Geraldton unveils revamped 2026 country week side, with Kade Gillingham set to lead the reigning champions

Kade Gillingham will lead Geraldton’s title defence after being named captain of Geraldton’s A-Section team for the CSBP Men’s Country Week Cricket Championships. He replaces Ringo McKenna, who led Geraldton to the title last year, but has had to withdraw because of injury. Gillingham is the logical choice. Though only 22, he has captained Wanderers in club cricket since 2021-22, and led Geraldton’s Seconds in B-section last year. Riley Barham, who was originally set to lead the seconds, who are in C-section this year, has been elevated to the top side. Cody Doran is the new skipper for the Twos. Doran captains Bluff Point at club level and is an experienced cricketer. Like Gillingham, he is an obvious choice to lead a mostly inexperienced side. Five of Geraldton’s winning A-section team from last year are unavailable, including Zane Marwick, who won the Barry Shepherd Medal as the event’s best player. All-rounder Jay O’Brien, wicketkeeper-batter Jeremy Bedford, and young pacer Seth Farmer are also unavailable, alongside McKenna. But all-rounder Ben O’Brien is an excellent addition, as is wicketkeeper-batter Seb Bainbridge, and Adam Goacher is more productive with the bat after some technique adjustments. Gus Heberle, after three years and 15 games in the Twos in which he averaged 23.71 with the bat and 15.07 with the ball, has earned a promotion. A key player will be Zak Williamson, who was a sterling support pacer last year but has been in grand form this year and is now the spearhead. His pace will trouble a lot of batters. The Twos lack batting and bowling depth but players such as Doran, Mitch McAuliffe, Jayden Pinto, Ryan Thomas, Mitch Marsh and Nate Thomas-Magee are solid cricketers. The six-day event, played in Perth, starts on Sunday. THE SQUADS Firsts Team: Kade Gillingham (captain), Sebastian Bainbridge, Riley Barham, Austin Breen, Josh DeLacy, Adam Goacher, Gus Heberle, Darcy Ingle, Jarrod Jupp, Callum Marquis, Ben O’Brien, Zak Williamson. Coach: Bruce Gillingham, Manager: Victor Tanti; Scorer: Tammy Solomon. Seconds Team: Cody Doran (captain), Matt Freeman, Mitch Marsh, Mitch McAuliffe (also coach), Jayden Pinto, Antonio Paradella, Jake Poletti, Alex Reynolds, Ryan Thomas, Nate Thomas-Magee, Paul Simmons, Patrick Walsh, Tom Witt. Manager: Corey Walsh, Scorer: Mick Maynard.