New Queensland Cricket chairman named

Brisbane barrister Damien Mullins has tonight been appointed the new Chairman of Queensland Cricket at the Annual General Meeting for 1999-2000 at QCHQ.

Mullins, 39, becomes the youngest Chairman of Queensland Cricket since Jack Hutcheon, taking over the reins from Dr Cam Battersby AM, who elected not to stand for the position after serving in the role for seven years.

"I believe we as a Board need to embrace the idea of succession planning and I think this is the first step for us. It is a good time to hand over to someone younger and it is a fact that we will need to continue to bring new blood and new talents to the Board," Dr Battersby said.

Mullins, a former club cricketer with Eastern Suburbs and University, was appointed one of Queensland's two representatives on the Australian Cricket Board, along with Dr Battersby, in 1993 when he became the youngest person ever to be appointed to the ACB.

Earlier this year he was named on the influential International Cricket Council finance and marketing committee, replacing Malcolm Gray, the current ICC President.

His appointment was one of several on the evening, with Chairman of Selectors Rod Rice standing down from the selection panel due to business commitments, and former Queensland spinner Paul Jackson joining Dick Tazelaar and Andrew Courtice on the panel. A new chairman will be determined once the panel convenes for the first time.

Former Test allrounder Ron Archer became the latest Life Member of Queensland Cricket, following on from his selection earlier in the year in Queensland Cricket's "Team of the Century".

Archer, who played 19 Tests for Australia and captained Queensland before a knee injury ended his career, is now the chairman of the Lords' Taverners (Queensland branch), an organisation that raises funds to assist disadvantaged youth to play cricket and promote cricket at the grass-roots.

The AGM heard that Queensland Cricket recorded a profit of $1,640,421 for the 1999-2000 Financial Year.

The departure of Rice after 11 years on the selection panel comes with Queensland now boasting a record of three domestic four-day championships and two domestic one day championships since 1994-95.

"The opportunity is there now to bring someone new onto the panel and I am happy to be leaving knowing that Queensland's future is in good hands," he said.

"I've enjoyed my time as a selector immensely and it has been a terrific chance for me to make a contribution after getting so much out of the game myself. It is nice that we have had the success that we had but the players and coaches have worked very hard to achieve that."

Jackson, who retired at the end of the 1998-99 season after winning Sheffield Shield titles with Queensland and Victoria, played last season with University as a swansong to his lengthy career.