Queensland made the U19 grand final - but how will the boys go?
Cricket national championships: The Queensland U19 girls made the grand final, but how will the boys go in their championship which starts this week? Full review of the girls and boys’ preview here.
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Will Queensland’s elite men’s fast bowler Callum Vidler have a similar impact on the U19 national championships than Lilli Hamilton had on the U19 girls championships which finished yesterday?
Following the grand effort by the Queensland U19 girls to make yesterday’s decider in Perth, the boys have their turn when the men’s championship starts on Thursday in Adelaide.
Lucy Bourke, Lilli Hamilton and Ruby Orchard were all selected to Cricket Australia’s carnival merit team.
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In this story we look back at how the Queensland girls went, while casting an eye forward to the Maroons male side.
THE GIRLS REVIEW - OUR BEST OF THE BEST
Lucinda Bourke
Bourke was simply brilliant for the girls in Maroon.
A player of considerable potential, batting opener Bourke was strictly business in Perth.
Not once was the multi-sport athlete dismissed for a single-digit score and her efforts at the top order created a domino effect for Queensland, who went through unbeaten before falling in the grand final.
The classy lefty scored quickly for knocks of 36, 34, 27 and 53 not out in the short format before producing 32, 17 and 68 in the One Day games.
Grace Collins
The cream rose to the top when COllins scored 78 not out in a big run chase against Victorian Metro. She purred to his runs from just 107 balls, a lovely, considered innings which delivered the Maroons a narrow win chasing an imposing 196. Earlier in the tournament she stroked a blazing 49 not out from 44 balls against Tasmania. She then scored 68 from 100 balls against NSW Country.
Amreen Kahlon
Batters would have been wondering ‘which way is this ball going to spin’ when the deceptive Amreen Kahlon strode into bowl her wrist spinners.
Kahlon didn’t bowl an awful lot of overs but when she was at the bowling crease she asked plenty of questions, that is for sure.
Her 3-12 performance against Western Australia, 4-18 against New South Wales Country in the semi-final and 3-12 against Victoria were top notch.
Mahli Rea
Rea was a big reason for Queensland’s success, mainly with the ball, but also when she made 52 to help Grace Collins run down Victorian Metro’s 195 after Queensland were 6-86. Along with Grace Collins, Rea contributed to a match winning partnership when she was the batting enforcer, scoring her runs at a run-a-ball. Rea broke the tension with a brilliant one hour of batting.
But she was best with the ball.
She started by taking 2-15 in game No.1 and followed this haul with 2-14 from four overs against Tasmania and then 3-9 from four overs against NSW Country.
Her 15 runs against NSW Country came in a low scoring match and helped Queensland generate just enough runs to defend. She then took Mahli Rea 2-12 against ACT and bowled tightly against Vic Metro.
Lilli Hamilton
Hamilton was outstanding from start to finish, taking 14 wickets at just 8.92. The off spin bowler took Hamilton’s 10 overs in the grand final - the best bowling performance by a Queenslander on the day by a country mile. She bowled 10-1-33-2 on a day when the NSW Metro batters were brutal in attacking the Queenslanders.
Leading up to the decider Hamilton took wickets in every match and no batter got on top of her.
Ruby Orchard
Orchard’s off spin was a big positive for Queensland in the big dance when it yielded 2-40 from 10 overs. Keep in mind, her rivals were scoring quickly.
Orchard picked up wickets here and there throughout the tournament, including two against Victoria in a close game, as she remained a threat to new and old batters and her economy rate stayed around three runs an over.
She really came through for Queensland and that was highlighted in a two-wicket win over Victoria Metro where she took 4-40 and bowled all 10 overs. The very next game, in the semi-final, Orchard snared three more which showed her outstanding efforts were no flash in the pan.
Chelsea Sonter
The Western Suburbs keeper was outstanding for Queensland. With seven catches and six stumpings, she was the tournaments leader for fielding dismissals.
She looked classy behind the stumps and batted strongly, contributing key runs.
Lily Bassingthwaighte
Bassingthwaighte, named in the Australian U19 World Cup squad, batting well at the top of the order and played a key role in Queensland making the final.
As a fast bowling enforcer she was solid and largely produced economical bowling, but he batting at the top of the order was also very handy. She had scores of 22, 20, 16, 32, 13 and 56 which all helped the Queenslanders.
Her best innings came in a big win over Western Australia when she scored 32 runs from 32 balls to kickstart the one day match.
Special mentions
Catherine White
White did not dominate with the ball, but she was tidy from start to finish across the long and demanding tournament. Indeed her semi-final effort of 4.2 overs, 1-10 against NSW Country said everything about her understated, but important role at the bowling crease. White was Miss Consistency - just what you need on a tiring tour.
MEN’S U19 PREVIEW
Callum Vidler, who made his senior debut for the Queensland Bulls earlier in the season, is a huge inclusion.
He is fast, nasty fast, and is feared among his peers in this age group.
While he will be on strict restricted duty, his burst at the crease could tip matches in Queensland’s favour.
But Queensland is no one trick pony, and Vidler (Valley) will have support at the bowling crease from the likes of Ferny Grove SHS’s Saxon Jeh (Souths), Toowoomba Grammar School ace Charlie Lachmund (Ipswich), Ipswich Grammar School product Luke Wegner (Souths) Seth McGinty (Cairns Rovers), paceman Ben Ramsbotham (Townsville Western Suburbs).
Queensland will be captained by St Patrick’s batsman Steve Hogan, the youngest member of the side.
With the bat, Cairns Rovers’ Aidan Firman could be a wildcard of the tournament, while co-captain Alexander Procopis (Norths) is outstanding and has won before at national level with Queensland.
Queensland were also well served with spinners, particularly Brayden Meegama (University),
a prodigious junior leg spin bowling talent who broke into the powerful Uni first grade side to play one match this season.
Jack Balkin (Toombul, Nudgee old boy) will be co-capptain and both he and Tighe Morris (Churchie, Valley) were slow bowlers who also batted very well, which gives Queensland balance.
Queensland: Jack Balkin (co-captain), Aidan Firman, Jayden Draper, Bailey Garnham, Steven Hogan, Saxon Jeh, Charlie Lachmund, Brayden Meegama, Seth McGinty, Tighe Morris, Alexander Procopis (co-captain), Ben Ramsbotham, Callum Vidler, Luke Wegner.
Originally published as Queensland made the U19 grand final - but how will the boys go?
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