Inaugural U16 Maher-Love Trophy to Showcase Country Cricket Talent

The teams participating in the tournament have been selected based on performances over the last 12 to 18 months of community cricket, as well as performance in the Bulls Masters Youth Cup competition. The tournament, which has been championed by Queensland Country Cricket President, Kevin Maher, will see a North Queensland side face their South Queensland counterparts for the Maher-Love Trophy, named after Queensland cricket legends Jimmy Maher (Cairns) and Martin Love (Mundubbera), who both started their careers in Northern and Southern Country towns respectively.

Whilst no country state team will be selected from the fixture, players will be spread into one of the four teams competing at the Stage 2 State U16 carnival, providing them with the chance to further impress selectors and potentially earn a spot in the State U17 Training Squad.

Queensland Cricket State Talent Manager - Junior Pathways, Tony Hampson, described the benefits of providing regional participants additional opportunities to connect with Queensland Cricket’s talent pathways.

He said, “These players don’t have the same opportunity to access some of the programs that most metropolitan participants do, so providing a platform to stretch themselves is very important for their development,”

“Ideally we see more of these kids getting selected in the Queensland U17 training squad, as well as introducing them to the Queensland Country pathway.” He continued.

This inaugural competition marks a milestone for country cricket in Queensland, providing a platform for talented young players to shine and potentially pave their way to future cricketing success. While this is the first year of the tournament, Queensland Cricket, and the Queensland Country Cricket Association are hopeful that it will become a regular fixture, further highlighting the depth of talent in country cricket.

TEAM LISTS

NORTH QUEENSLAND

SOUTH QUEENSLAND