The express fast-bowlers and best fielders of the Taverners, Premier Women and Men’s grade cricket competitions revealed here
Who have been the fastest bowlers and most elite fielders this summer in Queensland Premier Cricket? The list includes a 14-year-old Wests’ schoolgirl, quicks from Valley and a 15-year-old Toombul leg-spin bowler.
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The third instalment of our themed Queensland Premier cricket weekly coverage has rolled around with the fastest bowlers and best fielders of the Men’s, Women’s and Taverners competitions highlighted today.
This follows on from our revelation of the competition’s unsung heroes and discovery players.
Wests all-rounder Lily Bassingthwaighte is just one of the promising quicks snaring wickets in clubland.
Bassingthwaighte, 16, has long been seen as a bowler with enormous potential, having made her first state team as a 10-year-old.
In 2022, Bassingthwaighte had a stress fracture and was unable to charge in and take poles, however Wests persisted with her in first grade as a batter.
On paper, West’s strategy failed. Badly.
Her return of 79 runs at an average of 7.9 for the entire season, suggested the Wests faith was poorly placed.
But you guessed it. That was, and will be, the last time Bassingthwaighte ever has her place in the team questioned.
As soon as last summer finished she started working with her batting coach twice a week.
Combine that with Bassingthwaighte throwing herself into rehabilitation with power work and sprint training and the villain arc was in full swing.
Then when the T20 Max kicked off, no one was aware of what was coming.
That was until she started hitting the best bowlers in the competition out of Allan Border oval.
A stunning strike rate of 138 was not what anyone was expecting. The entire cricket world took notice with player agents making a bee line. It was like the young player had arrived. And she had arrived in style.
Bassingthwaighte is now opening the batting and the bowling for Wests. Her 367 run season to date in first grade has been hit at an exceptional strike rate of 120 (the best strike rate in first grade among the top 10 run scorers).
This story highlights the quicks of club cricket, and don’t get it twisted. Bassingthwaighte is quick and also an elite batter.
QUEENSLAND PREMIER CRICKET’S GENUINE QUICKS
MEN
Jack Gardner (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
Gardner hasn’t featured much for the Gators first grade side so far this summer but he does have scare factor at the bowling crease.
He’s quick, with a slingy action.
Scary to face.
Liam Guthrie (Wynnum-Manly)
Guthrie has taken 15 wickets at 15.87 so far this summer while Moloney is injured at the moment, but at his best is very quick.
We will throw another name in the mix, Chris Lloyd.
Lloyd can whip out a very quick ball from time to time.
Theo Tsingos (Norths)
Tsingos, an under-15 age group player at the club, is quick. Really quick.
Himself and another under-15 player, all-rounder Nate Smith, who was mentioned in our discovery players story, is also a player you are on your toes against in the nets.
The lot (Toombul)
We couldn’t settle on just one pacemen at the Toombul club so we went with a bunch.
Indeed Toombul has a group of talented young fast bowlers in Tom Balkin, Jerry White, Amitoj Sidhu, Carter Corless, Tom Malone, Lachlan Hartshorn and Ethan Wilkin.
They all have great promise.
Jackson Smith (Gold Coast)
Jackson Smith bowls with vigorous pace and plenty of bounce and while his economy rate may not look as good as he would want, he has been relied upon to bowl in the most crucial overs - the power play surge and death overs.
“He was always on the money and took key wickets throughout,” Gold Coast coach xx said about Smith, who is the first grade competition’s 11th leading wicket-taker with 24.
Callum Vidler (Valley)
The promising Brisbane Grammar graduate bowls express pace, and while he doesn’t look like your typical fast bowler, he consistently clocks upwards of 135kph.
He is deceivingly FAST but his pace is no secret.
Blake Edwards and Tom Whitney (Wests)
How lucky Wests are to have not one but two elite quicks.
Edwards has 16 wickets this season and Whitney 15, and they are bowlers you want bowling it down the off-side instead of anywhere near your thigh-pad.
James Ward (South Brisbane)
Souths have a barnstorming young left-armer at the moment and he goes by the name of James Ward.
His work ethic and attention to detail makes him a very good package, according to Souths coach xx.
“He is tall and gets great pace and bounce from any wicket so we expect big things from him.
Sam Geyer (South Brisbane)
Souths were in good hands with Geyer, another that has great pace available to him.
His ability to get quicker as he gets into his spell is something that will hold him in great stead and see him and Ward work wonders for Souths in the future.
University
Will Crook and Callum Henderson when healthy are both University’s quickest bowlers.
It says it all about their love for the club when they keep running in for the team even when they are gassed.
The tireless Matt Willans is the same for University. Last year he bowled 23 overs before tea on a flat deck to power his side to victory.
WOMEN
Erin Moran (Ipswich)
Moran is the fastest bowler in the Hornets squad, an aggressive quick who bowls a good line and length.
She is persistently attacking the batter with her speed and variation of short and full deliveries.
Lily Bassingthwaighte (Wests)
While Bassingthwaighte is a young player, aged just 16, she is totally professional in her preparation and approach.
She busted herself to improve her throwing, fielding and power batting over the off season and has managed to reinvent herself while having immense potential as a pace bowler.
Watch this space.
Pari More (South Brisbane)
More is without a doubt the quickest bowler at the club.
She has the ability to surprise batters on the opposition and is constantly learning and improving her cricket skills.
Souths have a good one here.
Sandgate-Redcliffe
It’s a toss up between Mia Croucamp who is returning from a serious knee injury and Mel Vernyik at Sandgate-Redcliffe.
Vernyik uses her height to get plenty of bounce.
Sianna Ginger (Valley)
The talented all-rounder from Townsville bowls right arm fast and bats in the top order, making her the ultimate threat.
Sunshine Coast
Shari Anderson has a quick action and can take wickets with her pace, while Ruby Orchard, a chief wicket taker, is fast.
TAVERNERS
Harry Langdon (University)
Langdon is one of those quicks that deterrs you from choosing that net to bat in. Someone you make sure you have both thigh-pads, box and all the rest in place for because when he is on song he can be unplayable.
The taker of 17 wickets at just 11.65 this season, Langdon has bowed sharp consistently with the new ball and has been the key to University starting well all summer.
Angus McLean (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
He took 11 wickets at 13.36 during the season and is without a doubt the Gators fastest bowler.
Charlie Lachmund (Ipswich)
The second leading wicket taker in the competition is this genuine quick who is smarter than the average cartel member.
He is quick and has been for some time, but this year he has matured with his bowling approach and ability to learn which has contributed to Ipswich’s success.
He has taken 27 wickets at 12.7.
Ben Gordon (Sunshine Coast)
He is quick. Like really quick.
Someone you stop and watch from behind the net.
Solidly built destined for higher honours, Gordon’s pace is even more impressive when you weigh in the fact he is still just 15-years-old.
Will Noffke (Sunshine Coast)
Noffke, who has 15 wickets so far this season, is a big lad with squeaky clean technique.
Keep an eye on him, because once he grows into his frame it could be game over for batters and bowlers alike.
Ashton Schultz (Sunshine Coast)
The deceptively quick left arm fast bowler is improving with every game and is no pushover at the bowling crease.
Indeed the Sunshine Coast is rife with on-the-rise fast bowlers.
Cooper Keogh (Wide Bay)
He is a genuine quick out of the Gympie region and he is returning for another season of Taverners next year so expect him to be even quicker and more prominent in the Wide Bay attack.
Callum Pamenter (Wests)
The 14-year-old Ipswich Grammar schoolboy took six wickets during the season and despite his young age was one of the competition’s fastest.
A first change bowler who picked up an injury, Pamenter is a Wests junior who is playing grade gricket on Sunday - and does not look out of place because he consistently clocks 110kph.
Left arm opening bowler Joshua Lossberg also bowls proper wheels.
Tom Moloney (South Brisbane)
Somewhat of an unsung hero is Moloney, who took 12 wickets at 16.5 during the season. A left-armer who can swing it both ways, Moloney was at times unplayable and while he doesn’t bowl express, he makes up for it with his outswingers.
Often he would bowl six overs in his first spell and grab two wickets while leaking very few runs.
He is hard to put away.
Harry Turner and Lucas Kenny (Wynnum-Manly)
The Sea Eagles had to go without Turner and Kenny for much of the season after both of the team’s starting quicks were lost due to injury.
Turner was going to be the leading seamer and Kenny another fast-bowling threat, but after injury struck Harley Malpass was leant on as the main option.
Harley Malpass (Wynnum-Manly)
The Iona College all-rounder took the reigns and didn’t disappoint.
With his economical line and length he starved the opposition of runs and with his pace he managed to take 13 wickets at 14.
Although he is a great batter, the right-handed Malpass can also test his rivals with his quick 120kph deliveries.
Nick Scott (Valley)
Scott was injured for the whole Taverners season but he has some serious pace and Valley would have been a different side with his fear factor in the mix.
Joey Laner (Norths)
The Marist College Ashgrove right-arm quick warmed his engines for the AIC season picking up wickets regularly throughout the season.
He bowls a lovely outswinger and has pace to challenge batters.
QUEENSLAND PREMIER CRICKET’S BEST FIELDERS
MEN
Jed Wilson (Wynnum-Manly)
Wilson, who has four catches to his name, is a ball of energy in the field and seems to take some freakish catches when given the opportunity. William Aspeling also tends to take some fantastic grabs as well.
Bodie Richardson is busy in the field and motivates other fielders to get involved, and creates a tense atmosphere around the batters which helps his bowlers snare wickets.
Middle grades player Xaiver Thierry has one of the best throwing arms at the club, while
Vidun Periyapperuma is a player that has put in a lot of extra training to add to his strong fielding skill set that matches his top order batting abilities.
Jackson Mills (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
The athletic mills can make chances out of nothing and is the fielder you want a half-chance to lob up near.
Bryn Llewellyn (Ipswich)
The Ipswich all-rounder is simply electric in the field, someone who will stop a certain boundary from getting past him.
Daniel Wilson (Ipswich)
The classy veteran batter is safe as houses in the corden, a trusted slips fielder who rarely misses a catch and if he does he had no right catching it.
Sultan Kakkar (Norths)
Talk about being in the game.
Sultan Kakkar could be in the field all day and never lose focus. He is 100 per cent switched on all of the time and truly dedicated to getting better in the field.
Sam Truloff (Sunshine Coast)
There are not many better in the fieldsmen business than Truloff, who has seven catches and a run out next to his name so far this season.
University
In the conversation for University’s best fielders of all time are Michael Philipson and Jack Carty.
Currently, Max Clayton and Hamish Gardiner and leading the way with their fielding brilliance.
Patty Cotter (Valley)
The Marist College Ashgrove old boy (2016) has great hands because he is a wicketkeeper at heart.
He is quick to the ball, has a rocket arm and rarely drops a catch.
Addy Grewal (Toombul)
Grewal can field in any position and is a naturally gifted mover with the safest hands going around.
As a bowler you’d want him in every position possible to snap up half-chances and stem the flow of runs.
Callum Taylor and Brad Munro (Gold Coast)
Both Taylor and Munro have been very impressive throughout the season with Munro taking two exceptional catches in the semi-final against Norths while Taylor has been put into some hot spots in all competitions.
One of his best was his athletic stop of a boundary against Wests. That performance was described as “out of this world’’.
This Dolphins duo are Sharp with a capital S.
South Brisbane
There are many good fielders at Souths. John Isoardi, Lucky Peterson and Sam Geyer are all naturally gifted in the field and work very hard at it.
Very agile and great at anticipation of the play, this trio are always on the moves and looking to prevent the impossible.
Carter Pearson (Redlands)
The Queensland Under 19s selection who bowls leg spin and bats in the middle order is someone whose arm you do not challenge.
A quick single with him on the ball is the last thing you want to do because of his rocket arm.
In second grade Damyn Waddups snares wickets for fun.
The ball seems to follow him.
And who could forget about the talented Sam Heazlett - he can pluck half catches out of nowhere.
The agile Heazlett makes catches look easy when the pressure is on.
Angus Tolhurst (Wests)
Currently playing second grade, the Queensland Under 19 talent is an excellent fielder both in the infield and outfield.
The quality left-handed batter nticipates well and moves quickly.
Taverners, Lew Cooper Cup
Hayden Hamilton (Wynnum-Manly)
Both Hayden Hamilton and Finn Thallon have been tremendous fielders this season at short cove and in the slips respectively.
Theo Bacalakis (University)
The Gregory Terrace Year 10 student is a gun with the bat but also elite in the outfield.
He is speedy to the ball, athletic with great hands and a strong arm.
Can score buckets on the basketball court too.
Grady Turner (Toombul)
Toombul’s multi-sport athlete Grady Turner uses his athleticism to bowl quick.
He has raw pace.
Alex Walduck (University)
The University gloveman has been incredible so far this season.
He scores runs regularly and is the last person you want behind the stumps when batting.
Dance down the crease at your peril.
Ben Gordon (Sunshine Coast)
He may be the Sunshine Coast’s fasted bowler but he is also an elite fieldsman who, wherever in the field, is a threat.
He is dynamic in the outfield, moves well, and has a huge arm to go along with his safe hands.
Will Dodunski (Sunshine Coast)
He is super speedy across the ground, agile, and despite being small in stature, his can throw awfully far.
Sunshine Coast’s most improved fielder and there are not doubts about it.
Lachlan Heycox (Wide Bay)
He can bat, bowl and field with the best of them this bloke.
He fields anywhere from slips, to the covers and out in the deep because his hands are the safest.
His athleticism, ability to anticipate shots and nimbleness make the Brothers cricketer from Bundaberg a real threat in the field.
Jacob Cibulka (Wests)
The best all-round fielder who has taken one of the best catches you will see.
“He took the best junior catch I have seen against the Gold Coast earlier in the year at mid-wicket,” recalled head coach David Pamenter.
Cibulka bowls economical off spin and is an explosive batter who is going into Year 12 at Ipswich Grammar.
Dilshan Wickrama (South Brisbane)
An elite point of cover fieldsmen, Wickrama is quick to the ball and was excellent with the ball this season.
Where Souths fell short was their batting, having held every team below 200 runs in all games.
Wickrama’s bowling, and fielding, helped their cause.
Nathan Bidgood (Toombul)
Described as reliable by his coach, Nathan Bidgood is an intelligent player who has some of the safest hands in the Taverners competition.
Damon Bass (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
Bass averaged 44.5 with the bat in eight innings this Taverners season and was also their most elite fielder who both created and executed chances every game.
Jett Emmerson and Drew Stafford (Ipswich)
Emmerson is “electric in the circle with a razor sharp arm and energy to burn,” according to Ipswich coach Simon Emmerson.
Meanwhile, Stafford is the “ultimate competitor” whose commitment to his team is unmatched acrossthe competition.
“The ball never beats him be it in the circle or sweeping the outfield,” Emerson praised.
WOMEN
Mia Croucamp (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
Great athlete and could go well in athletics. Good hands and moves well to the ball. Can easily defend a boundary and batters need to be wary if they take her arm on
Holly Barr (Wynnum-Manly)
Holly Barr is very athletic on the field and sets a very high standard for herself and others to follow.
Meg Mettam (Gold Coast)
The Dolphins fast bowler is returning from injury and not bowling at the present but is lightning fast across the field and has a great arm.
One of those special fielders who lifts the team when she is on the field.
Has batters getting angry.
Eloise Schabe (Ipswich)
Schabe patrols the boundary like a boss.
She has a strong arm, great hands and can hit the stumps from anywhere on the field - even if she only sees one.
Riley Wotherspoon (Wests)
Wotherspoon had previously been the Wests wicket-keepre but because of injury she has moved into the field and taken exceptional catches.
It is no surprise she is a contender for AFLW draft selection.
She is a terrific sportswoman.
Matilda Ingram (South Brisbane)
Ingram, the captain of the women’s team, is a superb fielder with the ability to make things happen - especially when under pressure.
A key member of the team, Ingram possesses all-round ability with bat, ball and in the field.
A coaches dream player.
Originally published as The express fast-bowlers and best fielders of the Taverners, Premier Women and Men’s grade cricket competitions revealed here
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