Top junior wicket takers, run scorers and wicket keepers from 2024/25 Sunshine Coast Cricket season

The Sunshine Coast junior cricket season is nearing a close as we shine a light on the leading wicket takers, run scorers and players behind the stumps. See which players lead the charge from every division and what they had to say.

Standout Sunshine Coast junior cricketers of the 2024/25 season.

The Sunshine Coast junior cricket regular season has come to a close with a host of rising talents leading the way with the bat, ball and gloves.

More than 1000 players across six divisions from under-13s to under-17s battled it out every week to make their impression on the end result.

With the first week of finals getting underway this weekend, we’ve taken a look at who the true standouts were from each division throughout the regular season.

See the full list below and what they had to say.

U13A

Leading batter: Marcel Patullo (Caloundra)

An average of 83 from 11 innings this season has Caloundra rising star Marcel Patullo 42 runs ahead of Nambour’s Jude Rutherford.

The 13-year-old crunched 415 runs this season that include two half centuries, a 130.91 strike rate and 77 fours.

Caloundra junior cricketer Marcel Patullo.

“It feels great to have been hitting them well all season and making a good contribution, but hopefully there’s plenty more runs to come in the finals,” he said.

Patullo also finished not out on six occasions, one being when scoring his season high 66.

“I was proud of my 50 against Caboolture because of their strong bowling attack, including my friend Matty (Matthew Wheeler) who I think is the best bowler on the Coast in our age,” he said.

“But I’d have to say my 66 not out off 30 balls was the highlight.

“I felt like everything was coming out of the middle in that innings and wished I had another 20 or so balls to go all out for a century.”

Patullo said he was proud of the hard work he had put in this season.

“I’ve worked really hard on my technique and also had a really positive mindset all year,” he said.

“It was my job to be aggressive at the top of the order and get the run rate moving for the team, it’s great that this plan has worked well.”

Leading bowler: Will Chester (Caboolture)

The talented leg spin bowler was in fine form this season, finishing with overall figures of 18-196 from his 12 matches.

He finished with a 4.58 economy and 10.89 average.

Caboolture junior cricketer Will Chester.

“I’ve worked very hard on the art of leg spin throughout the year and I’m happy to have been able to contribute to the team’s success by taking wickets on a regular basis,” he said.

The 12-year-old said his round three performance against Tewantin-Noosa was his favourite of the season.

“I took 5-15 including my first ever hat trick,“ he said.

“I was also lucky enough to hit the winning runs so it was a great win for our team.”

Chester said he was proud of the effort and training he has put in away from game day this season.

“This year I’ve concentrated on bowling in dangerous areas that give me the best chance to get batsmen out,” he said.

“Whilst there have been days that haven’t gone to plan, I feel a lot of my overs have given me chances to take wickets or at the very least, restrict runs and build pressure so hopefully one of my teammates can get the wickets.

He also thanked his teammates and coaching staff for their support.

“I’ve had great support from all my team members; however, our wicketkeepers Hayden and Mary have been outstanding.

“They have provided multiple stumpings and catches that have led to my overall wicket tally

“Our coaching team has been great this year and have provided great mentoring allowing for the results to come through.

“We are hoping for a great finals series to finish the season.”

U13B North

Leading batter: Gus McDermott (Coolum)

McDermott chipped away all season with the bat, totalling 326 runs from his 13 innings.

The 12-year-old finished his innings not out on four occasions, hitting 52 fours and recording a high score of 45.

Coolum junior cricket Gus McDermott

“I feel like I connected with the bat this season, last year my coach got me working on my leg side shots with my batting and I think this year it really started to come together,” he said.

“It has been great to end the season on a high note.”

McDermott said his favourite match this season came in round four against Matthew Flinders.

“We weren’t doing the best in the field in the first fifteen overs but we worked as a team in the last fifteen and brought Flinders back to a score we could chase,” he said.

“With the bat we had a great time and only fell short by ten runs so it was a great team effort.”

The junior talent credited his representative efforts at the beginning of the season for his solid 2024/25 season form.

“I started this cricket season by playing in the Sunshine Coast regional cricket team,” he said.

“That week of cricket really boosted my confidence as a player, because I had a full week of cricket under my belt coming into this season.”

“I think each year my passion for cricket has grown stronger and stronger and I think it has started to show in my game.”

Leading bowlers: Heath Guild (Maroochydore) and Aidan McMahon (Maroochydore)

In his first season at the club, Guild finished in a tied first spot this season alongside Maroochydore clubman Aidan McMahon.

Guild, 12, finished with 18 wickets for 128 runs, averaging 7.11 and a 3.13 economy.

Maroochydore junior cricketer Heath Guild.

“This season has been very enjoyable but at the same time, demanding in practice and games,” he said.

“I had a lot of fun playing in the right team for me.

“I have been supported by my coaches, Glenn, Chris and Troy as well as my dad who encouraged me through the season and motivated me to play well, every game.”

The rising talent was able to take his first five wicket haul against USC in round nine, a bowling innings that also included a hat trick.

“I also enjoyed playing that game as I faced one of my good friends, and bowled him out,” he said.

Guild said the fuel of his strong performances was the hope of representative honours later down the track.

“I have always wanted to be a part of a representative team and show my coaches what I can do, but I have never made the cut,” he said,

“I used this as an inspiration to play hard and show my coaches that I can play at that level.”

He said he was thankful of the support he had received this season.

“My teammates have been so kind and welcoming since moving to the Maroochydore Cricket Club this year,” he said.

“I loved playing with them and feel lucky to have such an awesome group of not just teammates but friends.

“I would like to thank my teammates for such a great year and look forward to playing with them in the future.”

McMahon, who finished with figures of 18-134 and overall statistics of a 3.13 economy and a 7.44 average, said he was proud of his efforts this season.

Maroochydore junior Aidan McMahon.

“I’m really happy that I’ve done well this season with the ball and bat,” he said.

“I love cricket and I want to keep getting better and better.”

The 11-year-old said his favourite individual performance was in round one against USC where he finished with 4-7 from his three overs.

“I was practising all winter and I’ve been doing lots of nets sessions every week,” he said.

“I’ve been working a lot on my speed and accuracy.:

Prior to his side’s semi final matchup, McMahon thanked the support of his teammates.

“I feel really proud of how much my team has improved over the season,” he said.

“Everyone has worked on their own skills and we all love playing together.”

U13B South

Leading batter: Jayden Merritt (Glasshouse) 

There were a few leading chances in the under-13B South division this season but with 372 total runs, a 108.14 strike rate, 62 boundaries and two half centuries from 14 innings, Glasshouse junior Jayden Merritt comes out on top.

Glasshouse junior cricketer Jayden Merritt.

“I set a goal this season to make as many runs as I could and to get more runs than my dad, John,” Merritt said.

John has scored 330 runs from 11 innings so far this season.

“My inspiration this season is my dad, who is my coach,” Merritt said.

“He pushed me and my team to succeed and improve and he has done an awesome job at that.”

The rising talent said he was most proud of his 78 not out and thanked his teammates for the support.

“The game that I reflect on the most is when I made 78* because one of my teammates let me stay in to get 50 and I really acknowledge him for letting me get that achievement,” Merritt said.

The leading batsmen sat in front of a whopping five Palmwoods players.

Leading bowler: Kaylee Stuart (Caboolture)

Stuart simply couldn’t be stopped this season, finishing with 19 wickets for 126 runs from her 16 matches.

“I’m proud to be sitting as the leader for the under-13s, it’s something I’ve been determined to achieve this season so I’m very thankful for the support of my team to achieve this goal,” she said.

Caboolture junior cricket Kaylee Stuart.

“Last season I was runner up for this achievement, I was determined to try my best this season to reach the top.”

Her best performance came in round nine against Landsborough where she took figures of 4-3.

“Our team collectively bowled them out for 13 runs and I took four wickets so their coach handed me the game ball for my efforts,” she said.

Stuart thanked the fielding efforts from her teammates and the support of her coaches this season.

“Definitely thankful to my teammates, they have helped secure this goal by catching so many of my wickets,” she said

“I would like to thank all the coaches from Caboolture for helping me be better and achieve this goal.”

U15A

Leading batter: Aiden Broomfield (Caloundra)

Despite leading the run scorers tally by 43 this season, the rising Caloundra cricketer says there’s always room for improvement.

Broomfield, 14, topped the standings this season with 322 runs from nine innings that included an average of 46 and a high score of 111.

Caloundra cricketer Aiden Broomfield in action.

“I am happy to be Division winner, however I feel like I could have made at least a 100 more runs for my team,” he said.

“I scored a 46 not out against Tewantin-Noosa recently which is a standout innings for me.

“It was a tight game on a tough pitch and this score helped us win the game.”

Broomfield gave credit to his teammates and coach for a standout season.

“I feel that I have been lucky to have played in an excellent team, and with a great coach Luke Henderson,” he said.

“I want to thank my teammates, coach and Caloundra Cricket for giving me the chance to play.

“I hope to make more runs for them during the winter season.”

Leading bowler: Cody Emerson (Maroochydore)

With 16 wickets Emerson narrowly escaped with top spot this season, sitting ahead of a three way 15-wicket tie between Patterson Bambling (Nambour), Emile Lewis (Coolum) and Harry Brennan (Maroochydore).

Maroochydore junior Cody Emerson.

“It feels pretty good, it was a close competition with a few people only a wicket or two away from me,” he said.

“There’s lots of talented bowlers across the under-15a’s competition.“

Emerson’s consistency was the standout this season, only failing to take a wicket on one occasion throughout his nine bowling innings.

He said his highlight fixture was against Caloundra where he took overall figures of 5-38.

“I feel like I’ve been working hard on my bowling the last few years and this year all my hard work has paid off,” he said.

“I have a talented and dedicated team and coach which makes all the difference in a season.

“My teammates took some really good catches to help me out this season, they are an excellent bunch of cricketers and I couldn’t do it without them.”

Standout junior wicket keeper: Cooper Mitchell (Coolum, U15A)

Mitchell finished as the top junior wicket keeper across all divisions this season with 13 catches behind the stumps.

He was followed by Gus McDermott (Coolum, U13B North) with nine and Alek Dillewaard (Tewantin-Noosa, U17) with six.

Coolum junior cricket Cooper Mitchell.

Mitchell, 15, also recorded two stumpings from his eight matches.

“It’s always nice to contribute with the gloves, but I couldn’t do what I do without the class bowling unit here at Coolum,” he said.

“We had a top of the table clash against Caloundra earlier in the season where I managed to take four catches, that was pretty special.”

Mitchell, who also scored 279 runs with the bat from seven innings this season, finished as his division’s second highest run scorer.

He said he was proud of his efforts this season.

“I worked really hard last pre-season with my keeping coach,” he said.

“Some very hard sessions to build my fitness and it really paid off this season.

“I’d just like to thank Coolum Cricket Club and Sunshine Coast Cricket for putting together another great season of cricket.”

U15B

Leading batter: Ben Pearce (Yandina) 

Pearce led the way again this season, finishing 104 runs ahead of the next highest run scorer in his teammate Max Anderson.

The 13-year-old recorded an even 300 runs this season from his 11 innings that included a 42.86 average, 100.33 strike rate, 45 fours, two fifties and a high score of 92 not out.

Yandina junior cricketer Ben Pearce.

“It was a great season, I would’ve loved to score more however the rain washed out a few games,” he said.

“Making sure my team gets off to a great start has been the main priority, runs are the result.”

Pearce said he still held a slight grudge over the weather gods for their unfortunate timing.

“Scoring 92 not out of 70 balls was a great feeling but unfortunately rain stopped me from going on to score a century,” he said.

“Hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future.”

Pearce said he was proud of his performance this season.

“I like playing with freedom and enjoying the contest between bat and ball.

“I’d like to thank the coaches and Yandina Cricket Club for supporting me, hopefully next season I can be even better.”

Leading bowlers: Liam McCabe (Caboolture), Dylan Crouse (Palmwoods) and Liam Ah Chu (Caloundra)

There was a three-way tie in the under-15B division this season with all three players ending with 19 wickets.

From the lot, McCabe finished with the best overall figures taking 19-80 that included a 1.97 economy and 4.1 average.

Caboolture bowling talent Liam McCabe.

“It feels amazing, I never thought I would be in this situation,” he said.

McCabe snagged figures of 5-7 from his four overs against Palmwoods in round five.

“I think that really helped set up my season,” he said.

“I put in a lot of hard work at training as I was one of the first to arrive and last to leave week in and week out.”

He credited and gave thanks to his teammates and coaches for their support.

“The fielding has been great all season,” he said.

“So many wickets that would have been dropped were held onto by the fielders.”

U17

Leading batter: Jules McAllister (Glasshouse)

The rising Glasshouse star has finished the regular season with a bang, scoring 190 and 173 in the final two matches.

The 17-year-old finished with 477 total runs, 68.14 average, 48 fours and 26 sixes from just seven innings.

Glasshouse cricket talent Jules McAllister.

“It’s good to get some runs after all the work throughout the year,” he said.

McAllister’s teammate and opening batting partner Harry Murree finished in second spot with the pair combining for a 344 run partnership in round 10.

“That was pretty special,” he said.

“I think this season I showed a lot more patience than years before.”

Leading bowler: Nathan Pritchard (USC)

A two wicket gap was enough for Nathan Pritchard to claim the title of the under-17s leading bowler for the 2024/24 season.

The 16-year-old finished with overall figures of 18-197 with a 3.83 economy and a 10.94 average.

USC under-17 leading bowler Nathan Pritchard.

“I feel proud that my hard work and determination has finally paid off,” he said.

“I am proud of what I have accomplished this season.”

He said there were two games this season that stood out for him.

“I managed to take 4-12 off six against Glasshouse and then got 3-10 off three against Coolum,” he said.

He said he was thankful of the team effort this season with three USC players taking the most catches in the division this season.

“I believe I have been able to achieve great success with my bowling from hard work and the guidance of my coaches,” he said.

“I am very proud of everyone on my team, even though we missed playing in the finals.”

Originally published as Top junior wicket takers, run scorers and wicket keepers from 2024/25 Sunshine Coast Cricket season