HDCA – Juniors
AFTER the nation has come to terms with a stunning test series victory against India on the weekend, local junior cricketers get the chance to emulate their heroes with the staging of Junior Country Week carnivals over the course of the next two weeks.
Representative cricket is the focus for January with junior competitions in hiatus for the school holidays and this week (Monday to Friday) the Under 17 and Under 15 carnivals are being staged in Warrnambool and Horsham, respectively.
The focus then shifts to Portland for the Under-13 carnival next week, while Hamilton stages the largest junior girls’ carnival in Victoria in the Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18 age groups at the same time.
The Hamilton and District Cricket Association (HDCA) Hurricanes will put a total of eight teams on the field this season with a team in each of the age groups and an extra team in the Under 15 and Under 13 competitions.
The HDCA has always prided itself on giving its juniors the chance to play at higher levels and while winning is always a goal for all teams it is not the main goal.
The association has always been of the opinion that players only get better when they play at the highest possible level and they learn more at representative carnivals than they do in the regular home and away season games.
What the players learn they return to their home clubs and pass along to their teammates which makes all players even better than they already are.
In the Under 15 teams, there are three players from Tahara who will represent the HDCA, with Billy Rhook gaining selection in the Hurricanes Gold team and Connor Lambert and Oscar Ratcliffe earning selection the Hurricanes Green team.
The Casterton News will have a preview of the Under 13 teams and the girl’s teams in the next edition.
While there are no Casterton-based players in the Under 17 squad, Tahara is represented by Hamish Myers, Jack Rhook, and Liam Tonissen who will all play vital roles every day of the carnival.
Myers will be an allrounder in the team with responsibility to score runs in the middle order while also having to take wickets and restrict the opposition run rate when called on to bowl.
Tonissen will be the wicket keeper and it is his job to set the standard for the side, while fielding with great glove work and plenty of chat to his team and the opposition.
Rhook will be an option to take the new ball when bowling while also batting in the middle/late order where he will be called upon to make valuable runs either setting a target or chasing one.
