Taverners Queensland: Under-17 standouts uncovered from Rd 1 bouts
Taverners Qld Rd 1: Who were the standout Under-17 performers from the opening round? The list is headed by a Sunshine Coast weapon, a Toombul terror and a Gold Coast top gun. FULL LIST
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The Taverners Queensland Boys Under-17s returned with a bang on Sunday when last year’s battlers Toombul and Redlands got off to winning starts.
University, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast also joined them in the winners column after an exciting opening round of a representative cricket competition that pumps out future Test stars.
Following the weekend’s action, the top performers from each team have been unveiled.
See below some of the best and follow along for more www.couriermail.com.au coverage as the club cricket season rolls on over the summer.
University of Queensland 3-179 def South Brisbane 9-178
Lenny Henry (South Brisbane)
Henry had a real crack in his first Taverners game of the season.
Coming in at No. 6, Lenny took things up a notch and really went after it.
He scored 29 from 39 balls, an aggressive knock in the context of Souths’ innings, and then held his ground at the bowling crease where he leaked just 12 runs in his four over spell.
Theo Bacalakis (University)
While he couldn’t get going with the bat, Bacalakis was still central to University’s hot start, his prowess with the ball in hand sparking Souths’ batting collapse.
The Gregory Terrace all-rounder snared four wickets, three of them coming late in the piece as a nice reward for the perilous work of his bowling buddies Blake Armstrong, Harry Langdon and Ashton Clark.
Angus Storen and Blake Armstrong (University)
Another summer, another Storen leaving his mark on pitches across South East Queensland.
On Sunday Storen scored 37 runs opening the batting and by the time he left the crease, he and his partner Armstrong had already put a down payment on victory.
The outstanding Armstrong also contributed 35 runs after bowling 10 overs, which featured three maidens, the innings prior.
Alex Walduck and Christian Alexander (University)
Watch out for these University boys again this season after last summer claiming the premiership.
Key players in 2023, Walduck and Alexander were to the fore again in Sunday’s opener with a match defining 82 run partnership.
Rivals earlier in the year playing GPS cricket, Walduck (Churchie) and Alexander (BBC) played wonderfully off of each other and earnt University an early mark 12 overs in advance.
Dushyant Thaman (South Brisbane)
Can we get a round of applause for the Souths skipper?
The spin bowler took two of the three wickets achieved by his side and conceded just 24 runs across his 10 overs.
Before this, Thaman scored a quickfire 20 from 17 before University’s Harry Langdon swooped.
Sunshine Coast 6-227 def Wynnum-Manly 10-207
Joe Murray (Sunshine Coast)
Last season we said this about the stylish first drop batsmen: “With a good off-season, Murray could be the Scorchers’ best batter in his age group next season.”
Murray has moved quickly to assert himself as a fixture in the top order, the Scorchers young gun scoring an unbeaten 84 in his team’s toppling of the Sea Eagles.
Murray made a living running between the wickets and he was a rock while teammates fell at the other end.
Malakai Pearce (Sunshine Coast)
The Scorchers skipper formed a wonderful batting partnership with Murray that changed the trajectory of the Sunshine Coast innings.
Pearce scored 44 from 52 balls, feasting fast in a telling 77 run partnership.
With the ball in hand, Pearce got through 10 overs and claimed the most important wicket of the match which was Sea Eagles vice-captain Hayden Hamilton.
Hayden Hamilton (Wynnum-Manly)
The Nudgee College ace was looking very good until Pearce struck him LBW.
Entering the crease under pressure in the first over, first drop batsmen Hamilton quickly found his feet to produce an impressive half century that featured seven boundaries.
Oscar Cawse (Sunshine Coast)
Maroochydore junior cricketer Oscar Cawse had something special to say on his home turf of Karry Emery Oval.
The left arm orthodox spinner snared five consecutive wickets in a spell that decided the game, Cawse causing all sorts of headaches for the Wynnum-Manly middle order.
He took 5-21 in 10 overs of mayhem.
Special mentions:
+ The Scorchers gained extra confidence heading into the second innings after a late-game flurry by No.8 batsmen Lachlan Patterson who smashed an unbeaten 35 from just 17 deliveries.
Patterson pounced in the death overs, firing four big ones over the rope to send the Sunshine Coast into the innings break with their tails up.
+ Wynnum-Manly’s No.9 batsmen Kethmin Meegasdeniya went out firing with a highlight-laden 28 run final heave that gave his teammates hope.
He hit three fours and a six.
Toombul 7-216 def Valley 10-215
Gurkirat Singh Behl (Toombul)
The Toombul bowler kept things tight and then struck for the all-important pole of Ben Rothwell, the Valley’s ace who scored 60.
Behl’s dismissal of Rothwell prevented a potential late-game explosion by the No.4 bat, who had his eye in and was ready to pounce.
Behl finished with four wickets, one of them Valley opener Will Hawkins and two down the track that again quelled any final punch from the opposition tailenders.
Oliver Dauber and Ben Rothwell (Valley)
The Valley boys held up their end of the bargain at the batting crease by putting on a 43 run partnership.
Dauber was impressive scoring 40 from 44 balls and hitting seven fours, while Rothwell weathered the storm very well to conjure 60 runs.
Dan Desmet (Valley)
Desmet dazzled at Toombul, the former Maroochydore player dealing damage for his new club Valleys.
A Churchie student, the technically correct Desmet scored quickly for his 30 runs and then was the pick of the Valley bowlers when he picked up a four wicket haul.
Soon after picking up the first wicket of the match, Desmet demolished the Toombul middle order with three wickets in succession.
Then came Sam Jones.
Sam Jones (Toombul)
After seeing Desmet’s demolition from the sidelines, Jones rose to deliver a match winning knock of 78 not out.
Entering the crease at 5-69, Jones had a job to do - and boy did he relish his opportunity alongside Jacob Orbell.
Jones earnt his runs the hard way and guided Toombul to safety with a knock of great determination and temperament.
Special mentions:
+First drop Toombul batsmen Jacob Orbell was the mastermind, along with Jones, behind Toombul’s special victory.
Orbell displayed nerves of steel to stay in while wickets fell around him and he joined in a 54 run partnership with Jones that turned the tide.
+Jagmeet Singh, the No.9 batsmen, finished the job with Jones scoring 22 not out off 19 balls.
He played his part in a match winning 51 run partnership with Jones.
Gold Coast 5-224 def Norths 9-218
Luke Ward (Gold Coast)
A young veteran of Taverners cricket, third year player Luke Ward hit the ground running at the Coast on Sunday when he scored an unbeaten 64.
Ward was a weapon between the wickets scoring 58 of his 64 without the help of a boundary.
Eli Brain (Norths)
Brain was brilliant with both bat and ball and it helped Norths’ pursuit of victory drastically.
Against a classy Dolphins outfit, Brain bowled well for no reward. His figures were 9-0-29-0.
Then, with the bat in hand, he scored 47 runs to get Norths off to a promising start.
Harry DeSouza (Norths)
The Norths opener could not have done much more to get his side off to a strong start chasing 225 for victory.
A Gregory Terrace rook, DeSouza scored 71 from 111 balls and was excellent forming a partnership with Andrew Klein and Eli Brain.
Cameron Sinfield (Gold Coast)
A GPS First XI cricket premiership winner with The Southport School earlier this year, Cameron Sinfield got the job done for the Dolphins with three late wickets.
The Norths batters hit him for runs early before Sinfield surged back to bite them with a spell that swung momentum in his team’s favour.
Norths were 2-158 and going well and then Sinfield swooped to snare four quick wickets, in the process nullifying a late game barrage by Norths to only just sneak home.
He also scored 23 runs opening the batting.
Kai Dalli (Gold Coast)
Playing an equally impressive role in the Dolphins’ win as Luke Ward was Kai Dalli, Ward’s partner in crime.
The pair put on 100 runs together, Dalli chipping in a run-a-ball 53 to push the Gold Coast comfortably past 200 runs.
Special mentions:
+Gold Coast’s Rhys Horne had a big say in his team’s victory. Opening the batting he got a start (23, 41 balls) and with the ball he bowled well for no reward (10-0-27-0).
+TSS schoolboy Jaxson Davies warmed his engines with a 37 run knock which was part of a 70 run partnership with Luke Ward.
Redlands 7-184 def Sandgate-Redcliffe 10-180
Ayaan Khan, Samuel Pauli and Riley Eckersley (Redlands)
This terrific trio from the Tigers had their paws all over Redlands’ top notch fielding innings.
Khan was king getting the first breakthrough, before Pauli pounced for two quick wickets.
Then came captain Eckersley who delivered with four timely wickets to send the Gators innings into a spiral.
Lakshdeep Singh (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
A star in the making, Singh soared with 18 not out late in Sandgate-Redcliffe’s batting innings and then two wickets in his team’s defence of the 180 run total.
Singh leaked 29 runs across his 10 overs and was a game performer.
Will Souter (Redlands)
The Redlands vice-captain only scored 37 runs but it was worth its weight in gold.
Entering the crease 5-111, the game was well and truly hanging in the balance and Souter ensured it was Tiger time at Tigerland with a telling 37 not out from just 21 balls.
He hit three fours and two sixes and in doing so, sucked the life out his rivals.
Special mentions:
+Steven Hogan (38, 42 balls) and Cooper Stahmer (28, 39 balls) for getting the Gators innings off to a great start.
+Redlands all-rounder Krrish Whala who did a bit of both for his side.
Whala claimed one victim and leaked just 20 runs in a tidy 10 overs and then scored 33 against the new ball in a tireless effort.
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