Skelly Leads Charge For Maroons

The 26-year-old Canberra recruit dominated Tasmania as Queensland competed an unbeaten season in the Second XI competition, winning four matches outright.

Skelly claimed 6-62 in the first innings and 7-47 in the second dig by the visitors as Queensland won by 147 runs, in a match that also featured a match-defining 153no by Gold Coast allrounder Callum Taylor in Queensland's first innings.

Taylor was born in Wales and raised on the Gold Coast where he has been a regular for the Dolphins across a career that has seen him first class, List A and T20 cricket for Glamorgan in England.

Skelly, who moved to Brisbane from Canberra during the off-season and played with Norths in the KFC T20 Max, made his first class debut in round three of the Sheffield Shield against NSW at the Gabba and went on to play for the Prime Minister's XI against the touring English team in his home town.

A right-arm pace bowler, he has previously played Premier Grade cricket in Sydney and Toyota Second XI cricket for the ACT Comets.

This summer he has taken 27 wickets in three Second XI games for Queensland as well as a furtrher four wickets for the ACT in two Second XI matches.

Queensland was in a tricky spot in its first innings with Tasmania making inroads into the top order to have the home side 5-136 after Scott Palombo had made 57.

But the 27-year-old Taylor weathered the storm and formed key partnerships with wicket-keeper Isaiah Snell (56) and recent Shield debutant Sam Geyer (79no) as Queensland fought back to declare at 7-419 part way through the second day.

Skelly, allrounder Steve McGiffin 2-19 and Zac McDermott (1-36) combined to dismiss Tasmania for 272.

Queensland chased quick runs with a view to declaring late in the day and McGiffin delivered an ideal platform as he scored 75no with the home team declaring at 9-187.

On a scorching final day, Skelly's heroics with the ball delivered the ideal result for Queensland to cap off an outstanding Second XI season.