Sport
9 January, 2023
Country Week wraps up with good results
Country Week has wrapped up for the under 13s and under 15s, while the under 17s are now preparing for their first Kirton Shield appearance in four years when they take to the field next week. The under 13s enjoyed a successful campaign, winning...
Country Week has wrapped up for the under 13s and under 15s, while the under 17s are now preparing for their first Kirton Shield appearance in four years when they take to the field next week.
The under 13s enjoyed a successful campaign, winning their final two matches on Thursday against Ballarat White and Friday against Grampians, with the likes of Beaufort’s Thomas Grant and Kolby Haley, as well as Laanecoorie Dunolly’s Thang Nguyen putting in impressive performances to help secure the victories.
The under 15s team were able to enjoy one win throughout their week, defeating Castlemaine on Thursday afternoon, but were outclassed by Ballarat in their two encounters at Hedges Oval on Wednesday and Friday respectively. Beaufort’s Benjamin Grant, Maryborough duo Oliver Cassidy and Lachlan Roche and Laanecoorie Dunolly’s Lachie Condie were among those who impressed.
Gary Wagstaff, Maryborough District Cricket Association (MDCA) Junior Coordinator, was happy with how both teams performed during Country Week.
“The 13s had a good week. They won two games, which was excellent for them because realistically, they play an under 13 competition on a Monday night which probably only gives them at max 20 overs in a game, so to come out and play a 35-over game for three days in a row and win two of those is great, and Ben Evans has done a brilliant job with those guys,” he said.
“Marc Cassidy stepped up to take on the role of the under 15s after doing the under 13s last year, they were able to win one game but they were competitive. They’ve done a wonderful job as well.”
Wagstaff didn’t underestimate the level of competitiveness from the under 13s, who were impressive in their victory against Ballarat in particular.
“Ballarat has two teams, a top-eight team and a bottom-eight team. We may have played the bottom-eight team, but in comparison to the Ballarat association, we have seven under 13 teams, but Ballarat may have 20. The number of teams for each association is different, but all things considered, the under 13s did a fantastic job representing us,” he said.
Wagstaff said Beaufort’s Grant was one performer who caught his eye, with his eligibility for the MDCA coming in handy given the senior team’s status in the competition.
“Thomas Grant was one that caught my eye. He plays at Beaufort, playing in the Ballarat association with their juniors, but he is eligible to play in the MDCA. It’s a good thing for us to be able to have him given their team plays in the senior competition,” he said.
Wagstaff said the competition has come on in leaps and bounds for junior cricketers in recent years, particularly with the re-introduction of the under 16 league.
“We fell away, senior-wise, when we didn’t have an under 16 competition, and I think every club would say that. We’ve been able to get four teams in the competition this year, so going forward, hopefully a few teams can start utilising their under 13s teams now to come through, which gives our league and association further strengths, which then flows down the line to our representative grades,” he said.
“It’s a good stepping stone, but it also gives those guys in the junior system a chance to play representative cricket with our zone. From these games, there are talent squads from each grade to be put in the Central Highlands zone, from which we’ve had many players represent in the past.
“If you go through the A reserve teams, you will find two or three under 16s or under 13s players in every team. I know nine times out of 10, they fill in, but it is still a good experience, and also shows that they can mix it with senior cricketers, showing that it’s not so daunting at representative level, and they have confidence in their ability.”
Wagstaff is now looking forward to the under 17s return to the Kirton Shield, with games set to be held next week.
The team will be captained by Laane bowler Joe Lovel, who came into last weekend’s first two-day round as the equal-leading wicket-taker in the A grade competition.
“Joe is a really good kid, he’s keen and he inspires the other young guys to follow his lead. We haven’t had an under 17 or Kirton team for four years, as we didn’t have a junior competition. Some of them probably haven’t played representative cricket since the under 13s. A few played under Martin Mark in the under 15 competition last year, who have now stepped up,” he said.
“Joe has seemed to be Dunolly’s best bowler, wicket-wise, and probably the association as well. But young guys like him are a good example of being able to come through, play A grade, and also have the exposure of representative cricket as well. It’s good experience to be able to play against people in their age group, but also different age ranges and having to learn how they bowl or bat to them.”
Wagstaff has just one goal for the under 17 team next week.
“The big goal is just to be competitive. I’m not worried about win-loss ratio, just as long as they go out there, make a few runs, they can bowl well, fielding well and being a close-knit team,” he said.
“Winning games isn’t the be-all and end-all, it’s the experience gained by these young people, as many hadn’t have played representative cricket since under 13s. There are some very talented people in the setup, it will be interesting to see how we go. We play Castlemaine and Grampians, who are around our standard, then we play Gisborne, which will be a test.”
Maryborough’s first game will be played on January 16, when they host Castlemaine at Hedges Oval.
