Beaudesert cricket talent Keegan O’Donnell has opened the batting both days to help the South Queensland Cricket Conference under 21s to win the Schaefer Shield.
O’Donnell, 20, comes from a cricket-mad family, so it makes sense that he is rising through the ranks of representative cricket.
He was opening batsman for the South Queensland Cricket Conference under 21s, which was the ultimate winner at the 12-13 November Schaefer Shield in Ipswich.
A few weeks prior, he was batsman of the championship in the Dennis O’Dea Shield, which was a selection competition for the Schaefer Shield.
The local apprentice boilermaker has been playing cricket since he was about 10.
He is Vice President of Beaudesert Cricket Club (his dad Peter O’Donnell is President), he captains the senior side, and his little brother Declan also plays representative cricket.
Aside from a stint at Ipswich playing representative cricket, he has always played for Beaudesert, and he trains at Selwyn Park Thursday nights.
The Schaefer Shield was O’Donnell’s first time playing at the South Queensland level, a step up from the South East Queensland comp he’s played before.
O’Donnell said the Schaefer Shield win was significant.
“I think it was the first time in 21 years or something the under 21s won overall,” he said.
“It was a tough competition and some good players out there.”
O’Donnell said cricket had always been a big part of his life.
“We’re cricket-mad, my family – we live and breathe it,” he said.
“I play with a great group of fellas and, being a little club, everyone knows each other.
He attributed his success in the sport to the support of those around him.
“I’d like to thank my parents Angela and Peter (dad has coached me for most of my life), everyone I play with and long-time supporter Miranda Sellens, who has come to pretty much every game,” he said.
“Work’s really good – my bosses love their sport and love their cricket so they’re happy to see me go ahead with it.”
Now O’Donnell has his eye on hopefully making the Open South Queensland side in 2023.
“It’s a pathway to Queensland cricket- whoever makes that Queensland Country team they fly to wherever and they verse all the other states – that’d be a tough comp,” he said.
