Shawn Gillies announced his first-class arrival with 3 for 41 against the visiting South Africans in 2005-06, and his victims were a handy trio - AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph and Ashwell Prince. He also became the first player since Wayne Holdsworth in 1988-89 to take two wickets in his initial first-class over. Gillies made his Pura Cup and domestic one-day debuts that season but only managed one Pura Cup outing and two limited-overs games in 2006-07 as Western Australia had a surplus of allrounders to choose from. However, he was considered good enough to receive an invitation to the Academy in 2007. The following season his opportunities were even scarcer and after appearing in only two one-day games he lost his state contract for 2008-09. A WACA cricket officer before he quit to focus on the development of his own game, Gillies was born in Jamaica and was four when his family moved to Perth. His love of cricket was sparked while watching the touring West Indies at the WACA during the 1990s.
Brydon Coverdale September 2008