Peirson and Hartley hand-in-glove for the Bulls

JIMMY Peirson was 12 when he sat by the fence at the Gabba and asked Chris Hartley to autograph his wicketkeeping gloves.

More than a decade later, the young keeper-batsman has taken Hartley’s cherished Queensland one-day spot.

Peirson, 23, has now usurped Hartley in both the Brisbane Heat Big Bash and Bulls one-day sides.

Hartley, 34, is expected to retain his spot for the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield campaign.

Queensland open their season with a Matador Cup oneday clash against the Cricket Australia XI at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field today, and Peirson revealed how Hartley had given him strong support.

“We have been jostling for the same spot but Harts has been absolutely fantastic,” Peirson said. “We were told fairly early that I was being picked in the one-day team and it is a credit to Harts that he has been helping me prepare for the tournament.

“I have always looked up to Harts and I remember vividly when I was 12, I took my Kookaburra wicketkeeping gloves down to a game at the Gabba and got Harts to sign them.

“I really want to be playing first-class cricket but he (Hartley) still deserves the right to be in that side and he deserves the utmost respect.”

Peirson, who can whack the ball a mile, is expected to open the batting in Queensland’s first game of the 2016-17 season today.

Queensland will be missing regular skipper Usman Khawaja who is in South Africa for Australia’s ODI series, while fellow left-hander Sam Heazlett will miss out with a thigh strain.