Bar Cricket – Tub’s Club and CJ’s Trophy are Ours!

Reclaiming Tub’s Club (vs NSW Bar) and Retaining the Chief Judge’s Trophy (vs the Judicial XI)

The Queensland Bar has a long history of playing regular cricket matches against the NSW Bar, the Queensland Solicitors and the Judges. These games are a great way to participate in social competition and allow us to keep friendly relations with our colleagues, whether across the border, beside us at the bar table or across the well of the court.

vs NSW Bar

In November 2023, the Queensland Bar team played against the NSW Bar in what happened to be the 50th anniversary of the very first match between the two State Bar teams. The tradition was started by the Hon. Ian Callinan AC KC and The Hon. Roger Gyles AO KC. Sometime into the tradition of regular battles with leather and willow, Callinan AC KC donated the trophy over which red ink is spilled which was an old bat, aptly named Tub’s Club.

Despite playing every 18-24 months (with a longer break through COVID), the Queensland Bar had not succeeded against the NSW Bar since 2010 and were looking to change that on their home turf (at Churchie).

NSW (captained by Lachlan Gyles SC) won the toss and were determined to set a total with the bat (though the delayed flights might have had something to do with the choice where only half his team had arrived).

Though we’d not like to admit it, NSW were missing their best player (who, on the Saturday was captaining a 1st Grade team in Sydney) and David Carrol who’d consistently been a thorn in Qld’s side with the bat for years. Qld had Alan Joyce to thank for Carrol’s absence, Qantas having cancelled his flight that morning and rescheduled him to a lunchtime flight, thereby effectively precluding him from any meaningful participation in the match.

NSW set a competitive total of 8/185 off their 35 overs. Ali Cheema (52) and Nicholas Bilinsky (44) were the standout performers from NSW with the bat. Qld bowled well despite the large total, Peter Somers finishing with 3/26 (5 overs) and Judge Porter KC and Charles Matthews each picking up one scalp of their own. Somehow, amongst all the usual self-deprecating commentary about our combined lack of general fitness, the Qld team managed to show pep and vigour in the field, running out three of the NSW batsmen.

Needing over five an over, the Qld chase started well with Anthony Messina and Chris Templeton opening the innings and finishing with 13 and 24 respectively (both at a run a ball). James Penrose was the steady hand who strapped the team on his back and guided them to the finish line, retiring on 53. Charles Matthews and Scott McLeod helped the scoring rate from the other end in useful supporting roles to Penrose, each finishing with 36 at better than a run a ball.

Qld chased the total down with three overs to spare and celebrated the return of Tub’s Club to Queensland after its 13 year hiatus.

Queensland Bar Team: Judge Porter KC, Scott McLeod KC, Charles Matthews (c), James Penrose, Anthony Messina, Chris Templeton, Ben O’Sullivan, Peter Somers, Christopher Johnstone, Tom Jackson, Chris Crawford.

Many thanks to all those who assisted in organising including Christopher Johnstone in organising the field and Roger Traves KC, Luke Walker and Judge Egan all of whom assisted in umpiring.

vs Judicial XI

In March each year, two T20 games are played on the same day. First is the UQ Law Students vs the Professionals (a mixture of Barristers and Solicitors) and second, though held in much higher regard, is the Qld Bar vs the Judicial XI (the Judges). Some are lucky enough to play in both the Professionals team and for the Queensland Bar, having to go back to the days of roasting in the sun for an entire day and somehow explain the sacrifice to their families.

The Chief Judge’s Trophy is the prize in the Qld Bar vs the Judges contest which was gratefully donated by the Hon. Kerry O’Brien in 2019.

On 3 March 2024, the Bar duelled with the Judges, outside the courtroom on UQ Oval No. 2. The Qld Bar had some concerns going into the match, the Judges having almost succeeded in 2023 falling just 8 runs short of the Bar’s total. Given our comparative large numbers, it would be inexcusable for the Bar to lose to the Judges with an inquiry sure to follow in that event.

The Bar were sent into bat by the Judges. Clearly, the Judges team attended many a net session in the prelude to the match and knew they could restrict the Bar to a low total. Judge Porter KC and Justice Crowley opened the bowling for the Judges and kept it tight (Porter KC 0/22 off 4 overs and Crowley 1/11 off 4 overs). Magistrate Saggers who almost collected the first hatrick in a Bar vs Judges game finished with 3/20 off 4 overs. Despite some (at times agricultural) big hitting from Nathan Shaw (retiring on 50) and pinpoint stroke play from James Penrose (37), the Bar progressed slowly throughout their innings. The Judges restricted the Bar to just 4/109 off their 20 overs. Andrew Skoien (14) providing some useful runs at the back end.

In response, the Judges had a dreadful start losing Judge Lynch and Magistrate McKenzie early trapped in front (LBW) by Gerry Elmore. There will be debate for years to come about whether DRS ought be implemented in this fixture to ensure the enthusiastic student who remained behind to umpire the match (making both LBW decisions) can be corrected (if necessary). Needless to say and by inference from his dismissals, the helpful student valued a word-of-mouth referral from the Bar to a firm’s graduate position over the coveted Associate’s position.

It was always going to be difficult for the Judges to recover from this start and things were only made worse when Justice Rangiah was run out by some quick work in the field. However, the Judges did counter-attack through Justice Crowley (15) and Justice Muir (18) leading the Judges to finish their 20 overs at 8/68.

The ebs and flows of results in the fixture against the Judges always lead to surprise results which will eventually have the Bar receiving a thorough defeat.

Thanks must go to the Hon. Kerry O’Brien who again umpired in this fixture and Chief Judge Devereaux SC for attending the match together with the many Judges’ team families and supporters. Also, we are grateful to our dedicated scorer Caite Brewer who always gives up her time on a Sunday to assist.

Bar Team: Charles Matthews (c), Christopher Johnstone, Nathan Shaw, Anthony Messina, James Penrose, Andrew Skoein, Peter Somers, Matthew Pattison, Gerry Elmore, Dan Caruana, Chris Templeton

Judges Team: Judge Lynch, Magistrate McKenzie, Magistrate Saggers, Justice Crowley, Justice Muir, Justice Rangiah, Judge Porter KC, Judge Trevino KC, Judge Power JC, Judge Kefford, Chris Kefford

Future Cricket

The Bar Cricket team welcomes all who have an interest to participate in cricket. Not only do we play against the NSW Bar, the Qld Solicitors and the Judges but I am currently speaking to the Victorian Bar who wish to commence a regular fixture.

Any cricketers with more than a social interest may also be enticed to become a part of the Australian Lawyers Cricket who regularly travel to international tournaments (recently England in July 2023, New Zealand in 2020 and Sri Lanka in 2017) to play in the Lawyers Cricket World Cup. I am informed that the next World Cup is to be held in London in July 2024.

For any more information or to express an interest, please reach out cmatthews@qldbar.asn.au. I will include those who express interest in any future Bar cricket emails.