

Jaimie-Lee Strang.
Jaimie-Lee Strang.

The likes of Sam Geyer (Wests), Chad Soper (Sunshine Coast), Brad Munro (Gold Coast), Talon Reichert (Sandgate-Redcliffe) have all enjoyed six-wicket hauls in first grade.

K: K is for Amreen Kahlon, of course, who has taken a leap in 2025 to be a leading spinner in the competition.

The Wynnum-Manly rep cricketer, whose leg spins baffle the best of batters, took 11 wickets at 11.91 during the One Day season and her strike rate of 21 emphasises how often she makes a breakthrough.

Amreen Kahlon, 19, has been playing first grade for a long time. She is pictured here during the 2019 season playing for Valley.
Amreen Kahlon, 19, has been playing first grade for a long time. She is pictured here during the 2019 season playing for Valley.

L:L is for top notch UQ No. 3 bat Laura Marshall. Marshall has been firing this season, especially in the short format, where she has scored 129 runs at 25.8 to give her side a boost early in matches.

L is also for Redlands bat Liam Smith, the scorer of one century and 184 runs at 92.

L has to be for Redlands rookie Lachlan McClure, whose form this season has been incredible.

A breakout youngster at the club, McClure has taken eight wickets at an average of eight. Yes you read that correctly.

The right arm fast is going for just 1.59 runs an over. Wow.

Redlands bowler Lachlan McClure. Picture, John Gass
Redlands bowler Lachlan McClure. Picture, John Gass

L is also for Marist Ashgrove old boy Louis Morris, an emerging off spinner at Norths who is fitting in seamlessly at this level.

M:M is for UQ magician Khushi Mistry. Mistry has been on a tear this T20 season having taken nine wickets, with six of them coming in one game. Her average of 11.56 is outstanding and she is taking a wicket every two overs.

M stands for Meredith, Payton Meredith, and her magical spin bowling that held up well at the National Championships earlier this year.

The Queensland Under-16s ace, from the Glasshouse club, took eight wickets during the One Day season and five more in the T20 season to cement herself as a key cog in the Sunshine Coast wheel.

M is for Mahli Rea, the young gun allrounder from Gladstone who is also helping get the job done up on the Sunshine Coast.

She is a lethal, hard-to-work-out bowler who has nine wickets at 15.67 so far this season.

Central Queensland cricketer Mahli Rea pictured at Cricket Australia under-16 girls championships.
Central Queensland cricketer Mahli Rea pictured at Cricket Australia under-16 girls championships.

M is for Blake Maher, a sensational allrounder who has taken nine wickets in three Two Day games for the Scorchers.

Blake Maher. Picture: Stephen Archer.
Blake Maher. Picture: Stephen Archer.

N: N is for laser-focused Valley batter Josh Neill, a fixture in first grade this decade.

The Ash old boy has scored one century and two fifties in six matches across all formats.

A bloke who works hard for his runs, Neill has scored 284 at 56.8 and his reliability, experience and leadership is underrated in a Valley team ushering in top teenage prospects.

Josh Neill bats for Valley. Picture, John Gass
Josh Neill bats for Valley. Picture, John Gass

O:O represents the class that will soon ooze from the notorious Tess Cooper from Sandgate. Cooper was on fire during the One Day season, was found out a little during the T20’s but no doubt will bounce back to be the formidable force she is when the One Day season rolls back around this weekend.

Tess Cooper (pictured batting during the 2019 season) is a veteran of first grade.
Tess Cooper (pictured batting during the 2019 season) is a veteran of first grade.

P: P is for the pacy Oliver Patterson. A Brisbane Heat signing from Sydney, the 19-year-old left-armer was the leading wicket-taker in the T20 Max, claiming 15 wickets at an average of just 9.73.

He has been on the mark in Two Day cricket, having taken 10 wickets at 13.3.

Oliver Patterson, a New South Wales Metro selection last year at the Under-19 National Championships. Picture: Cricket Australia
Oliver Patterson, a New South Wales Metro selection last year at the Under-19 National Championships. Picture: Cricket Australia

P is also for Phillips, Ella Phillips, a Pommy down under at Valley.

Phillips was a high achiever for the Sonning club, near Reading, where she is the reigning One Day Cup player of the year. Phillips has brought that form to Ashgrove where she has taken six wickets at 11 in the short format.

P represents the pivotal performances of Lucky Peterson, Souths’ batting legend and mentor of young men who has amassed 336 runs at 42 across eight innings this season.

Souths batsman Lucky Peterson. Picture, John Gass
Souths batsman Lucky Peterson. Picture, John Gass

Q: Q is for the quirky Wests quick Lily Bassingthwaighte, a breakout star who this time last year was completing her high school external exams.

The highly-touted right arm fast, aged 18, showed flashes of brilliance with the Heat and the Fire this season.

With her local club Wests, the blistering Bassingthwaighte has brought the heat at a top economy rate of 3.93.

Young WBBL Brisbane Heat cricketers (L-R): Mikayla Wrigley 21, Sianna Ginger 20, Lucy Bourke 20, Bonnie Berry 19, Lucy Hamilton 19 and Lily Bassingthwaighte 18. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen.
Young WBBL Brisbane Heat cricketers (L-R): Mikayla Wrigley 21, Sianna Ginger 20, Lucy Bourke 20, Bonnie Berry 19, Lucy Hamilton 19 and Lily Bassingthwaighte 18. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen.

R: R is for rising star Ruby Strange (Wests). The way she went about scoring 138 runs at 34.5 during the fifty-over season was entertaining stuff. She struck the ball cleanly and efficiently and showed her class as a budding WBBL and Queensland Fire allrounder.

Ruby Strange of the Scorchers bowls during the recent WBBL season.
Ruby Strange of the Scorchers bowls during the recent WBBL season.

R is for Rowan, and Sean, Lutter of Ipswich. The pace bowlers have done plenty of heavy lifting across all three formats this season and demand plenty of praise for their toil.

They have taken a combined 32 wickets.

Rowan Lutter bowls for Ipswich. Picture, John Gass
Rowan Lutter bowls for Ipswich. Picture, John Gass

S:S is for Wests stalwart Steven McGiffin, the scorer of 266 runs at 88.67 in three innings.

He doesn’t miss a beat this bloke.

Wests bowler Steve McGiffin. Picture: Patrick Woods.
Wests bowler Steve McGiffin. Picture: Patrick Woods.

S is also for Sam Heazlett (226 runs at 113). Redlands are lucky to have him.

S is for Steve Hogan, the spectacular St Patrick’s graduate who has scored 170 at 85 in three games. He is a mighty fine prospect from the Sandgate-Redclife club.

Gators junior Steve Hogan.
Gators junior Steve Hogan.

S is also for Gold Coast quick Sam Chapman, a breakout player who has 10 wickets and an impressive economy rate of 2.74 to brag about.

S is for Samantha Smithers of the Gold Coast. She was the find of the One Day season when she scored one half century, put away 21 boundaries and averaged 43.75.

S stands for Harry Sheppard, Ipswich’s batting maestro who has put a very high value on his wicket. In nine innings, he has been not out four times, scored two fifties and a ton, and has hit the ball at a strike rate of 85 (across all formats).

Ipswich’s Harry Sheppard.
Ipswich’s Harry Sheppard.

S is for Will Sanders, the UQ quick who is coming into his own and taking wickets like never before. Well, maybe back in the under-12s he took more but at this level his 17 wickets in seven games is superb.

UQ bowler Will Sanders. Picture, John Gass
UQ bowler Will Sanders. Picture, John Gass

S is also for Norths gun Sam Skelly, a wicket-taking tearaway whose economy rate of 3.4 across all formats is grand.

Norths quick Sam Skelly.
Norths quick Sam Skelly.

S stands for Scott Palombo, a tried-and-tested campaigner from Norths whose value goes past his average of 77 (across all formats) in seven matches this season.

T: T is for Taylor, Callum Taylor. The man with the Midas touch.

The 27-year-old Welshmen has scored two fifties and a ton in three innings so far this Two Day season.

Batting at No. 5, Taylor is taking his time and has scored 274 runs with a cautious approach. He has lashed out for 19 fours and four sixes for the Dolphins and earlier this month reached 163.

T is for terrific UQ opener Taylor Stumer who has been consistent all season long.

Stumer fired toward scoring 240 runs at 48 during the One Day season and in the T20 season she has added 117 runs.

Taylor Stumer, pictured during the 2022 season.
Taylor Stumer, pictured during the 2022 season.

U: U is for underrated Ipswich second grade batter Lachlan Biggs and impressive Wests bowler Jacob Cibulka.

In six innings this season Biggs, a BBC old boy, has scored 367 runs at 91.75 and with a strike rate of 90.17.

Lefty Lachlan Biggs bats during the 2021 GPS First XI season. Picture: Tertius Pickard
Lefty Lachlan Biggs bats during the 2021 GPS First XI season. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Cibulka has also been aiming up in second grade where he has taken 17 wickets, two fifers, and has kept it tight with an economy rate of 2.58 — the best among the top 45 wicket takers.

V: V is for timeless UQ batter Anlo van Deventer, an in-form ace this year whose deeds at No. 4 have been nothing short of magnificent. Deventer scored 48 (40 balls) last Friday in a gallant effort against Wests and has 169 runs at 56.33 across five outstanding innings in the short format.

Anlo van Deventer in the middle.
Anlo van Deventer in the middle.

W: W is for Sam Wilson from Toombul. He has scored a century, exploded for 17 fours and four sixes and has an average of 83 across three Two Day games.

Batter Sam Wilson. Picture: Stephen Archer.
Batter Sam Wilson. Picture: Stephen Archer.

W is for Wrigley, Mikayla Wrigley, whose deeds at the Sunshine Coast have been gold for too long to remember.

She scored two centuries and a half century in three innings earlier this season playing fifty-over cricket and belted a miraculous 58 boundaries.

Mikayla Wrigley of the Heat.
Mikayla Wrigley of the Heat.

W is for another first grade gun, Tara Wheeler, who continues to deliver for UQ. In the One Day season, she scored 171 runs at 34.2.

Former Dolphins allrounder Tara Wheeler (pictured during the 2020 season).
Former Dolphins allrounder Tara Wheeler (pictured during the 2020 season).

Who could forget Dallarnil State School product Catherine White, a mighty, young right armer who continues to go from strength to strength in this competition. White took eight wickets at 14.75 during the One Day season for her beloved Scorchers.

Ipswich batsman Jack Wood. Picture, John Gass
Ipswich batsman Jack Wood. Picture, John Gass

W also stands for the Wood boys, Harry and Jack, who know how to deliver for Ipswich at this level. Speaking of delivering, Preston White does that often for the Bulls with his revered bowling and batting exploits.

Toombul bowler Preston White. Picture, John Gass
Toombul bowler Preston White. Picture, John Gass

X: X is for the Westside boys, Max Bryant, Alex Procopis and Rex Tooley, all dangermen in this competition.

Max Bryant bats for Valley. Picture, John Gass
Max Bryant bats for Valley. Picture, John Gass

Established star Max has scored runs quickly for Valley across all formats and is averaging 42.67 while Norths rising star Procopis is averaging 51.5, taking a slightly more conservative approach.

Mr Reliable Rex Tooley has yet to fire to a big score but is averaging a neat 29.5 across all formats. Just wait until the sun comes out and Tooley gets clean air in the middle order.

West batsman Rex Tooley. Picture, John Gass
West batsman Rex Tooley. Picture, John Gass

Y: Y stands for young gun, specifically Spencer Green who has been a sight to see in both grade and age-group cricket this summer.

Green was an instant inclusion in this masthead’s Taverners team of the season after leading the competition with 23 wickets.

Spencer Green. Picture Lachie Millard
Spencer Green. Picture Lachie Millard

In first grade, he has taken 11 wickets and the Nudgee College Year 11 is currently the 19th leading wicket taker (taking into account all formats).

Not bad for someone so young, bowling leg spin against Queensland’s best.

Z: Z is for Zac Perren of Norths, the son of Bulls great Clinton Perren, who is enjoying a season down under this summer. He has come over from England.

Z is also for Zanden Jeh of Souths. The soon-to-be teacher and top allrounder has snared nine wickets with his spin and is averaging 28.43 across all formats.

Souths batsman Zanden Jeh. Picture, John Gass
Souths batsman Zanden Jeh. Picture, John Gass

FIRST GRADE WOMEN’S OVERALL LADDER

Wests (6 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie — 30 pts)

Wynnum-Manly (4 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie — 21 pts)

Sunshine Coast (3 wins, 4 losses — 19 pts)

UQ (6 wins, 4 losses — 19 pts)

Valley (4 wins, 3 losses — 17 pts)

Gold Coast (3 wins, 6 losses — 14 pts)

Sandgate (1 win, 6 losses — 12 pts)

FIRST GRADE MEN’S OVERALL LADDER

Valley (4 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie — 61.12 pts)

Norths (5 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie — 60.43 pts)

Redlands (5 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie — 57.14 pts)

Gold Coast (3 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie — 50.16 pts)

Wests (5 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie — 48.89 pts)

Wynnum-Manly (3 wins, 4 losses — 45.69 pts)

Ipswich (4 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie — 36.01 pts)

Sandgate (2 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie — 33.99 pts)

Toombul (2 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie — 27.25 pts)

UQ (2 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie — 25.96 pts)

Sunshine Coast (0 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie — 22.89 pts)

Souths (1 win, 6 losses — 16.68 pts)

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP TALLY

Wynnum-Manly (802 pts)

Norths (658 pts)

Valley (626 pts)

Redlands (596 pts)

Wests (573 pts)

Gold Coast (550 pts)

Souths (533 pts)

UQ (494 pts)

Sandgate (395 pts)

Toombul (365 pts)

Ipswich (320 pts)

Sunshine Coast (205 pts)

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sport/queensland-premier-cricket-a-to-z-guide-of-whos-who-in-the-zoo-this-season-in-first-grade-men-and-women/news-story/e6945ec43f292fa6abf41e6682e9615b