Gold Coast Thunder under-18s Connor Brown, Jai Kurt, Keats Chipps, Connar Robson & Lachlan Hinds to play for South Qld

This time last year, John Kerr was not a happy man. Fast forward 12 months and there are no such problems for the Gold Coast under-18 coach as five of his troops prepare to represent their region this weekend.

THIS time last year, John Kerr was not a happy man.

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Having coached Gold Coast to back-to-back McPherson Shield triumphs, Kerr was left in disbelief as just two of his troops – Peter Lynch and Tom Watts - were chosen in the South Queensland under-18 side.

Fast forward to 2019 and there are no such problems for Kerr and his newly-crowned three-time title winners, with five Thunder young guns ready to represent their region in Ipswich this weekend.

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Captain Connor Brown and Jai Kurt (Mudgeeraba Nerang), Lachlan Hinds (Broadbeach Robina) and Keats Chipps (South Tweed) were all chosen in the South Queensland side in the immediate aftermath of last weekend’s Shield success, while Connar Robson (Broadbeach Robina) has since been drafted in after originally being named as a shadow player.

With Gold Coast not entering a team in the under-21 O’Dea Shield, South Queensland’s under-18s will fill the void at the four-team tournament on Saturday and Sunday and Kerr said the Thunder representatives had earned their chance to step up.

Gold Coast and South Queensland under-18 players Jai Kurt, Connor Brown and Lachlan Hinds. Picture: Tim Marsden

“All the guys played their role (last weekend). We thought we had a good team and thought we’d be a good chance,” Kerr, Thunder under-18s coach for the past five years, said.

“We ended up winning all three games reasonably convincingly. We stuck to the guys playing the roles that they picked and Jai is probably a good example of that.

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“Jai Kurt come to us as an opening batsman but I didn’t have a spinner so I gave him the job of being our frontline spinner. We backed him and Connor to be our death bowlers and they did the job.

“Connor only got three wickets for the weekend but it was his pressure from one end that was relentless. He was unlucky not to get more wickets.

The Gold Coast under-18 cricket team celebrates its third-straight McPherson Shield title on December 8, 2019.

“Keats was the standout wicketkeeper in the competition, his glovework and movement was second to none. And on top of that he did some good hitting down the bottom of the order.

“Lachy topscored both days in the 40-over format (with 41 and 95). He set up both days just by starting off slow, getting himself set and when the time came he exploded and took the game away from the bowlers.

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“Last year we had a chat that we only got two people in (the South Queensland team) so to (five) players picked from four teams, I’m way happier than what I was this time last year.”

Players competing in the O’Dea Shield will be pushing for a spot in the Queensland Country under-21 team to tour South Australia in February, while the South Queensland under-18s will also play against North Queensland at Caloundra on April 4.