PNG XI included in Queensland T20 regional comp

A NEW regional Twenty20 cricket competition will see teams from Queensland and one from Papua New Guinea step up to the crease this summer.
Seven regional teams from across the state will take part in the Country Challenge, including the South East Queensland Stormers.
The final will be played as a curtain raiser to a Big Bash game at the Gabba in December.
Queensland Bulls Masters managing director Jimmy Maher says the competition will help invigorate cricket in regional Queensland.
“It will be providing a pathway for guys in the regional centres throughout Queensland to hopefully go on to play for the Queensland Bulls and then eventually Australia,” he says.
He says while it is often tougher for players in regional areas to break through, so many past greats have done it, which proves that there’s plenty of talent in the bush.
“The small town of Biloela has produced arguably the greatest ever wicketkeeper (Ian Healy) Australia has ever seen, that’s just another great story you know that a town like that can produce someone as good as that,” Maher said.
“When you look around you think Matthew Hayden’s from Kingaroy, Carl Rackemann’s from Wondai, Martin Love from Mundubbera, Andy Bichel from Laidely, Andrew Simmonds cut his teeth in Charters Towers,” the former Queensland Bulls captain said.
He hopes it will improve the standard of the state and national competition.
“It’s all about building your base up, getting more participation, getting more kids out there playing and that naturally raises the standard throughout the state,” he said.
“Being the first state to engage in a new competition, I think it puts us ahead of other states and hopefully Queensland can really develop strength in numbers across the regions and ultimately that affects everything at the top end.”
Masters players will also be placed with each team to act as a mentor and coach
“It’s a great opportunity for the teams to learn off those guys who have been at the highest level before,” he says.
Current players from the Bulls or the Brisbane Heat squads will also be allocated a team.
Maher says the Papua New Guinea team will certainly be one to watch.
“They are going to be very difficult to beat, they’re on the cusp of international cricket, it’s their national side so they’re quite strong,” he says.
He hopes the programme might find Queensland’s next Indigenous star player.
“I’ve seen so many talented indigenous players across many regions that we’ve been that can hit the stumps without any practice or without any coaching so imagine how good they could be if that skill was tapped into,” says Jimmy.
The Northern Conference round robin tournament will be held at Harrup Park in Mackay on Sept 29-30, while the Southern Conference teams will play in Bundaberg at Salter Oval on the same weekend. – Cairns Post