Darling Downs and Wide Bay sides booted out of Taverners comp

The sudden dismissal of a Darling Downs and South West QLD rep side has sent shockwaves through the cricket community, with one former player likening the team to ‘playing for Australia’. See the full reaction to the decision that takes away a key rep pathway here.

Rex Tooley bats for Darling Downs and South West Queensland against Northern Suburbs in a Lord Taverners Competition match at TGS Mills Oval. Picture: Nev Madsen.

From hitting catches to players in Queens Park to assistant coach and team manager duties, Brad Spanner has done it all for Darling Downs and South West Queensland.

The Toowoomba cricket stalwart was excited when DDSWQ joined the Lord Taverners competition in 2018 and ‘hurt’ following news they have been dismissed.

“I was so happy when Queensland Cricket approached us (DDSWQ) and said they wanted us to be part of the Lord Taverners competition,” Spanner said.

“It was a fantastic opportunity for our kids to play in an elite competition while being able to stay, train and play at home.

“Taverners is good hard cricket, I’ve always thought if you can show your skills in Taverners it’s proof of how good a cricketer you are.

“This decision hurts. I feel for the players and their parents who have some big decisions to make.”

Like Spanner, DDSWQ president Col Geiger was saddened by the news.

“It is very disappointing,” Geiger said.

“Now our young aspiring players will have to look for representative opportunities outside of the area which is a massive commitment for them and their families.”

Arshvir Singh bats for Darling Downs and South West Queensland against Northern Suburbs. Picture: Nev Madsen

In an email obtained by The Chronicle, Queensland Cricket High Performance notified the DDSWQ and Wide Bay teams of their decision on Monday and while the ramifications of the decision are yet to fully sink in, Geiger said the DDSWQ board is already focused on ensuring securing pathways for the region’s rep players.

“They (Queensland Cricket) have already talked about other opportunities and pathways for rep players,” he said.

“We are very keen to establish a two-way dialogue with Queensland Cricket.

“We will consider any alternatives they suggest and provide appropriate responses.

“Our goal is to give our young players the best possible opportunity to play the game at the level they desire.”

Highfields and Railways Cricket Club president Tony Morrish was another to be left disappointed at the news, considering all the work which went into getting the team into the Lords Taverners competition in the first place.

“It’s very disappointing for our region, we are trying to keep the local lads playing in the rep scene here but it will be a lot harder now for lads having to go down the Range to try and fight up against the Brisbane premier cricketers,” he said.

Harrison Tzannes bats for Darling Downs and South West Queensland against Valley. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“Quite a few people put a lot of hard work to get back into it and now that is taken way, it is going to be that bit harder to get back.”

With Darling Downs prospects now forced to either pursue the country rep pathway or the premier cricket pathway, Morrish fears it will diminish the quality of the local cricket competitions.

“The impact is going to be pretty huge, there is a bigger problem that we are losing a lot of our kids to Brisbane, which is depleting the strength of our local competition,” he said.

“There has been quite a few of our regions kids have already gone to Brisbane clubs, that has been happening the last three or four years which is unfortunate.”

Having had a son who played for the DDSWQ Lords Taverners team, Morrish is fully aware of what the honour of playing in the rep team meant for rising cricketers.

“It is a bit of a feather in the cap for some of the juniors, it is a prestigious thing playing in premier cricket in Brisbane and a pathway to higher honours,” he said.

He also said parents have already expressed concerns of what the future holds for those with children wanting to pursue that pathway.

Morgan Galvin (centre) celebrates with his Darling Downs and South West after bowling out a Gold Coast player during a Lord Taverners match at Toowoomba Grammar School in 2018

Adrian Bidgood has been a coach and assistant coach of the team in recent years and said the biggest loss to come from this news was the lack of consistent exposure to playing at a higher level for the region’s under-17s.

“It is hugely disappointing for the players and the future of DDSWQ cricket,” he said.

“Having that lost opportunity to play in a premier comp and exposing our boys to a higher level of cricket, losing that is sad news.”

He said during his time as coach, Darling Downs players were often up against it when facing the premier clubs, but the benefits were massive.

“It was extremely challenging for our boys, but even though it was challenging, we performed well and it exposed our players to that next level and gave them the opportunity to progress their achievements,” Bidgood said.

“After I left, a lot of the boys went onto play for Brisbane grade teams and from that, there have been three or four boys selected in Queensland under-17 level squad or team.”

The decision also means that if Darling Downs players wish to continue pursuing the premier cricket pathway, they will be ultimately lost to Darling Downs cricket.

“The boys and parents have to make the decision whether they are going to play in the country pathway or go through the premier grade system,” Bidgood said.

“If they choose to go down the premier grade pathway, they’re lost to Darling Downs cricket.”

Logan Morrish at the DDSWQ Lords Taverner final selection trials in 2020. Picture: Kevin Farmer

For former DDSWQ player Logan Morrish, it was always a special moment to represent the region while taking on the premier clubs.

“It is really sad, we were lucky that we got to play in it and it is sad that the younger kids won’t be able to play in it,” he said.

“It was always a really good feeling, it was like our mini version of playing for Australia, you would get your Darling Downs baggy (cap).”

Morrish also loved the opportunity to develop his game further, while playing the game he loves with his friends.

“Playing against tougher opposition, it develops your game further,” he said.

“It was good, you got to play with your mates at a higher level, I knew everyone on the team and I knew a lot of people on other teams as well.”

Previously reported

Elite junior cricketers from the Darling Downs and Wide Bay have been bowled over by a decision booting them out of one of Queensland Cricket’s elite junior competitions.

In an email obtained by The Chronicle, Queensland Cricket High Performance notified the Darling Downs South West Queensland and Wide Bay of their decision on Monday to kick the clubs out of the Taverners Under-17 Boys competition.

The Queensland Cricket email sent to Taverners Under-17 Boys clubs notifying them of their decision to remove the Darling Downs South West Queensland and Wide Bay teams from the competition.

Traditionally played over a two-month period from September to December, the Taverners competition is considered to be one of the elite representative cricket pathways.

The decision is a huge blow for the young representative hopefuls from the country regions with another chance to catch the eye of top clubs and representative selectors now taken away from them.

The email, sent from Queensland Cricket’s Head of Premier Cricket, Integrity and Projects Nick Stuart, said the decision had been made to evict the regional teams from the competition had come following recommendations from Premier Clubs.

Under the revised competition, only junior teams directly aligned to Premier Clubs will continue to play Taverners cricket and will now be able to play each other twice every season.

The email also suggests that travel allowances will be increased for regional cricketers who choose to play Premier Cricket.