Laidley SHS, Toowoomba products and an evergreen Dolphins skip among best of the best in club cricket’s latest round
Who were club cricket’s best of the best performers from the men and women grade clashes last weekend? Revealed here are the best of the best across grades one, two and three.
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Two Queensland country prodigies were among the Bulls Masters Super Six Players of the Round list unveiled below following the weekend’s Queensland Premier Cricket matches.
Toowoomba native Sam Neale (Norths) and Lockyer Valley ace Jared Adamski (Ipswich) were stunning players of the round.
There were many others, including from Caitlin Mair (Sandgate-Redcliffe), and Meghan McCartney (Valley) shone in the elite Katherine Raymont Shield competition.
Catch up on all things club cricket with the top performers highlighted below.
BULLS MASTERS SUPER SIX
Nicholas Fletcher (Sunshine Coast)
Right arm quick Nick Fletcher started with a first ball dismissal of Toombul open Amritpal Grewal - a wicket worth celebrating given the Grewal’s fine season so far.
And it got better in a hurry for Fletcher as he blasted through another five batsmen on his way to claiming 6-34 from just 10.4 overs.
Of Victorian descent, Fletcher had the support of a catching cordon, but he did it all himself by bowling four of his victims - and catching the other two LBW. It was one of the most dominant performances by a grade bowler this season. It should be acknowledged he had world class support from the other end, courtesy of Chad Soper (4-5, 10 overs), which helped maintain pressure against new batsmen.
Callum Taylor (Gold Coast)
He made his two day debut in 2015, but evergreen Callum Taylor just keeps on keeping on. Even if they had driven a backhoe onto the field, the Redlands’ bowlers simply could not dig out Taylor who poured hours of concentration in his 202 ball innings of 131. It took Iona College old boy Thomas Biggs, and a catch by decorated TSS past student Jack Sinfield to finally end the Coast skipper’s mighty innings.
Jared Adamski (Ipswich)
Ipswich has a crop of exciting young players surging through its ranks and among the best is
Laidley SHS past student Jared Adamski. An all-rounder, it was his bowling which twisted the sword on the Wests’ batsmen. He claimed 5-31 from 17 overs, including the first over dismissal of Isaiah Snell and then the early scalp of Snell’s opening partner Pranav Susarla. He now has 13 wickets at an average of 16 this season.
Sam Neale (Norths)
Neale was one of the players of the round with his dramatic 5-23 and 80 not out against Souths raising his season tally to 16 wickets at an average of 18.63. Neale was always going to be one of those players to grab a headline or two.
As is so often the case for Queensland country talents, the Darling Downs all-rounder was fast tracked into senior cricket when, aged just 17, he represented Queensland country at the Australian Country Cricket Championships in 2019.
A junior Queensland representative with an attacking streak to his batting, Neale was a runaway man of the match after his match high innings of 80 not out - from just 68 balls.
Alecz Day (University of Queensland)
Day’s flowing centre against cross suburb rivals Valley was one of the highlights of the season - let alone the last round. His superb 104 not out came from just 108 balls, including 15 fours and two sixes beyond the boundary ropes at Peter Easton Oval. The Sunshine Coast junior and former top tier domestic New Zealand cricketer had had a quiet start to the season - but he is very much on the radar now.
Joshua Fraser (Wynnum-Manly)
Fraser dismantled the top order, and then ran through the middle order during a destructive performance against Sandgate Redcliffe.
Gators’ openers Jack Cooper and Daniel Seaton were no match for Fraser across the first couple of overs, and Fraser then maintained the rage to oust Jackson Mills and captain Adrian Lascu cheaply.
He confronted resistance from Sandgate Redcliffe’s best batsman - Rory Livingstone (53, 67 balls) - but eventually had the final say on his way to snaring 6-47.
KATHERINE RAYMONT SHIELD’S TERRIFIC TRIO
Caitlin Mair (Sandgate-Redcliffe) and Kalea Moore (Sunshine Coast)
In a rain affected round of Katherine Raymont T20 Shield cricket, but there was enough time for two mini-master classes by Mair and Moore.
Mair’s 55 not out came from just 35 balls as skimmed to a winning total of 2-112 from 11 overs.
But Moore returned serve with a blistering 49 not out (35 balls) which had the Scorchers in the hunt for an unlikely victory.
Mair was a schoolgirl prodigy from St Rita’s College where, in 2019, her glovework and batting helped the Queensland under-18 girls to win the Female National Cricket Championships. She progressed three years later to make her senior debut for Queensland.
England’s Moore is an experienced hand having played county cricket since 2019.
A Kent ace, has made an immediate impression with the bat but was also a right arm off spinner.
Meghan McCartney (Valley)
Yet another Queensland country product, Mackay-raised Meghan McCartney tilted the match her team’s way against Wests with 4-18, including the prized scalp of the dangerous Olivia Steel (Wests) whom she bowled.
Like so many young women, McCartney started her cricket career as a junior playing against the boys, but as the female side of the game gathered momentum, moved across to play against her peers.
From St Patrick’s College - a prolific breeding ground of elite sporting talent - McCartney learnt her cricket at the Mackay Brothers club.
Earlier this season she represented Queensland country.
JODIE PURVES T20 SHIELD’S TERRIFIC TRIO
Sophie Pyott (Wynnum-Manly)
The experienced New Zealand product from the Hawke’s Bay Cricket Association led from the front with her captaincy and her batting. If you had ducked up the road to Fairfield Gardens Shopping Centre around the time Pyott was set to walk to the crease, you’d have missed a blazing 40 ball innings (37 balls).
The game high score from the former Havelock North High School student gave her side a chance - but it was not enough against Sunshine Coast side batted to victory by skipper Phoebe Murphy (30 not out) and Jasmine Comerford (29 not out).
Pari More (South Brisbane)
More was the bowling destroyer as Souths restricted Sandgate-Redcliffe to just 8-42. More was outstanding through her three overs, netting 4-3 which included two early scalps - before she later unravelled the Gator’s lower order.
Melissa Lewis (Norths)
Against Ipswich, the Norths’ skipper stride to a fluent half century - and was set for even more before being caught short in a Samantha Bremner-Keely Freiberg run out. Seven fours came from her bat during a 59 ball mini master class which yielded a match high 58.
ALAN PETTIGREW SHIELD’S SUPER SIX
Damyn Waddups (Redlands)
The stoic vice-captain dropped the anchor to be the man his team’s 233 was built around, concentrating over 183 deliveries on his way to 87 against Gold Coast.
Nine fours came in boundaries around robust defence and running between the wickets.
Waddups is a genuine all-rounder, a right arm off spinner who pushes the ball through the air, a skill which earned him top team, short form cricket selection.
Toby Matthews (Wests)
The tall, right arm off spin bowler against displayed tremendous control to suffocate the Ipswich batsmen on his way to taking 5-41. A former Brisbane Grammar School GPS First XI premiership winner, Matthews built pressure across his 26 overs which included eight maidens.
His rewards came late, with his dismissal of Ipswich’s batting ace Rowan Lutter (46) prizing open the partnership with Rohan Brady and leading to four quick wickets.
Finn Churchward and Joshua Wigginton (University)
Captain Wigginton teed off in spectacular fashion to blaze 77 from just 49 balls - but only after Churchward had shouldered the heavy responsibility against the new ball.
In between defence and leaves outside off stump Churchward did plenty of running between wickets in accumulating 70 in good time (123 balls).
Wigginton then rang the bell and attacked for all he was worth late in the innings.
Henry Taylor (Wynnum-Manly)
The prolific scoring batsman notched up more video highlights with his captivating 144 (166 balls) that included 10 fours and six sixes.
Ben Gear (Sunshine Coast)
In a day for dashers because of the wet weather, Gear went for plenty - 6.59 runs per over - he still ended up with 6-67 from 10 overs. Gear is a stalwart local junior who originally came from Gympie junior cricket.
NORM McMAHON SHIELD, DYNAMIC DUO
Sree Bachu (Redlands)
A former St Peters Lutheran College student, Bachu is gathering plenty of experience in the lower grades at Redlands.
His 5-33 from 9.2 overs was a reward for his persistence after University’s top order had batted their side into a strong position. He forced his way through set batsmen Angus White (54), Jack Geraghty (45) and Tom Nicholson (40) and maintained pressure despite the attacking mood of the Uni batsmen.
Bachu was also a more than capable batsman, but for the moment is nice medium pace is finding the bullseye.
Will Easter (Valley)
The Marist College Ashgrove schoolboy displayed typical line and length in working hard for his William Easter stunning 5-29. He toiled through 16 overs, building pressure with six medium in a wonderful right harm medium pace display playing alongside the men. He has been a fixture in the Valley Tavener’s side of a Sunday, backing up after playing grade of a Saturday.
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Originally published as Laidley SHS, Toowoomba products and an evergreen Dolphins skip among best of the best in club cricket’s latest round
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