Lions pull out of DDBBL

THE Liebke Lions won’t go around in the second season of the Darling Downs Bush Bash League.

Michael Topp bowls for Liebke Lions. Picture: Kevin Farmer

CRICKET: The Darling Downs Bush Bash League is on the lookout for a sixth franchise to come on board for season two.

It comes after the Liebke Lions opted to pull put of the competition after their involvement in the inaugural season.

DDBBL co-ordinator Kent Reimers said that the league was thankful for the contributions of Liebke Tyres owner Chris Liebke to the DDBBL.

“With the Liebke Lions out of the new season, that puts us at five teams at the moment,” Reimers said.

“Chris is leaving because of work commitments, and we’re thankful that we had him for the first season.

“He was one of the first people who helped launched the concept.”

In terms of finding a new business to fill the void, Reimers said their initial search would begin at those who had just missed out last time around.

“We will probably go back to businesses that showed interest but were a little bit late last year, to show them the respect of going to them first,” he said.

“Prior to coronavirus it would’ve been a fairly easy process, but we’re working hard to keep our existing teams and try and find another one.

“Discretionary spend like advertising might be a bit harder.

The captains draft is pencilled in for July 10, so there is a bit of urgency.”

The five remaining franchises from the inaugural season include the George Banks Umbrellas, Aidacare Aztecs, Livewired Lightning, Hip Pocket Rockets and Valley Raptors.

Reimers said that talks with these clubs had been promising ahead of the start of the new season.

“We’ve been talking to all of the current franchises and all of them are keen to go again.

“They’ve all said that they want to go again. We’re committed to them and they’ve showed faith in the competition form the start, so we will do the best thing by them.”

Liebke said that while the decision wasn’t an easy one to make, it was the right one in terms of upcoming commitments.

“My son is playing in Brisbane after being picked up by the Ipswich Hornets, which is a great opportunity for him,” Liebke said.

“Business is ramping up. Things still aren’t 100 per cent, but we are still getting heaps of inquiries. It’s a little bit of a holding pattern but overall things are fantastic.”

While the Lions failed to feature in the finals of the inaugural season, Liebke said the chance to highlight talent within the side was special.

“The DDBBL was a great experience to be involved with,” he said.

“We had a lot of fun and the (playing) success we didn’t have didn’t reflect the enjoyment.

“We were able to contribute to younger players getting noticed.

“Regan Hoger came from obscurity and is now playing Bulls Masters and on the verge of Queensland Country.

“Michael Topp was just at Laidley, now he’s a Brisbane first-grader.”

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