The Century Cricket Group is very excited for what’s to come as it enters its fourth year of competition in Queensland.
Junior Cricket is the core of the Century Cricket Competition. Over 85% of all games staged since the launch of the Brisbane Premier League in 2021 have involved our Junior teams and this will continue to be a focus for the Century Cricket Competition team and our franchise owners going forward.
The four-day T20 competition played in a round robin style event has, so far, run in Adelaide for two years and Melbourne for one year, with hundreds of excitable young players making their mark.
As we move into the 4th season of Junior Competition in South East Queensland we are delighted to welcome three new ownership groups.
Ownership changes and new franchises are an exciting part of franchise cricket around the world and we are really pleased to see new owners entering the Century Cricket family and continuing to add to the millions of dollars in new investment made by Century Cricket owners in grassroots cricket in the last 3 years.
“The Brisbane Junior Competition has been a pillar of strength, improving every year in both quality of cricket played and event presentation. As we move into our fourth year, we have some exciting announcements to make regarding new teams, owners and initiatives to improve the competition.” Nick Fitzpatrick – Century Cricket Group Executive Director
In the Junior competition, we welcome three new teams and groups of owners, the following teams have been confirmed for 2024;
- City Pirates (formerly the Bayside Pirates, rebranded and new owners)
- Coastal Marlins
- Darling Dingoes
- Gold Coast Waveriders
- Great Barrier Reef Rays (new in 2024 following their participation in Seniors in 2023)
Moreton Magic - Northern Kings
- Eastern Raiders (replacing the Southern Rockets, rebranded and with new owners)
All age groups will remain the same for 2024.
New & Rebranded Teams For 2024
City Pirates
Formerly the Bayside Pirates and taken over by a new ownership group, the City Pirates will retain the Bayside Pirates colors and logo.
New owners Archi Douglas, Thomas Smithers and Conor Foxlee had the following to say;
“We are very excited to be entering the competition as owners of the newly rebranded City Pirates. We have big plans for 2024 and beyond and are excited to see where Century Cricket can take this competition. Our goal is to help drive the development of our junior players to turn them into the stars of tomorrow.”
In great news for the Pirates, Darren Lehmann will continue to be a part of the City Pirates in an ambassador role.
City Pirates will retain all 2023 Bayside Pirates playing lists.
Great Barrier Reef Rays
Following their participation in the 2023 Senior Competition, the Great Barrier Reef Rays will be participating in the 2024 Junior competition in an exciting step for the region.
In order to ensure all teams are starting from a similar position, Western Power’s playing lists will be taken over by the Great Barrier Reef Rays.
Eastern Raiders
A new team and ownership group for 2024, replacing the Southern Rockets and acquiring the Rockets playing lists.
In order to meet the demand for new franchises, Century Cricket Group major shareholders Stuart Giles and Cathie Reid have agreed to transfer their existing Southern Rockets license and playing list to Pat & Catherine Foran to create the new Eastern Raiders franchise. This will also enable Stuart and Cathie to continue concentrating their efforts on supporting Century Cricket Group across the competitions, coaching and centres businesses with some exciting opportunities on the horizon.
New franchise owners Pat & Catherine Foran had the following to say;
“We are so excited and proud for the opportunity to be creating a new generation of male and female cricketers for years to come. Here comes Raider nation!”
Century Cricket Group would like to extend a big thank you to the Western Power and Bayside Pirates ownership groups for their support and effort in bringing the competition concept to life over the past 3 years.
We ask that all 2023 Power, Rockets and Pirates players wait to hear from their respective new teams on whether they have been retained or not before nominating for the 2024 draft.
Interstate Players
We’re pleased and excited to announce that the Queensland junior competition will now be open for interstate players to nominate and play in.
There will be no cap on the number of interstate players teams can select.
We have observed the positive impact on both excitement and quality of cricket having interstate players involved has had on the Seniors and Female events and feel it’s a natural progression to include them in the junior competitions.
Important Dates
Junior nominations are open now and will close on Wednesday 5th of June 2024
The Junior Draft will take place on Sunday the 9th of June.
The Junior competition will take place in the September School Holidays with venues to be confirmed closer to the dates.
- Week 1 → 16-19 September: U12, U13, U14, U15, U18
- Week 2 → 23-26 September: U16, U23F
Be sure to follow Century Cricket Competitions Brisbane on Instagram and Facebook for live updates.