Twist provides owner dilemmas ahead of DDBBL draft

A NEW format calls on strategic thinking from DDBBL owners ahead of Sunday’s Captains’ Draft.

HAT IN THE RING: Kieren Gibbs, throwing one down for the George Banks Umbrellas last season, is nominated for the captains draft. Picture: Kevin Farmer

CRICKET: Seven captains, six teams.

That’s the dilemma owners face ahead of Sunday’s Darling Downs Bush Bash League Captains’ Draft.

This year’s edition, to be held at Fitzy’s, will now be behind closed doors due to COVID regulations.

That won’t mean a lack of drama, as the first phase of the competition becomes clearer.

“It’s the starting point and it means the start of the season is just around the corner,” DDBBL co-ordinator Kent Reimers said.

“Once we’ve got the captains in place, we will really start to see things take shape.”

Four of last year’s captains will be up for nomination, namely Alex Welsh, Kris Glass, Shaun McCarthy and Cameron Brimblecombe.

They will be joined by three new faces in Kieren Gibbs, Aidan Watterson and Zac Beveridge.

“Aidan and Zac played last season in Brisbane and it sure is great to have them back in the fold,” Reimers said.

“They’re young guys looking to advance their captaincy skills.

“Kieren has lots of cricketing experience. He’s played a lot of cricket in a lot of different places and brings a wealth of knowledge.

“The guys from last year all showed they are good captains.

“Brimblecombe has a bit of fire in the belly. The Liebke Lions finished last, but only lost three games in the last over. There’s a bee under his bonnet and he’s got a point to prove.”

A fresh twist has been thrown into the mix ahead of Sunday.

Last year teams picked in accordance with the number they were drawn, with the order reversed for the players draft.

However, this time around teams drawn will have the choice of where they pick, which Reimers said will prove advantageous when it is time to build their rosters.

“If you pull number one out of the hat, you get to pick wherever in the six you go,” he said.

“If there’s three captains you’re happy to have, they might choose to go at number three and get an early pick in the players draft.

“It’s a different scenario, and questions how much they value the captain pick over the first round pick.”

Gibbs has previous captain experience with Toowoomba representative sides and in the Western Rivers Cup, and wants to add to those honours.

“Since I’ve been back home, I’ve been apart of the (Darling Downs) Suns and Cavaliers rep teams,” he said.

“With all the cricket I’ve played, I wanted to take a chance and put myself up for captain.

“This would be a different side of my cricketing journey.

“The biggest thing I would being is being able to lead in a positive way. There’s a lot of young cricketers that will be a part of the draft, and the chance to mentor some of these players would be great.”

The DDBBL captains draft will be broadcast on PTV from 3pm on Sunday.

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