History of Queensland Junior Cricket
Queensland Junior Cricket (QJC) was formed in 1974.
For the rationale for the establishment of the QJC we go back to 1969. At the time it
was only schoolboys who could earn a Queensland State cap were those who had
made the Queensland Primary School or the Queensland State Secondary School
team. This State Secondary School team was selected primarily from Year 12
students and many country lads could not go on to Year 12 in those times.
No church or private school pupils were eligible for selection.
There was also a strange feeling that lads in small country primary schools where
numbers did not allow for the formation of a full team were severely handicapped.
While there is little doubt that junior cricket was being played in small pockets
throughout the State there was no organization in place to allow players to progress
to a higher level beyond their own local competition.
Following activity within the country areas where there was some organised junior
cricket played (e.g. a highly successful competition was held in Gympie in 1969/70
involving Gympie, Bundaberg and Toowoomba), the suggestion of forming a country
junior body arose. As a result, on the 13 September 1970, the Chairman of the QCA
Country Division, Alan Pettigrew, called a meeting of the country delegates. This was
held at the Trades Hall, Ipswich. It was the inaugural meeting of the Queensland
Country Junior Cricket Association. It was anticipated that this Body would assist the
Country Division’s plans at that time to try to lift the image of country cricket through
a controlling body...
Queensland Cricket Association, the governing body of cricket in the State,
inaugurated in 1876 and admitted to the Sheffield Shield Competition in 1926, had
never won the Sheffield Shield. So recognising the need to establish their own
“nursery” the QCA in their wisdom decided to call a meeting of all interested patrons
with a view to establishing a junior cricket organization to look after cricket in the
State up to the age of Under 17 years. The inaugural meeting of what was to
become the Queensland Junior Cricket Association (QJCA) was held on the 1st
June 1974 in the meeting rooms of the Post Office Hotel, Rockhampton. Mr. Norm
McMahon, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Queensland Cricket
Association chaired the meeting to initiate the formation of the QJCA. Len Laver who
at the time was the President of the Q.C.J.C.A. welcomed the visiting delegates from
the Metropolitan Brisbane Associations and spoke briefly of his hopes and ambitions
towards the forming of the QJCA so that the culmination of earlier efforts by officials
of both Associations could be realised. The following delegates below were in
attendance at the meeting. Country Associations Brisbane Associations Len Laver
Sid Redgrave Harry Buchbach Cec Anstey Fred Cooper Peter Plaisted. Alan
Pettigrew the President of Q.C.C.A. also attended as an observer, thereby assuring
those present of his body’s interest in the proposed formation of the Queensland
Junior Cricket Association (QJCA) . Len Laver spoke on behalf of the Country
Associations and, on invitation from Norm McMahon, Cec Anstey responded on
behalf of Brisbane offering to go along with any reasonable suggestions by Country
delegates. He further stressed that Brisbane would be prepared to travel to the
country for matches during the 1974/1975 season. Cec Anstey then proposed and it
was agreed unanimously that a Queensland Junior Cricket Association (QJCA) be
formed consisting of 4 Zones from Brisbane and 4 Zones from Country. Norm
McMahon then proposed, on behalf of the QCA, the following aims of the QJCA.
1. The fostering of junior cricket in Queensland up to the Under 17 age group
2. That the State Body would recognise the right of each division to operate
autonomously within their own areas thereby allowing each division to cater for
additional age groups and ideas without the State Body’s influence. However, at
State level play would be confined to ages as specified by the State Association.
3. To foster the playing of division matches leading to interstate and, possibly,
international matches in the future. The age groups agreed upon were Under 11,
Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17,
There was an election of office bearers to form the inaugural Executive Committee of
the Queensland Junior Cricket Association, the following were appointed: President
Len Laver (Rockhampton), Secretary/Treasurer Fred Cooper (Rockhampton) ,
Executive Members Cec Anstey (Brisbane), Sid Redgrave (Brisbane), Errol La Franz
(Brisbane) .Harry Buchbach (Bundaberg), Peter Plaisted (Brisbane) and Barry
Sproxton (Gympie
It was then agreed that Bundaberg, with the standard of facilities they had available,
would host the first State Championships from 16-20 December 1974, inclusive.
So was born the QJCA and since then its name has been changed to QJC now with
12 zones across Queensland,
1. Cricket Far North (CFN)
2. North Queensland (NQ)
3. Central Queensland (CQ)
4. Mackay Whitsunday (MW)
5. Wide Bay (WB)
6. Sunshine Coast (SC)
7. Brisbane North (BN)
8. Bayside East and Redlands Shire (BEARS)
9. Gold Coast (GC)
10. South East Queensland (SEQ)
11. Darling Downs and South West Queensland (DDSWQ)
12. Metropolitan South West (MSW
Over the years we have had many cricketers play in the QJC Championships that
have gone on and represented Queensland and Australia.
QJC now caters for both girls and boys championships through the age groups from
Under 12 through to Under 16.
Ian Reeves OAM
“Reevesie”
30 June 2023