Photo Credit: Queensland Cricket
The Queensland Bulls have named eight newly contracted players in their squad to prepare for the 2024-25 cricket season.
Included in the list are four members of the victorious Australia Under-19 team that claimed the ICC World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
Pace bowler Callum Vidler, who took five wickets in his first class debut for Queensland in the last Marsh Sheffield Shield game of the season, and the Australian captain Hugh Weibgen are among the players who have signed full State contracts for the first time.
Vidler, 18, was a Local Replacement Player for the Brisbane Heat prior to the World Cup where he finished as Australia’s leading wicket-taker with 14 dismissals.
Weibgen, 19, was a Rookie contracted player with the Bulls last season and scored 304 runs at 50.66 at the World Cup including a century.
The teenage Valley duo will be joined on the overall Bulls squad list by two more of their World Cup teammates.
Gold Coast wicket-keeper Lachy Aitken, 19, has signed a State rookie contract, while NSW paceman Tom Straker has also accepted a rookie deal with Queensland and will move north during the off-season.
Straker, also 19, took 6-24 in the semi-final win over Pakistan to break the record of South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada for the best figures in an Under-19 World Cup semi-final or final.
University of Queensland opener Angus Lovell makes his initial appearance on the Bulls contract list after playing the final four games of the Sheffield Shield season off the back of prolific KFC Queensland Premier Cricket and Toyota National 2nd XI seasons.
Other first-time inclusions are 19-year-old Ipswich paceman Jem Ryan, who has signed a rookie deal, and Toombul left-hander Lachlan Hearne who comes on as a full-contracted player.
Ryan, originally from Toowoomba, played 19 matches across all formats for the Hornets, claiming 55 wickets at 15.13 and was their player of the year. He also made his Queensland 2nd XI debut late in the season.
Hearne, a former Australian Under-19 representative. previously played a one-dayer and four first class games for NSW with two half centuries including a top-score of 65.
The top order batter played for the Queensland 2nd XI last season after strong Premier Cricket form for Toombul including a double century.
Hearne,23, was also signed as a Local Replacement Player for the Brisbane Heat during BBL|13 without playing a match.
Gold Coast batsman Hugo Burdon, who made his Marsh One Day Cup debut for the Bulls last season, and Redlands spinner Jack Sinfield both gain full contracts for the first time after previously being on multi-year rookie deals with Queensland.
Queensland has three players on national contracts, 19 on full State contracts and four players on Rookie contracts.
Four players were not offered contracts from last season’s group while two other players will move interstate to take up new playing opportunities.
Queensland Cricket General Manager – Elite Cricket, Joe Dawes, thanked the players who moved off the contract list at the end of the season.
“We are confident they will continue to play a positive role in cricket and wish them every success in the future,’’ he said.
“As has been the case in the past, the players going off the list will have the chance to be upgraded to a playing contract during the season through selection in the Bulls first class and one-day teams based on their efforts at Premier Cricket and 2nd XI level.”
Dawes congratulated the first-time inclusions on the 2024-25 Queensland contract list.
“It’s an exciting group of young players who come into the group and we’re ultra keen to see them make the most of the opportunity they have earned,’’ he said.
“Our results last season certainly weren’t to the level that we expect from the Bulls.
“Everyone involved with the group knows there are areas we can improve upon, and we are committed to working together to achieve better performances next season,” Dawes said.
Queensland finished fifth in the Marsh One Day Cup and sixth in the Marsh Sheffield Shield last season.
2024-25 QUEENSLAND BULLS SQUAD
Cricket Australia Contracted (3)
Xavier Bartlett (Gold Coast)
Usman Khawaja (Valley)
Marnus Labuschagne (Redlands)
Queensland Contracted (19 full)
Max Bryant (Valley)
Hugo Burdon (Gold Coast) NEW
Jack Clayton (University of Qld)
Liam Guthrie (Wynnum-Manly)
Lachlan Hearne (Toombul) NEW
Angus Lovell (University of Qld) NEW
Ben McDermott (Gold Coast)
Michael Neser (Gold Coast)
Jimmy Pierson (Redlands)
Matthew Renshaw (Toombul)
Gurinder Sandhu (South Brisbane)
Jack Sinfield (Redlands) NEW
Mark Steketee (Valley)
Connor Sully (Norths)
Mitch Swepson (Sandgate-Redcliffe)
Bryce Street (University of Qld)
Callum Vidler (Valley) NEW
Hugh Weibgen (Valley) NEW
Jack Wildermuth (Valley)
Queensland Rookie Contracted (4)
Tom Whitney (Wests)
Lachy Aitken (Gold Coast) NEW
Jem Ryan (Ipswich) NEW
Tom Straker (NSW) NEW
IN
Hugo Burdon (full*) RHB, RLS
Lachlan Hearne (full), LHB, ROS
Jack Sinfield (full*) LHB, ROS
Callum Vidler (full) RHB, RFM
Hugh Weibgen (full*) RHB, ROS
Lachy Aitken (rookie) RHB, WK
Jem Ryan (rookie), RHB, RFM
Tom Straker (rookie) RHB, RFM
*indicates elevated from rookie contracts in 2023-24 to full contract for 2024-25.
OUT
Joe Burns – QC requests privacy for Joe Burns at this time due to a recent family bereavement.
James Bazley
Blake Edwards
Aryan Jain
Matt Kuhnemann
Will Prestwidge
