THE BIG BANG THEORY - Queensland Cricket

THE BIG
BANG
THEORY
The Official E-Newsletter of
Queensland Cricket
December 2008
XXXX GOLD Bulls v NSW Blues (26 December) … v SA Redbacks (9 January)

THERE’S VALUE IN BEING
HOME OF THE FIRST TEST
Edition 34, December 2008
CONTENTS
2 ‘Leading the Charge’ –
with Graham Dixon
4 Huge T20 Incentives
5 Big Bash Fixtures
6 Fun On The Range
7 Shining In The Shield
8 Hartley Looks Ahead
10 Streaking To The Top
11 An Ace Idea
12 Teen on Fire
13 Grade Review
14 The Gabba Test
15 International Gabba T20
16 Renouf Inspired
“Between the Wickets” is
the official E-Newsletter of
Queensland Cricket
Editors: Ron McDonald,
Stephen Gray, Peter Blucher
Queensland Cricket
1 Bogan St
Breakfast Creek, Q, 4010
Ph: (07) 3292 3100
Email: qldc@qldcricket.com.au
QC website: qldcricket.com.au
There was some conjecture
after the first Test against
New Zealand as to Brisbane’s
place on the Test
match calendar and where
Queensland Cricket saw it
fitting best.
The general media thread
was that we would consider
sacrificing our valued place
as the first Test of the Australian
summer for the opportunity
to host a ‘big’
touring nation more often.
There are a number of factors
to consider in this debate.
You could mount a case
that only three of the
other nine Test playing
nations are of a relative
strength to be considered
a ‘power’ nation. South Africa,
India and England fall
into that category, but
precious few others are
challenging at this time.
Yet for the rain-affected
Sri Lankan Test two years
ago, we broke all records.
It was the best attended
Gabba game outside a West
Indies or England series
since we’ve been hosting
Test matches. So what does
that say?
We have thought long and
hard about various scenarios,
but you cannot overlook
the fact that there are significant
advantages with
having the first Test of a
summer. Hosting the first
Test of a series would be
second choice, and I must
admit I would be nervous
about having the fifth or
sixth Test of a summer.
A full Gabba again?
That is well into a series and
the result is often always
known. I guess you would
always like to have the opportunity
of having one of
those big matches over the
peak holiday period like
Sydney and Melbourne successfully
have, but to my
knowledge Brisbane has
never had that opportunity
and I wouldn’t be too confident
it would ever be afforded.
The cricket economy produces
only so much currency,
and much of that is in
the early stages of a tour.
When you think about it,
how many Test match
lunches, breakfasts and
dinners are held throughout
the south-east Queensland
region in the lead-up
to the first Test each year?
That income and generation
of funds for grass roots
cricket is most valuable.
If a touring team was coming
here for the third,
fourth or fifth Test, they
would most likely only arrive
a few days before
hand and you don’t get the
same opportunities. All the
personalities and former
greats who come along with
the show would be more difficult
to attract. We should
not cheapen the value that
this brings.
With the strong promotional
support from Cricket Australia
this year, there was a focus
on cricket in the lead-up
to the first 3 Mobile Test
against New Zealand. The
support by means of the
All*Stars Twenty20 game,
the ACA Masters v Australian
Indigenous XI Twenty20
and Fan Day at Allan Border
Field was excellent.
In an ideal world the players
would have had a greater
lead-in time after the tour of
India so we could also promote
who was playing. Otherwise
my understanding is
the stats suggest it was a
ratings success which is important
for our game.
Continued page 3
2

From page 2
The Fan Day just had to be
a good thing for cricket.
Seeing that massive lineup
of kids with the Australian
players signing autographs
– and everybody
got signed – and one of the
Masters, Greg Matthews,
walking along the queue
talking to people while they
waited in the queue, was
just terrific. Hopefully that
meant something to those
kids – they are the ones we
need to come to games for
the next 50 years.
We shouldn’t overlook the
fact that the first Test allows
teams time to get
here and train in Brisbane
for a substantial period of
time, giving kids and
cricket supporters the
chance to see them. Having
the players around for
an extended period is valuable
and may well compensate
for any so called lack
of quality in the opposition.
You might also have read
recently the boss of South
FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE (continued) 3
African cricket saying his
country has issues with
Melbourne having a mortgage
on the Boxing Day
Test and that they want reciprocal
rights with Australia.
So in future, the first
Test of the summer could
involve South Africa. If
that’s the case we would
have a Test match against
them for the first time
since 1963, and that would
be massive.
In these times, we need to
be cautious too. It is not
clear about the amount of
Test, One-Day and Twenty20
cricket that is going to
be scheduled in the near
future, and until that mix
falls out the end of the machine,
we need to be careful.
The only thing that is certain
is that everything can’t
stay the same. We can’t
just keep programming like
we are.
James Hopes in full swing
in the KFC T20 Big Bash
We are anticipating that in
the near future the Southern
Premier League Twenty20
competition will be up
and running, which will
benefit Australia, Australian
franchises, and South Africa
and New Zealand. So
internationally and interstate,
a different formula is
going to have to be devised.
Speaking of the fast-paced
version of the game, we
have two very important
KFC Twenty20 Big Bash
games between the XXXX
GOLD Bulls and NSW on
Boxing Night, and then
against SA on 9 January.
We have prepared as best
we can for a sizeable ‘walkup’
portion of spectators on
game night. All facilities
will be open to sell tickets,
but that does not matter if
everyone turns up in the
last half an hour before the
game. It is just physically
impossible to get 20,000
people in during that short
time frame.
So please give yourself a
bit of time if you are planning
on coming. Remember,
these days we have to
do bag searches – they are
a necessity that has to be
done.
Once again, the word goes
out to please pre-purchase
your tickets. There are
safeguards in place with a
refund policy or ticket exchange
for other matches if
it is wet. It includes your
free transport and you only
have to queue up once at
the gates.
The KFC Twenty20 Big
Bash offers a wonderful opportunity
for both our players
and our organization. A
top two finish will elevate
the Bulls onto the world
stage for the Champions
League, where the financial
rewards are substantial for
the players, and the State
and national bodies.
This may well provide
cricket with an avenue to
answer some of the challenges
posed by the financial
rewards offered by
other sports, and football
codes in particular.
In the past, you really had
to make the 25-man Australian
contracted players
list on a regular basis to
compete, but now it’s a different
market.
The Twenty20 competitions
may see a much higher
proportion of athletes with
elite talents in dual sports
tumble our way, rather
than swing to the football
codes as many have done
in the past.
QUEENSLAND CRICKET - MAJOR CORPORATE PARTNERS

KFC TWENTY20 BIG BASH 4
MASSIVE INCENTIVES FOR BULLS TO PERFORM
Queensland is desperate
to break Victoria’s stranglehold
on the KFC
Twenty20 Big Bash title
when the month-long
championship begins on
Boxing Day.
Aside from the glory associated
with winning a
national title, there is
the added lure of a place
in the Champions
League which offers $6
million in prizemoney.
While this month’s inaugural
tournament was
cancelled due to the terrorism
in Mumbai, the
TV executives who paid
almost $1 billion for the
rights to televise the
Champions League and
Indian Premier League
matches are determined
for the concept to evolve
over the next decade.
The top two placegetters
in the Australian
competition earn the
right to proceed to the
Grant Sullivan sends down a thunderbolt last season
world stage, and that’s
just where the XXXX
GOLD Bulls are aiming.
Victoria – already
perched atop the Weet-
Bix Sheffield Shield and
FRC tables – have a phenomenal
record in the
20-over form of the
game. The Bushrangers
have won 12 of the 13
matches they have contested
and taken the title
in each of the three
years the competition
has been held. Their victories
have come against
WA last year, Tasmania
in 2006-07, and NSW in
the inaugural season.
Queensland have won
just three of their nine
matches and had two
others washed out, with
only SA faring worse
with two wins, eight
losses and one no result.
The Bulls face the additional
hurdle of playing
more games on the road
than at home, with the
Boxing Night competition
opener against NSW followed
by a Gabba clash
with SA on Friday
9 January.
Just two centuries have
been posted in the short
history of the KFC Twenty20
Big Bash. Victorian
Brad Hodge smashed
106 in the first final at
North Sydney in 2005-
06, while Tasmanian Michael
Dighton crunched
111 against NSW at
Homebush a year later.
Tasmanian George Bailey
has the fastest 50 in
history - 19 balls against
WA in Hobart in 2006-
07. Hodge hit the faster
of the tons off 49 balls.
Dighton has the rare
honour of holding both
the highest score and
best bowling figures in
the competition’s history
- he took 6-25
against Queensland in
Toowoomba in 2006-07.
The highest team total
remains Victoria’s 7-233
against NSW in the first
final, while SA’s 97
against WA in Adelaide
last year is the only sub-
100 team total to date.
QUEENSLAND TWENTY20 RECORDS
Highest Team Score
9-202 v Tas, Toowoomba, 06-07
Highest Individual Score
82, Clinton Perren v Tas, 06-07
Lowest Team Score
106 v Vic, MCG, 06-07
Best Bowling
5-27, Nathan Rimmington v Tas, 06-07

NEW FINALS
SYSTEM ADDS
TO THE DRAMA
The introduction of a
preliminary final is the
major change to the
structure of the KFC
Twenty20 Big Bash in
2008-09.
Previously the top two
ranked sides after the
qualifying rounds met in
the final, but now the
second-placed side hosts
third for the right to advance
to the final.
Every State plays each
other once, although the
XXXX GOLD Queensland
Bulls host just two of
their five matches this
season.
There is a
$32,000
prize for the Thur 8 Jan:
winners and
$16,000 for
the runnersup,
although
elevation to
the $6 million
Champions
League
scheduled
for next October is arguably
the greatest carrot
of all.
KFC has also offered
$3000 for the man of the
series, and will award
$1000 to the man of the
match in the final.
There’s even money to
be won by fans, with
$120 being presented to
every fan who catches a
KFC TWENTY20 BIG BASH 5
Full Big Bash Fixture List
Fri 26 Dec: Qld Bulls v NSW Blues Gabba*
Sun 28 Dec: Tas Tigers v Vic Bushrangers Hobart*
Sun 28 Dec: SA Redbacks v WA Warriors Adelaide
Tues 30 Dec: NSW Blues v WA Warriors Homebush
Thur 1 Jan: Tas Tigers v Qld Bulls Hobart*
Fri 2 Jan: Vic Bushrangers v SA Redbacks MCG*
Sun 4 Jan: Vic Bushrangers v Qld Bulls Geelong
Sun 4 Jan: WA Warriors v Tas Tigers WACA
Tues 6 Jan: SA Redbacks v NSW Blues Adelaide*
Vic Bushrangers v WA Warriors MCG*
Fri 9 Jan: Qld Bulls v SA Redbacks Gabba*
Mon 12 Jan: NSW Blues v Tas Tigers Homebush*
Thur 15 Jan: Tas Tigers v SA Redbacks Launceston*
Thurs 15 Jan: WA Warriors v Qld Bulls WACA
Sat 17 Jan: NSW Blues v Vic Bushrangers Homebush*
Prelim Final - Wed 21 Jan; Final - Sat 24 Jan
six during the two
matches at the Gabba on
26 December and
9 January.
The Bulls will likely need
to win all five games if
they are to finish top of
the table and cement a
final berth.
* Fox Sports coverage
There are no ties in
Twenty20 cricket, although
the format to decide
a winner has
changed this season in
the case of two States
finishing on the same
score.
Instead of a bowl-off,
where six bowlers from
each team try to hit the
stumps without a batsman
in front of them,
both teams face an over
each with the highest
scoring over deciding the
Aaron Nye will give good value
winner. Each bowler has
a maximum four overs in
a game, and only two
fielders are allowed outside
the inner circle for
the first five overs, and
five men thereafter.
GABBA GAMES
Gates Open: 5pm
Games Start: 6.45pm
Bookings
ticketmaster.com.au

KFC TWENTY20 BIG BASH 6
GOING … GOING … GONE !!!
Free-hitting XXXX GOLD Queensland Bulls players
Chris Simpson, Chris Hartley and Clinton
Perren took the novel approach of blasting
cricket balls from the Victoria Park Golf Course
driving range last week in preparation for the
upcoming KFC Twenty20 Big Bash competition.
Big hitting is the cornerstone of Twenty20
cricket and the trio decided to find out who
could smack the ball the furthest. And just how
far.
South African all-rounder Albie Morkel holds the
distinction of the longest recorded hit in the
hugely successful Indian Premier
League Twenty20 competition
in 2008.
Morkel hit a six for the Chennai
Super Kings that traveled
125m, according to ICC approved
technology. It was
1m longer than a blow landed by Bangalore’s
Praven Kumar and 6m better than a lusty blow
by New Zealand international Ross Taylor.
Indian master blaster Yuvraj Singh held the record
for the longest six at the 2007 and only
Twenty20 World Cup. His 119-metre blast in the
semi-final against Australia topped Pakistani
Misbah-ul-Haq’s 111m effort.
The third best blow of the T20 World Cup belonged
to Queenslander Matthew Hayden, who
pummeled one of his numerous sixes 110m.
Any six that measures in three figures at the
Gabba will go a long way into the grandstand. It
is 69m to the ‘straight’ fence from the middle of
the ground, and 78 metres ‘square’.
The international guidelines for Twenty20 cricket
require that the ropes are a minimum 60m from
the pitch, so there should be plenty of sixes hit
in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
With balls being thrown at the batsmen rather
than bowled at pace on the top level of the picturesque
Victoria Park driving range, all three
Bulls struggled for their timing.
Simpson did monster one ball close to 110m,
while Hartley (pictured far left) was most consistent
with several of his hits landing at around
103m. And one of his shots plonked just metres
from the pin on the 100m green.
Perren, pictured above, switch-hit to left-handed
for the photographers on the day and managed
to hit the ball almost as far on his ‘wrong’ side.
Simpson was also asked to
try and hit a tennis ball off
the tee (pictured centre,
above) and almost decapitated
the cameramen in the
process as the ball sliced
away.

The emergence of
Chris Swan as a
player of class, the
resurrection of Lee
Carseldine as a
batsman of great
talent, and the
presence of Ryan
Harris as recruit of
the year has made
a huge impact on
the XXXX GOLD
Queensland Bulls.
An outright victory in the
current match against
Tasmania in Hobart would
see the Queenslanders
entrenched in the top two
in the Weet-Bix Sheffield
Shield going into Christmas,
a far cry from the
struggles of last summer.
Swan’s 73 not out in
monsoonal conditions in
the season-opener
against Tasmania was vital
to a morale-boosting
victory, and his wickets
have mostly come at important
times.
Carseldine continues to
get better with each outing
and his 152 against
SA at the Gabba late last
month took him to the
top of the Bulls’ batting
averages.
Harris (pictured) is right
in contention to be leading
wicket-taker
for the entire
competition and
has instantly
become an integral
part of the
side.
Ashley Noffke
had been in
WEET-BIX SHEFFIELD SHIELD COMPETITION 7
BELLIGERENT BULLS MAKE BRIGHT START
MOST RUNS
Runs Player (State) Ave
775: Michael Klinger (SA) 96.87
621: Chris Rogers (Vic) 88.71
521: Phil Hughes (NSW) 57.88
480: Marcus North (WA) 53.33
370: Luke Pomersbach (WA) 37.00
Queenslanders
307: Ryan Broad 34.11
299: Lee Carseldine 59.80
239: Martin Love 34.14
James
Hopes
Ryan
Harris
WEET-BIX SHEFFIELD SHIELD TABLE
State P WO WI LO LI D Pts
Victoria 6 4 2 0 0 2 28
Queensland 5 3 0 2 0 0 18
WestAust 6 2 0 3 1 1 12
Tasmania 5 2 0 3 0 0 12
Sth Aust 5 1 1 1 2 3 6
NSW 5 0 1 3 1 2 2
*Top 2 qualify for Shield final
MOST WICKETS
Wkts Player (State) Ave
25: Brett Geeves (Tas) 20.80
22: Dirk Nannes (Vic) 19.85
22: Steve Magoffin (WA) 22.27
22: Ryan Harris (Qld) 27.68
20: Ben Hilfenhaus (Tas) 19.30
Other Queenslanders
16: Ashley Noffke 16.43
16: James Hopes 24.75
12: Chris Swan 25.66
wonderful form too until
being sidelined by a back
injury, and his return after
Christmas will make
the side stronger again.
Top order batsmen Ryan
Broad and Martin Love
have both contributed key
centuries and Nick Kruger
put his hand
up for an
extended
run as
opener with
a fine double
in Sydney.
Victories
in Sydney
and
Perth have been a
huge boost for the
Bulls, who have
two home and
two away games
after the Christmas/KFC
Twenty20
Big Bash
break.
The Gabba clash
with WA from
30 January to 2
February will be huge,
while the remaining
matches are against SA
(away), NSW (home) and
Victoria (away). Recruits
have made a marked impression
on the first half
of the season, with former
Victorian Michael
Klinger dominating for
SA, and ex-Warrior Chris
Rogers plundering plenty
of runs for Victoria.
The Bulls, Vics and WA
are all in contention for
the Triple Crown — winning
the Shield, Ford
Ranger Cup and KFC
Twenty 20 titles.

XXXX GOLD QUEENSLAND BULLS PROFILE 8
HARTLEY READY TO GLOVE ALL HIS CHANCES
Dynamic XXXX GOLD
Bulls wicketkeeper Chris
Hartley has shone with
bat and gloves over the
opening three months of
the Australia first class
season, and his timing
couldn’t be better.
With an Ashes tour looming
midway through next
year and new national
keeper Brad Haddin still
to cement his place in the
team, Hartley is mounting
a case to be chosen as
the No.2 keeper at least
for the England trip.
After making a century on
debut for the Bulls in
2003-04 and accumulating
473 runs in his first
full season in 2005-06,
Hartley’s batting waned in
the following two years.
However, three key innings
have seen him post
207 runs at a tick under
30 in some difficult match
conditions this summer,
while his glovework has
been top class. Hartley
made 55 in a 135-run
partnership with Chris
Swan that won the
opening Weet-Bix Sheffield
Shield game
against Tasmania,
crafted 50 not out at
No.9 against WA in the
second innings at the
WACA that took the
Bulls to a decent rather
than paltry lead, and
cracked 75 in the second
innings against SA
recently before running
out of partners.
“In the off-season I
worked really hard on a
couple of technical
things and mental barriers
that I’ve had for the
last few seasons,” Hartley
said.
“I’ve freed up my strokeplay
and been a bit more
instinctive. Basically I’m
just going out and batting.
It’s certainly heading
in the right direction and
with a bit more hard work
James
Hopes
Chris
Hartley
it will get there.”
No batsman scored more
than 34 aside from Hartley
and Swan in the Tasmania
game, where torrents
of rain and a heavy
Gabba atmosphere made
batting a nightmare.
“Sometimes conditions
take the pressure away,”
Hartley reasoned.
“You’re expected to
struggle in overcast
conditions and with a
green tinged pitch, so
you go out, relax and
watch the ball.
“You bat like you’ve
got nothing to lose
and I was able to do
that.”
Hartley’s efforts with
the bat have been
more impressive considering
he has come
in regularly at No.9.
“I’d like to be batting
up the order, but the
fact the team is so strong
means I’ve just got to
make the most of my opportunities,”
he said.
Importantly, the greatest
public accolades for Hartley
came out of Sydney
last month when he became
just the second
wicketkeeper in Queensland
history alongside
Wade Seccombe to make
10 dismissals in a match
on two occasions.
His eight catches and two
stumpings on a tricky,
turning SCG wicket
earned rave reviews from
skipper Chris Simpson
and his teammates, and
generated some positive
press.
Given that most of his
matches are played at the
bouncy Gabba, his
adaptability was particularly
impressive.
“It’s a challenge that I
really look forward to,”
Hartley said of the SCG.
“It’s such a good test of
your skills.
“While it was great to
take wickets down there,
the fact I didn’t miss a
catch was important to
me.” Hartley admitted his
glove work had been insync
all season.
Continued page 9

XXXX GOLD QUEENSLAND BULLS PROFILE (continued) 9
From page 8
“I’m very happy with the
way I’m gloving the ball
and I’m really enjoying
my cricket,” he said. “I’m
getting plenty of catches,
which says the bowlers
are doing a good job.”
In fact, Hartley had 28
dismissals going into the
current rematch with Tasmania
in Hobart, only
eight short of last year’s
full season total. It puts
him on target to challenge
his best ever season
haul of 58 in his first
full year in 2005-06.
Hartley went into this
game needing just eight
catches to bring up 200
first class catches for
Queensland and nine dismissals
for 200 Shield
dismissals for the Bulls,
Clinton Perren and Chris Hartley get some KFC Twenty20 Big
Bash practice at the Victoria Park Golf Course Driving Range.
which will make him just
the sixth Queenslander to
achieve the feat.
With such impressive credentials,
Hartley admits
the thought of a baggy
green cap does crop up
often. “It’s never out of
your mind. My goal is to
play cricket for Australia,”
he said matter-of-factly.
“Having said that, if you
worry about getting representation
at a higher
level each time you go
out to play, you will put
too much pressure on and
miss out anyway.”
However, he knows what
he has to do. “It’s the old
cliché - runs and catches
are the currency that selectors
like,” he said.
Still only 26, Hartley will
be a key member of the
Bulls’ quest for a top two
placing in the upcoming
KFC Twenty20 Big Bash
competition to qualify for
the Champions League
competition, which would
provide a world stage to
showcase his skills.
For the moment, he is
looking no further than
the Boxing Night opener
against NSW at the
Gabba. And he is unfazed
by the scheduling, which
sees the Bulls play the
day after Christmas, and
on New Year’s Day in Tasmania.
“It’s part and parcel of
being a professional cricketer
in the domestic competition,”
he said. “We
get a pretty good rest at
the end of the season and
we have been planning
for this since the start.
It’s actually pretty exciting
to be playing over the
holiday period.
“I really hope we get a
crowd on Boxing Night
like we did to the NSW
game at the Gabba a couple
of years ago. It seems
to me that Twenty20 is
what the public really like
at the moment and there
are no better conditions
than playing NSW on a
warm night at the
Gabba.”

FORD RANGER CUP 710
WINNING STREAK TAKES BULLS TO THE TOP
The XXXX GOLD Queensland
Bulls will enter the
festive season well and
truly in Ford Ranger Cup
title contention after they
claimed three gutsy wins
on the trot before the
Christmas break.
Telling comebacks
against New South Wales
and South Australia, and
a vital away win over Tasmania
has seen the Bulls
grab top spot on the table
with 19 points (at the time
of publication).
The Bulls displayed good
early form, with an impressive
126 from Lee
Carseldine and figures of
6-23 from Ben Laughlin
catapulting them to a double
bonus-point win over
NSW in Cairns.
But Queensland was unable
to claim any points
from their next two
matches, making the return
fixture against the
Blues in Sydney crucial.
That match started poorly
with Aaron Bird, leading
LEADING RUN-SCORERS
371: Michael Dighton @ 46.37
363: Michael Klinger @ 72.60
333: Lee Carseldine @ 47.57
311: David Warner @ 77.75
300: Daniel Marsh @ 50.00
Other Queenslanders
228: Clint Perren @ 32.57
218: Nathan Reardon @ 36.33
205: James Hopes @ 34.16
wicket-taker of the competition,
claiming 5-26 to
see the Bulls rolled for a
lowly 177.
But an inspired Queensland
outfit was able to
turn the match on its
head, with Chris Swan
(3-28) and skipper Chris
Simpson (2-32) landing
key blows en route to a
miraculous 24-run win.
The Bulls produced another
epic comeback in
their match against SA, inflicting
a collapse of 9-68
to see the Redbacks all
out for 205.
A free-hitting James Hopes
(75) was then able to
thrust the home side to a
FORD RANGER
CUP TABLE
Team P W L T BP Pts
Qld 7 4 3 0 3 19
Vic 5 4 1 0 1 17
Tas 8 3 4 1 2 16
SA 7 3 4 0 1 13
WA 5 3 2 0 0 12
NSW 8 2 5 1 1 11
bonus-point victory in the
rain-affected game at the
Gabba.
Man of the match figures
of 3-17 from Swan then
helped Queensland gamely
defend 238 against Tasmania,
with the visitors
only just missing out on a
bonus point.
Swan has looked dangerous
swinging the shiny ball
throughout the season,
forming a formidable newball
partnership with Ryan
Harris in the absence of
injured all-rounder Ashley
Noffke.
Carseldine (333 runs),
Clinton Perren (228) and
Hopes (205) have all been
amongst the runs, while
the form of 24-year-old
Nathan Reardon (218),
who again represented
Australia in the Hong Kong
Sixes tournament this
year, is an exciting sign
for the future.
Victoria looms as the major
stumbling block to
Queensland finishing the
2008/09 season in top position
and hosting the Final
(22 February) at the
Gabba.
The Bushrangers are in
second position on 17
points, but have two
games in hand, like Western
Australia (12 points),
who also loom large as a
threat. The Bulls will play
TOP WICKET-TAKERS
18: Aaron Bird @ 17.61
13: Brendan Drew @ 29.53
12: Ben Laughlin @ 16.25
12: Brett Geeves @ 21.50
10: Shane Harwood @ 14.50
Other Queenslanders
8: Chris Swan @ 15.50
7: James Hopes @ 20.57
7: Ryan Harris @ 37.00
two season-defining
games in the New Year.
Their next one-day match
is at home against the
Warriors on 28 January,
before they lock horns
with the Bushrangers in a
tough trip to the MCG on
13 February.
Queensland has the benefit
of playing the last preliminary
fixture of the season
(18 February against
SA), meaning they will
know exactly what is required
to make and/or
host the
final,
should
they be in
contention.

CRICKET INNOVATION
TENNIS MAN FIRES AN ACE TO THE BULLS
11
An innovative concept devised
by world tennis tour
veteran Andrew Kratzmann
is playing a small part in
the XXXX GOLD Bulls acing
the opposition this summer.
The former world No.13
doubles player has spent
time in the practice nets
hammering down lightning
fast serves at the Bulls
batsmen.
Designed to test the footwork,
reflexes and technique
of the Bulls top order,
Kratzmann has played the
‘chin music’ without the associated
pain if the batsman
is hit.
Pace ace Ashley Noffke saw
Kratzmann at work firing
down 180kmh in-swingers,
out-swingers and bouncers
with his tennis racquet at
their club training with the
Sunshine Coast Scorchers
and immediately passed on
the information to Bulls
coach Trevor Barsby.
The added value of the tennis
exercise is that Kratzmann,
who is a handy
enough cricketer to play
First Grade for the Scorchers,
lands the ball perfectly
five times out of six.
Kratzmann’s tennis-cricket
inspiration occurred when
he was watching a lightning
fast spell of bowling by
Australian quick Brett Lee
on TV at his family property
at Windera in the South
Burnett.
"Mike Young has really
helped Australian fielders in
the way they stretch their
arms back before letting
the ball go," Kratzmann
said of the former national
baseball coach who has
revolutionized fielding in
world cricket.
“If the Australian side has
achieved success from this,
there's no reason why a
tennis coach can't help out
in the same manner."
Barsby first enlisted Kratzmann’s
services in the
Andrew Kratzmann shows his unique training program.
Picture courtesy South Burnett Times
lead-up to the WACA clash
with WA last month after
the Bulls had been bounced
into submission by a hostile
Victorian attack at the
Gabba.
Opener Ryan Broad scored
a century, wicketkeeper
Chris Hartley a valuable
half century, and Noffke
himself got 40 in an impressive
127-run victory.
Century makers Lee
Carseldine and Martin Love
also handled the South
Australian pace attack with
aplomb in the subsequent
game, despite the Bulls losing
to the Redbacks.
Kratzmann's presence did
draw some mixed reactions
in the first instance. "At
first, Andrew Symonds was
apprehensive - he was asking
what the purpose of
getting me in there was all
about,” Kratzmann told The
South Burnett Times. "But
even with his shoulder injury,
James Hopes was so
keen to get in there and
have a crack at facing my
serves."
The tennis player sent
down more than 1000 balls
in the session, and even
won over Symonds.
"He enjoyed it, besides
when I hit him in the midriff,"
Kratzmann laughed.
"He was the best batsman I
served against in the team.
“There was one ball I
served to him at around
180kmh, full and at his
toes. He kept it out and he
was pretty excited about
that."

When you dismiss the
world’s best batter twice in
the space of a month either
side of your 16 th birthday,
your future sure looks
bright.
That’s certainly the case for
left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen,
who made a highly encouraging
WNCL debut for
the Konica Minolta Queensland
Fire at the start of the
month.
Jonassen took 2-21 off
eight controlled overs in the
second game of the doubleheader
against NSW, snaring
the key wickets of gun
players Lisa Sthalekar and
Ellyse Perry.
Sthalekar, the 2007 International
Women’s Player of
the Year, was a memorable
first scalp, although
she had also fallen victim
to the guile of Jonassen
previously when the Rockhampton
teen was representing
Australia’s Under
21s against the open side.
“It was a pretty massive
wicket,” said a thrilled
Jonassen, who had
watched Sthalekar, well
set on 40, hit across the
line of a well pitched delivery
and put it into the
hands of Jude Coleman at
mid-wicket.
Perry, the rising star of the
Breakers line-up, didn’t last
nearly as long. “It was quite
funny – when she came out
to bat I thought ‘I’d like to
get her out too’,” Jonassen
remembered.
Unfortunately the Fire
dropped both games, but
not before Jonassen announced
herself as a player
of great potential.
Batting at No.11 in the first
game, she went to the
WOMEN’S NATIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE 12
TEENAGER MAKING A BIG IMPRESSION
Jess Jonassen … a Fire
star of the future.
Picture courtesy
Morning Bulletin
crease with her side in huge
trouble at 9-85 but hit 12
not out off 16 balls in an
unbeaten 23-run stand with
Delissa Kimmince before
the overs ran out.
“I was a bit edgy on the
way to the ground and it
helped a bit that we batted
first so I could just watch at
the start,” she said. “It’s always
fun batting with
‘Dee’ – we played one year
in the (State) Under 19s
and we tend to chat a fair
bit on the nets.”
The Breakers top order
helped themselves to 21
runs off her three overs in
that first game, before
Jonassen hit back with a
vengeance in the second.
It was an even better
performance considering
Jonassen still lives in central
Queensland, attends
high school at Emmaus
College, and only trains
intermittently with the Fire.
“I get down to Brisbane as
much as I can and the team
have been really good – I
was a bit worried how I
would fit in but they are a
great bunch of girls. It’s a
bit weird because most are
so much older than me and
I grew up idolizing them.”
Jonassen alternates between
the Under 16 boys
competition, and Second
and Third Grade men’s
competitions in Rockhampton,
having top scored with
34 for the Thirds recently
and taken 3-20 with the
Seconds a fortnight ago.
She heads to Melbourne for
the first time this weekend
and a key double-header
against Victoria, having
spent the past week with
the Queensland Second XI
CA Cup side in Hobart.
“We took a lot out of the
way we fought back against
NSW and if you look at
other results, we still can be
right up there,” Jonassen
said.
The Fire stunned the Spirit
twice in Melbourne last year
and a repeat performance
would put them right in the
hunt for second place.

Beenleigh/Logan must
have enjoyed their first
taste of XXXX GOLD Grade
finals action last summer
because they head the table
after six completed
rounds of the 2008-09 season.
The transfer of XXXX GOLD
Bulls star Lee Carseldine
from Valley had an immediate
impact, with the voracious
run-scorer joining
the prolific Daniel Payne in
plundering opposition attacks.
The only outright win of the
season, achieved against
Sunshine Coast, helped the
Cutters to top position, although
effectively one
game separates first from
fifth.
Reigning premiers Wests,
multiple title winners
across three competitions
University, and talentladen
Gold Coast are all in
contention to repeat last
season’s top four placings.
Talented University allrounder
Craig Philipson,
dropped from the Bulls’
roster at the end of last
summer, sits second on the
batting aggregate and is
fifth leading wicket-taker in
XXXX GOLD GRADE COMPETITION 13
CUTTERS LEAD BUT BIG GUNS WELL PLACED
Craig
Philipson
XXXX GOLD FIRST GRADE PREMIERSHIP TABLE
Team P WO W1 L1 LO D Pts
Beenleigh/Logan 6 1 3 1 - 1 85.80
Gold Coast 6 - 5 1 - - 80.54
S’gate-Redcliffe 6 - 4 1 - 1 79.29
University 6 - 4 2 - - 76.54
————————————————————————————————
Western Suburbs 6 - 3 - - 3 74.84
Wynnum-Manly 6 - 3 2 - 1 67.04
Redlands 6 - 3 2 - 1 61.38
Sunshine Coast 6 - 2 2 1 1 56.55
South Brisbane 6 - 1 4 - 1 48.14
Northern Suburbs 6 - 1 4 - 1 44.85
Toombul 6 - 1 5 - - 37.61
Valley 6 - 0 6 - - 27.54
what has been a stellar
pre-Christmas spell.
The big mover has been
Sandgate-Redcliffe, who
have reaped the benefits of
the return to fitness of
speedster Nathan Rimmington
and clever work of
spinner Matthew Anderson.
Rimmington not only sits
second on wicket-taking
list but he is averaging
47.4 with the bat.
LEADING RUNSCORERS
512 at 73.14: Daniel Payne (BL)
478 at 79.67: Craig Philipson (Uni)
388 at 97.00: Lee Carseldine (BL)
386 at 55.14: Wade Townsend (NS)
382 at 54.57: Michael Wells-Peris (SB)
LEADING WICKET-TAKERS
30 at 15.17: Jason Voros (T)
24 at 16.89: Nathan Rimmington (SR)
21 at 17.14: Matthew Anderson (SR)
19 at 12.89: Michael Durbridge (GC)
18 at 12.50: Craig Philipson (Uni)
Wests paceman Cameron
Glass has also excelled
with the bat, scoring 299
runs at 74.75, while snaring
a combined 33 wickets
with teammate Ryan Emmerson.
Toombul paceman Jason
Voros has produced a massive
opening half of the
season, ploughing through
198 overs – 70 more than
the next most used bowler,
Anderson. Voros has taken
30 wickets and is set to become
just the third man in
the last 30 years to break
the 50-wicket barrier in a
season.
Powerhouse clubs University
and Wests are also in
contention for the
Cougar Rum one-day
title after reaching
the semi-final stage.
The two sides will
square off on 1 February,
at the same
time as Toombul and
Redlands do battle to
ensure a ‘new’ face
will advance to the
final.
The semi-finalists
have also been determined
in the newly named but
rain-affected Edev Twenty20
competition, with Gold
Coast, Uni, Redlands and
Wynnum-Manly advancing.
Daniel
Payne

THE 3 MOBILE GABBA TEST 14
MEMORABLE HOMECOMING FOR JOHNSON
Mitchell Johnson returned
to his home state of
Queensland in special
fashion last month, piloting
Australia to a comfortable
149-run win over New
Zealand in the opening 3
Mobile Test of the summer
at the Gabba.
Johnson (right), who
crossed over to Western
Australia during the offseason
to be with his girlfriend
Jessica Bratich,
claimed his first ever Test
match five-wicket haul as
he made light work of the
Black Caps batsmen.
Johnson wrapped up the
match early on Day 4
when he rattled Chris Martin’s
stumps, giving him a
return of 5-39, match figures
of 9-69 and welldeserved
man of the
match honours.
The 27-year-old, born and
raised in Townsville, admitted
to feelings of nostalgia
after his homecoming
match.
"Last time I played here
was my first Test,” he
said. “This is definitely one
of the best wickets going
around. I love bowling on
it."
Johnson was one of four
Queenslanders to take
centre stage in Brisbane,
with Andrew Symonds returning
to the fold, joining
Matthew Hayden (pictured
right) and Shane Watson
in wearing the Baggy
Green. The match was
Hayden’s 99 th Test and
possibly the 37-year-old’s
last in Brisbane. An overall
crowd of 38,753 was on
hand to cheer the Kingaroy-born
left-hander.
It was the second-biggest
attendance for a Trans-
Tasman Test at the
Gabba - a fair achievement
considering the match
lasted only three days and
48 minutes - and the damaging
storms that battered
Brisbane in the lead up to
the game.
Heavy rain fell in the week
before the match and violent
winds damaged a section
of the roof at the
Gabba, leaving ground
staff no option but to close
an area of the grandstand.
On field, the match ebbed
and flowed as both sides
struggled for fluency with
the willow.
New Zealand skipper
Daniel Vettori won the toss
and had no hesitation in
sending the home side in.
Unheralded young paceman
Tim Southee vindicated
Vettori’s decision
quick-smart, snaring figures
of 4-63 to see Australia
routed for 214 late on
day one, with Michael
Clarke crafting a measured
98.
Symonds showed glimpses
of his entertaining best in
his return to the national
side after missing the tour
to India, crashing three
consecutive boundaries off
of Grant Elliott. He later
became only the third
batsman in Test history to
score eight runs off one
ball before finally falling
for 26.
A staggering 16 wickets
fell on the second day as
the home side started to
take control of the match,
with Johnson’s first innings
haul of 4-30 helping restrict
the Black Caps to a
modest 156.
A defiant Simon Katich
then grabbed the game by
the scruff of the neck,
reaching stumps on Day 2
unbeaten on 67, with Australia
precariously placed
at 6-131. Katich continued
his stubborn work on Day
3, finishing unbeaten on
131 and becoming the first
Australian to carry his bat
for more than a decade,
while setting New Zealand
a difficult 327 for victory.
The visitors slipped to 6-
143 at stumps before
Johnson wasted little time
in delivering the killer blow
on Day 4.

The one and only appearance
of Test and ODI ranked No.2
nation South Africa in Brisbane
this summer occurs on
13 January for a KFC International
against Australia.
The South Africans arrived on
Australian shores this month
confident of achieving the
best result ever by their nation
in almost 100 years of
touring, and the Proteas will
be aggressive across all
forms of the game.
Australia have a mediocre
Twenty20 record compared
to their lofty standing at the
top of the world rankings in
both Test and one-day
cricket.
Australia has never won more
than two games in a row in
Andrew Symonds
the helterskelter
form of the
game, nor
lost more
than two in
a row.
The national
side has won eight and
lost seven of its 15 contests
since its first ever match in
2004-05, against New Zealand
in Auckland.
Australia have met South Africa
on just the two occasions,
and within a month of
each other.
The Australians romped to a
95-run win against a tired
Proteas outfit at the Gabba in
early 2006, then lost by two
runs in Johannesburg.
AUSTRALIA AT THE GABBA 15
SOLE OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE SPEED DEMON
SOUTH AFRICANS
Michael Clarke has played in
14 of Australia’s 15 T20s, one
more than Andrew Symonds,
who has plundered 337 runs
at the remarkable average of
56.17 and at a strike rate of
170.20.
However, no Australian has
scored a century in this form
of the game. Ricky Ponting’s
98 not out in the first match
four years ago is the highest.
KFC International
Twenty20
Australia v South Africa
Tuesday
13 January 2009
At the Gabba
Plays Starts 6.35pm
Tickets
1300 136 122 or
ticketmaster.com.au
Leading one-day bowler Nathan
Bracken has been Australia’s
most successful
paceman
in T20 Internationals,
with 15
victims at 16.87
and a best of 3-
11.
No Australian
bowler has ma naged five
wickets in an innings. The
best bowling belongs to Stuart
Clark, who took 4-20
against Sri Lanka at the Cape
Town Twenty20 World Cup
last year.
For South Africa, Graeme
Smith has played most
games (12) and scored most
runs (364 at 36.40) for his
country.
However, Herschelle Gibbs
has the honour of the highest
score – a phenomenal 190
not out against the West Indies
in Johannesburg in
2007-08. Smith’s highest
score is 89 not out.
Morne Morkel is the most
successful of the current crop
of bowlers, having taken 10
wickets at 14.2 and an economy
rate of 5.92 runs per
over. Express paceman Dale
Steyn has played just the two
International T20 games,
with a best of 4-9.
ODI LAST CHANCE
The last chance to see the
Australian team in action at
the Gabba for the 2008-09
summer will be on Tuesday
13 February.
Ricky Ponting’s men will
meet New Zealand in the
fifth and final match of the
five-game Commonwealth
Bank Series against New
Zealand.
Australia is playing five
matches against South Africa
and then five against
New Zealand in a departure
from the Triangular series
that has been a feature of
the last two decades.
The day/night ODI at the
Gabba starts at 1.15pm.
Tickets are available now
from ticketmaster.com.au or
by phoning 1300 136 122.

Fast bowler Ashley Renouf
is hopeful a maiden berth
in the Queensland Imparja
Cup side for the 2008-09
national Indigenous titles in
Alice Springs could be the
start of bigger things.
Renouf, the cousin of former
rugby league great
Steve Renouf, is from
Maryborough and caught
the eye of selectors following
comprehensive
State-wide trials.
The 24-year-old has
played cricket around the
State and is optimistic his
latest representative
berth will be the first step
towards higher representation.
“It means a lot to me (to
represent Queensland),
hopefully it gets me on the
road to playing for the
Bulls,” Renouf said.
Renouf can take inspiration
from Worrin Williams, who
is currently rookiecontracted
to the Bulls after
representing his state in
the Imparja Cup. Renouf
believes it is all about
‘’doing the hard yards to
get there.’’
The quick, who works as a
General Duties Officer for
Maryborough Police, has
been doing plenty of that.
Renouf started his cricket
career as a junior in Brisbane
with Inala before
shifting to Wests when he
was 16.
Last season he took part in
the Sunshine Coast A
Grade competition, before
moving to Maryborough,
where he now plays for
INDIGENOUS CRICKET 16
RENOUF LOOKS TO IMPARJA AS SPRINGBOARD
Queensland’s winning
2007-08 Imparja Cup team
Past Grammars, in addition
to Fraser Coast and Wide
Bay representative sides.
Renouf is one of four new
faces in the 2008-09 squad
that will be looking to
maintain Queensland’s fine
Imparja Cup record.
Queensland is the defending
titleholder and
has won four of the five
titles contested annually.
Renouf joins Wynnum-
Manly’s Cameron Trask,
Toombul’s Mark Thompson
and young Ingham
product Trent Clemments
as the inclusions
in the squad that will
again be captained by
19-year-old Townsville
wicket-keeper Bradley
Stout.
Once again coach Michael
Mainhardt will be in charge
of a youthful squad, with
eight of the 13 players being
aged 19 or younger,
headlined by 16-year-old
Clemments.
Clemments won a spot
through the Australia Post
Queensland Cricket Emerging
Players scheme, having
been identified as a promising
player through the
Eddie Gilbert Indigenous
talent ID program.
Former Queensland Country
allrounder Keith Charles
will make a return to the
Queensland squad after a
four-year absence.
Charles, a former first
grade player with Norths in
Brisbane, was a member of
the 2004-05 Queensland
Country team that won the
Australian Country championships
in Lismore.
The Oakey 33-year-old last
played in the Imparja Cup
in 2005 and will provide
valuable experience.
Queensland Cricket specialist
programs co-ordinator
Nev Paulsen said this
year’s selection had been a
challenging one due to the
number of players to consider.
“It’s very encouraging to
see the growth in Queensland’s
playing depth and
strength and the trials we
conducted around the State
produced a number of very
good players for us to look
at,’’ he said.
“It’s also exciting to note
that a number of the players
in the squad are being
picked in State and regional
representative
teams away from the Imparja
Cup, so the opportunities
for greater exposure
for Indigenous players is
on the rise.
The Queensland squad for the
2008-09 Imparja Cup from
11-16 February is: Bradley
Stout (Townsville, c), Nigel
Beer (Mackay), Will Davis
(Beenleigh/Logan), Ben Mainhardt
(Northern Suburbs),
Eddie Mills-Grant (Sandgate-
Redcliffe), Michael Strange
(Northern Suburbs), Chris
Swain (Rockhampton), Preston
White (Toombul), Cameron
Trask (Wynnum-Manly), Ashley
Renouf (Wide Bay), Mark
Thompson (Toombul), Keith
Charles (Oakey), Trent Clemments
(Ingham). Coaches:
Michael Mainhardt, Joe Marsh.