The Brisbane Premier League announce junior and senior players of inaugural season FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 14 JUNE 2021 – Over three weekends, the Brisbane Premier League (BPL) hosted the inaugural senior auction and junior drafts resulting in final team selections for the first year of the competition. Energy was high from the get-go as the auction took place and it well exceeded the expectations of two of the BPL co-founders Joel Hamilton and Nick Fitzpatrick. “We’ve been overwhelmed with support and praise for the senior auction and junior drafts from both players, their families and fans. When we started the Australian Premier League we always set out to create a platform for players to showcase their talent in a format that their heroes play and also give them an overall experience of the elite aspects of the game. We can’t wait to see all the selected players in action this August and September,” Hamilton said. The senior auction took place at The Gabba where all eight franchises fought for their most sought after senior players, with Queensland country player from Toowoomba Chris Gillam the first to be picked up by the Darling Dingoes for $90,000. “I’m very excited to be the first player auctioned off in the BPL. This will be a fantastic tournament and one I’m really looking forward to playing in,” Gillam said. The player to receive the highest bid was former Queensland Bulls first class cricketer Steve Paulsen who was picked up by the Western Power for $1.02 million. “The auction was an exciting concept that no one has been through before and it just shows how quickly it can escalate if you have a few teams chasing a specific skill set of a player. I didn't expect to go anywhere near that price being one of the oldest blokes in the auction,” said Paulsen. The junior draft days took place at Allan Border Field where team owners came to find the best of Queensland’s nominated players. With only 15 seconds to make their selections, pressure was high but excitement was certainly in the air. “Finding country diamonds was a priority for the Northern Kings. We spoke to so many parents and the common thread was that they had never experienced such hype around a cricket concept before and that they would definitely make the trip to Brisbane if drafted. It’s important for players to have the experience of a draft and then the opportunity to play in a modern competition without the constant pressure of selection. Our scouts and coaches have been busy, that's for sure!” Healy said. This was also a chance for the female U/19 cricketers to be given a spotlight in the competition with a number of trailblazers being drafted. A powerful opening keeper/batsman who is happy to deal in boundaries and sixes, Jess Bradley started playing cricket with the U/7 Ferny Fireballs. At 13 years of age, she made her first-grade debut and is approaching 100 Katherine Raymont Shield games. Representative selection for Qld U15’s, Cricket Australia and Captain of the Northern Territory U18’s has given Bradley a taste of higher-level cricket and allowed her to develop her leadership skills. “The thing I like most about cricket is the feeling when you have nailed the shot and the ball is sailing to the boundary. I’m so excited to join the Moreton Magic as a trailblazer to mentor, encourage and to create a vibrant culture within the women's team. Most of all, I’m looking forward to playing alongside some of the best up-and-coming talent in women’s cricket,” Bradley said. The full list of selected male and female players for U/12, U/13, U/15, U/17, U/19 and Senior can be found here. Junior Priority Picks A player who franchises see as a person they can build their team around on and off the field. ● Bayside Pirates: Dylan Kritzinger ● Coastal Marlins: Zac Griggs ● Darling Dingoes: Joe Sippel ● Gold Coast Waveriders: Eshwin Kapoor ● Moreton Magic: Tim Agapow ● Northern Kings: Fergus McFadyen ● Southern Rockets: Hugh Weibgen ● Western Power: Jack Geldard BPL Local Heroes A player of talent who hails from that region who is used as a community ambassador. ● Bayside Pirates: Simon Milenko ● Coastal Marlins: Alecz Day ● Darling Dingoes: Steven McGiffin ● Gold Coast Waveriders: Chris Knight ● Moreton Magic: Glen Batticciotto ● Northern Kings: Andrew Gode ● Southern Rockets: Leigh Drennan ● Western Power: Harry Wood BPL Female Trailblazers A player of note in the cricketing landscape selected to act as a mentor and develop the U/19 girls in their franchise. ● Bayside Pirates: Dahlia Glennie, Eloise Schabe, Holly Barr and Tara Wheeler ● Coastal Marlins: Lucy Hamilton, Charlotte Briggs, Nicola Bradford and Ryleigh Wotherspoon ● Darling Dingoes: Olivia Winter, Imogene Fisk-Walsh, Kira Holmes and Lauryn Anderson ● Gold Coast Waveriders: Grace Parsons, Amy Riddell and Mikayla Wrigley ● Moreton Magic: Eliza Barnett, Jess Bradley, Keyra Smith and Sianna Ginger ● Northern Kings: Carly Fuller, Clodagh Ryall, Charlotte Voss and Lucinda Bourke ● Western Power: Emma Jackson, Annie Wikman, Ashleigh Sims and Isobel Hartog BPL Head Coaches ● Bayside Pirates: Brad Wigney ● Coastal Marlins: Brendan Nash ● Darling Dingoes: Kent Reimers ● Gold Coast Waveriders: Peter Clifford ● Moreton Magic: Graeme Stewart ● Northern Kings: Andrew Gode ● Southern Rockets: Justin Sternes ● Western Power: Aaron Moore ● Western Power Women’s Head Coach: Andy Richards BPL Team Owners ● Bayside Pirates: Andrew McRitchie, Peter Chisolm, Brad Wigney, Marc Amtsberg, Jimmy Maher, Ken Healy and Darren Lehmann ● Coastal Marlins: Joel Hamilton, Nick Fitzpatrick, Dylan Pinkstone, Jared Pinkstone and Travis Schultz ● Darling Dingoes: Grant Spies, Nick Payne and Kenneth Wagner ● Gold Coast Waveriders: Rajesh Mehta, Ahmed Syed, Rajiv Chandrasekar and Dheeraj Lenka ● Moreton Magic: Peter and Tamara Wrigley ● Northern Kings: Chris Lynn, Andy Scifleet, Brad Scott, Laurie Murphy, Dom Ovendon and Ian Healy ● Southern Rockets: James Morton, Cathie Reid, Luke Hodge, Andrew McShea, Martin Robinson, Stuart Giles, Kirby Short and Usman Khawaja ● Western Power: Ben McAteer, Chris Liebke, Brad Bulow, Ben Dobbin, Andrew Catton and Simon Emmerson - END - Stay connected with the Brisbane Premier League. 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