Sport
28 January, 2025
Young local named captain
A YOUNG Malanda local has recently been named captain of the Under 18 Queensland Country North side following an impressive performance during a representative competition in early December.
Rhys Johnston, who currently plays for Mulgrave in Cairns, was named captain of the Under 18 Country North side at just 16 years old following his impressive 103-not-out and 89 run performances for Cricket Far North, earning him player of the series.
Rhys will lead the team against Country South in the Ron Bushby Memorial Shield in early April.
The Ron Bushby Shield is one of the biggest junior cricket competitions in North Queensland and is a pathway for country cricketers to represent their state.
“The shield creates a pathway to be selected for Queensland Country U19 Trial fixtures with the hope of being selected in the Under 19 QLD squad, dependant on tournament and stats throughout the season,” Queensland Cricket coaching and talent specialist FNQ Jakob Stennett said.
The talent for cricket in the Johnston family doesn’t end with Rhys however, as his older brother Kobi captained both the Under 18 Country North side and the Under 18 QLD Country side last year.
“It’s pretty cool that I also get to captain the same team that my brother has,” Rhys said.
“I’ve been wanting to make that side and being only 16 in that Under 18 comp is pretty cool, and then to be named captain was also a really good achievement.
It was in the backyard that Rhys, alongside his older brother Kobi, developed his talent for the game.
“From when I was about two years old I was in the yard playing with balls,” he said.
“Then later on my mum got me into Milo Cricket and I’ve just loved it ever since.
“I grew up playing with my older brother in a higher age group which really helped me get better.
“We spent a lot of time in the backyard playing and pushing each other to be better, and we found a great love for the game in that time.”
Rhys’ focus is on one day playing for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia, but before this he aims to first finish high school and move to Brisbane to play First Grade cricket.
“Hopefully after school I can go down to Brisbane and play first grade down there,” he said.
“Then that can lead to Sheffield Shield playing for Queensland, that’s the main goal.”
