Movement from Coast pace pair early on
THE Gold Coast Dolphins will go into a new Brisbane Premier Grade season on Saturday on the back of some significant movement in the pace bowling ranks.
Last season’s Queensland Bulls squad member Nick Buchanan and Tweed Coast product Mick Granger have left the club in the off-season.
Buchanan missed a contract with Queensland Cricket so has signed to play for Tasmania while Granger has signed to play in the local Kookaburra Cup competition with Palm Beach-Currumbin.
Buchanan, the son of former Australian coach John, had just the one campaign with the Dolphins but has sought greener pastures for obvious reasons.
Granger is a product of Pottsville and has had five seasons in the sky blue cap of Gold Coast.
He said an increasing workload in his job as an electrician played a major role in him electing to step down a level as a player.
“I’ve picked up a lot of work in my job and it would be hard for me having to travel to Brisbane just about every season weekend,” 26-year-old Granger said.
“That’s the main reason I’ve left – that plus the fact I still live at Cabarita Beach.”
Granger said he thought about playing for Pottsville in the Northern NSW competition but decided on PBC because the 2017-18 Coast competition will feature all one-day games.
The Dolphins are likely to parade two new faces when the new season kicks off on Saturday with an away match against Wynnum-Manly at Bill Albury Oval.
Teenage wicketkeeper Lewin Malady, an ACT/NSW Country rep last year, played in a trial with the Dolphins last weekend.
The second is former St George (Sydney) grade player Eric Denhartog.