Nielsen to lead U-19 campaign

Dalby's Julian Nielsen will captain the Australia Post Queensland Under-19 cricket team for the national championships in Canberra from December 11-22.

Nielsen, a right-hand opening bat who plays first grade with Wests in the Brisbane XXXX Grade competition, will continue a proud record in youth cricket having captained the Australia Post Queensland Under-17 team two seasons ago.

He leads a team that contains two leg-spinners in Beenleigh/Logan's Luke Davis and Redlands' Ryan Le Loux and two players from regional centres in Gladstone right-arm pace bowler Matthew Turich and Toowoomba allrounder Peter Reimers.

It will be the third championship in a row in the Under-19 team for Davis, a regular first grade player with Beenleigh for the past two seasons.

Turich, Gold Coast batsman Andrew Hicks, University left-hander Nathan Reardon and Valley pace bowler David Marriott have all graduated from last season's Queensland Under-17 team.

Turich and Hicks were selected in the Australian U-17 team following last year's tournament.

He and Reimers are members of the Queensland Academy of Sport Regional cricket program, which has also provided Norths pace bowler Grant Sullivan, a member of the program last year when he lived in Mackay.

Reimers is a former Queensland U-17 player who was a member of the Queensland Country team that won last year's national championships in Warrnambool. He has also represented the QAS in the national institute challenge in Darwin in August.

The Australia Post Queensland Under-19 cricket team for the national championships in Canberra, Dec 11-22: Julian Nielsen (Wests, c), Andrew Hicks (Gold Coast), Steven Ledger (Sunshine Coast), Peter Reimers (Toowoomba), Chris Howe (Sunshine Coast), Nathan Reardon (University of Queensland), Ryan LeLoux (Redlands), Luke Davis (Beenleigh/Logan), Murray Bragg (Norths), David Marriott (Valley), John Loader (Sandgate-Redcliffe), Grant Sullivan (Norths), Matthew Turich (Gladstone). Coaches: Mark McLatchey, Justin Sternes.