Young cricketers will be taking guard to fight for regional bragging rights this weekend when the fight for the Burdon and Kerr Shields begin this weekend.
This Sunday the associations’ young talent faces off across four quality games spread around the Limestone Coast.
It is the opening set of matches for the coveted Burdon and Kerr Shields which will land in the hands of the best performing association across three rounds of limited overs fixtures.
The Kerr Shield is presented to the top Under 13’s team, while the older Under 15’s fight for the Burdon equivalent.
Teams will bat for 40 overs each in the Kerr Shield where the Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association has a strong chance of success fielding Green and Blue outfits.
Mount Gambier green kicks off proceedings against the Naracoorte representative side at Lucindale, while Penola plays host to Tatiara v Millicent.
Mount Gambier Blue does not begin its campaign until the second round when it faces its crosstown rival at Marist Park.
The Burdon Shield will be a fairer fight with all four associations only fielding one team each.
The Under 15’s competition will be full 50-over one-day games giving players the best chance to shine.
Naracoorte enjoys a home game against Tatiara and would love to utilise the atmospheric conditions, as will Millicent, which enjoys the home-ground advantage against Mount Gambier.
The competitions were originally held in the Under 14 and 16 age groups, but have recently changed to fall in line with the Country Cup.
With the possibility of playing for future spots in Country Cup teams, MGDCA junior coordinator Luke Rainey said there was no better time for the players to strut their stuff.
“It is obviously pretty exciting,” he said.
“Any representative cricket for kids is great and its good to have two Kerr Shield sides and one Burdon Shield team.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to showcase their talents because there will be Country Cup coaches and selectors keeping a close eye on proceedings ahead of trails in October.
“Its not just a great chance to show what they have got, but to play with kids they normally play against.”
All games start at 10am.
