Regional representative team joins Brisbane competition

Darling Downs and South West Queensland cricket team invited to join prestigious Brisbane competition.

NEW CHALLENGE: Looking forward to their first season in Brisbane's Lord's Taverners cricket competition are Darling Downs and South West Queensland team members (from left) Sam Anderson, coach Paul Toohey, Hayden Webcke and Jem Ryan. Picture: Jason Gibbs

CRICKET: Darling Downs and South West Queensland cricketers will feature in an elite Brisbane competition starting next month.

DDSWQ recently accepted an invitation to join the Lord's Taverners Competition which features some of Queensland's best young under-16 male cricketers.

Paul Toohey, who will coach the side, believes the decision to join the move will help strengthen cricket in the region.

"What's important about it is we've always had so many players play in this competition,” Toohey said.

"The fact we can now keep them in our region longer and nurture them in our region means that they can be in a more comfortable environment for longer.

"And now the young junior can see they don't have to leave town and hopefully they filter into our local clubs which then in turn increases the numbers there and has a positive long-term effect.”

Toohey is also confident the team will be competitive.

"We believe we can win every game we play,” he said.

"We've got a good group, a balanced group and they all work hard.

"We've got a lot of kids who are very accomplished in all three aspects of the game.

"A lot of kids who can bat high in the order and a lot who can bowl. It gives us a lot of options.

"Being consistent will be the key to our success.”

Runs on the board will also be vital.

"Making enough runs is a really important thing,” Toohey said.

"I think anything upwards of that 200-plus mark gives our bowlers a good chance. If the region has had any weakness in the past I think it's been not scoring enough runs.

"We also need to be aware of the process to be successful.

"We can't get too far ahead of ourselves.”

DDSWQ's first game will be on September 9 away to University of Queensland.

THE SQUAD: Sam Anderson, Ben Brocherie, Dan Brown, Paul Draheim, Morgan Galvin, Pat Gordon, Samuel Healy, Harry Meiklejohn, Matthew Nunn, Jem Ryan, Dhyey Shah, Tom Sippel, Matt Smith, Ben Toohey, Hayden Webcke, Alex Willmett.

Originally published as Regional representative team joins Brisbane competition