Queensland Premier Cricket

Queensland Premier Cricket is the top cricket competition played in Queensland, Australia. The competition was founded under the name Brisbane Electoral Cricket in 1897 and eventually came to be known as Brisbane Grade Cricket, but has since expanded to take in teams from Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Ipswich.

History

The 1894-95 Queensland senior cricket season resulted in great dissatisfaction among cricketers and the public due to poor management of fixtures because more prominent clubs would monopolize cricket grounds and not allow smaller clubs to play regularly throughout the season.[1] As a result of this dissatisfaction in July 1895 a Queensland Cricket Association (Q.C.A.) meeting was held at which it was proposed that electorate cricket be established, which would mean disbanding the various clubs playing senior cricket in Queensland and replacing them with clubs organised by players residing within electorates.[2] The proposal was greeted with enthusiasm, as club cricket was seen as old fashioned, with electorate cricket being a superior way of fostering rivalry and generating local interest in the sport,[3] although an obstacle was securing cricket grounds in each electorate to accommodate a club.[2]

In April 1897 the National Cricket Union held a committee to submit proposals for an electorate cricket competition to be established in Brisbane in collaboration with the Q.C.A. for the 1897-98 season.[4][5] In May the Q.C.A. held a meeting to formally discuss an electorate competition and appoint a committee to determine electorate boundaries and residential qualifications, and after discussion the decision to form an electoral competition was carried unanimously.[6] In July 1897 the Q.C.A. decided to amalgamate with the National Cricket Union and rescinded its constitution, by-laws, and other rules and regulations, drafting new ones in keeping with electoral cricket with amendments suggests by the National body,[7] and began planning a campaign to form the electorate clubs.[8] In August the National Cricket Union pulled out of the amalgamation at the last minute, however the Q.C.A. pushed on forming subcommittees for each electorate to pursue forming clubs.[9]

In October 1897 the inaugural Brisbane electorate cricket season began with the following clubs competing: North Brisbane, South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Toombul, Toowong, and Woolloongabba.[10] Enoggera also formed a side but were unable to participate in the first season as they formed after fixtures had been scheduled, but the Queensland Cricket Association scheduled non-competition matches for the club to play.[11] The season was regarded as disappointing, with the standard of cricket being poor and attendance being low, although a large amount of rain affected games was cited as a potential reason for low engagement.[12]

In the 1898-99 season a Nundah club joined the competition and a Grammar School side began competing in the B Grade competition.[13] Enoggera was unable to join the competition in 1898-99, but did finally compete in the 1899-00 season.[14] In the 1900-01 season a Bundamba club joined the competition.[15] By the 1901-02 season the Enoggera Club had become a general sports club and did not compete in the competition,[16] although by 1903 an Enoggera team was competing in the second grade of junior division Brisbane cricket.[17]

In 1913 the Queensland Cricket Association reconstituted the competition redrawing the electorate club boundaries to accommodate the following clubs: North Brisbane, South Brisbane, Woolloongabba, Toowong, Valley, Toombul, Nundah, and University.[18] In 1915 the Q.C.A. suspended the competition due to the First World War,[19] although in what would have been the 1916-17 season the Association secretary did schedule a handful of friendly matches between sides.[20]

Current teams

Club	Date joined	Premierships
Easts-Redlands District Cricket Club	1897/98	8
Gold Coast District Cricket Club	1990/91	3
Ipswich Logan Hornets	2012/13	0
Northern Suburbs District Cricket Club	1990/91	9
Sandgate-Redcliffe Gators	1961/62	5
South Brisbane District Cricket Club	1897/98	20
Sunshine Coast Scorchers	2004/05	1
Toombul District Cricket Club	1897/98	19
University of Queensland Cricket Club	1912/13	10
Valley District Cricket Club	1897/98	10
Western Suburbs Bulldogs	1921/22	13
Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club	1961/62	4

Defunct teams

Club	Years Contested	Premierships
			Beenleigh Logan Cutters	1994/95 to 2011/12	0
Bundamba Electorate Cricket Club	1900/01 to ????	0
Colts Cricket Club	???? to ????	4
Enoggera Electorate Cricket Club	1899/00 to 1900/01	0
Nundah Electorate Cricket Club	1898/99 to ????	0
Toowong Electorate Cricket Club	1897/98 to ????	1

See also

References

1. "Cricket in Brisbane". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 5 August 1895. p. 7. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
2. "The Queensland Cricket Association". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 31 July 1895. p. 7. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. "Electoral Cricket". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 1 August 1895. p. 3. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
4. "Electorate Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 29 April 1897. p. 5. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
5. "Electorate Cricket". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 29 April 1897. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
6. "Cricket". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 5 May 1897. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
7. "Electoral Cricket". Queensland Times. Brisbane, Qld. 24 July 1897. p. 5. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
8. "Electoral Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 26 July 1897. p. 6. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
9. "Electorate Cricket in Brisbane". Queensland Times. Brisbane, Qld. 5 August 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
10. "Electoral Cricket". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 4 October 1897. p. 6. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
11. "Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 20 September 1897. p. 6. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
12. "Queensland Cricket Association". The Queenslander. Brisbane, Qld. 17 September 1898. p. 540. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
13. "Electorate Cricket Averages". The Queenslander. Brisbane, Qld. 10 December 1898. p. 1118. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
14. "Queensland Cricket Association". The Week. Brisbane, Qld. 27 October 1899. p. 30. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
15. "To-Day's Sporting Events". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 1 December 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
16. "To-Morrow's Sporting Fixtures". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Qld. 7 March 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
17. "Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 23 February 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
18. "Electorate Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 7 August 1913. p. 4. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
19. "Cricket and War". Daily Standard. Brisbane, Qld. 18 August 1915. p. 5. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
20. "Queensland Cricket". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Qld. 3 September 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 28 May 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Queensland Premier Cricket on Facebook