CHRIS Gillam will trade the synthetic wicket at Nobby for the turf of Canberra when he plays for the Queensland Country Brahmans in the January 7-14 Australian Country Championships in the national capital.

His first game for Country will be against the Queensland Academy of Sport team at Allan Border Oval this weekend.

He hopes to bat in the middle order for Country.

"It is pretty exciting to make the team. You always want to go as far as you can in sport," Gillam said.

He puts a lot of the credit for his success at the feet of his father Ashley Gillam.

"Dad took Peter and me to Warwick for six years for junior cricket," he said.

Gillam will play against Western Australia Country at Jamison on January 7-8.

They play Victoria Country on January 11-12 as well as two one-day games and one Twenty20 fixture.

The Nobby star is in the best representative form of his career and is one of eight players in a squad of 13 debuting for the Brahmans.

He made the Darling Downs and South West Country side after hitting 85 for Charleville against Quilpie.

His girlfriend Maree Owens lives in Charleville and he was in the western Queensland town when the locals played Quilpie.

Gillam plays club cricket each Saturday for Wests in Toowoomba and for Nobby each Sunday in Central Downs cricket.

He played for Darling Downs and South West Country in the Schaeffer Shield competition in Gympie and scored an unbeaten 170 on the first day in a victory against Toowoomba and 90 on the second day against Wide Bay to win the award for most carnival runs.

He hit nine sixes in his 170, the majority over cover.

"The cover drive is my best shot," Gillam said.

Gillam then travelled to Mackay to play for South Queensland Country against North Queensland Country and scored 35 and took three catches behind the stumps.