Young Gloucestershire second XI cricketers Hamza Taj and Louis Gegg are flourishing for their Australian club sides this winter.

Taj earned a promotion to the second grade of the Brisbane District competition after cracking a season best 152 not out for Sandgate Redcliffe in a two-day game last weekend.

Meanwhile, Gegg hammered a quick-fire 70 in the first grade of the Ipswich competition.

The pair are hoping to iron out some technical flaws to help them secure a full-time county contract for Gloucestershire CCC in the future.

Former Queensland wicketkeeping coach Brad Murphy is a director of the Australian Sports Gateway programme, an agency which assists many cricketers in finding playing opportunities throughout the world on self-funded trips.

Murphy believes Taj and Gegg are both on the right road to establishing themselves as Gloucestershire CCC first XI players in years to come.

"Hamza is a talented opening batsman who can bat anywhere in the top order," Murphy said.

"If he scores another hundred for Sandgate he will be promoted to the first grade, where he could end up playing against some of the big name Queensland players including (Australian one-day international) James Hopes.

"He's got the class to stamp his authority on good bowlers and is working hard to earn a county contract.

"Louis has made a series of 30s and 50s and hopefully he will get a big hundred soon. He's improving all the time and, like Hamza, he listens to good advice."