Adelaide High aiming for three titles in a row at Australian 5 Highs Cricket Carnival
ADELAIDE High is hunting a hat-trick of titles as it hosts the nation's premier public school cricket competition this week.
ADELAIDE High is hunting a hat-trick of titles as it hosts the nation's premier public school cricket competition this week.
The Australian 5 Highs Cricket Carnival brings together teams from Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane State, Sydney Boys and Perth's Kent Street Senior highs for an annual week-long tournament of 50-over matches.
The Hunters claimed the past two titles, in Perth and Sydney, and are looking to become the third school to win three in a row since the carnival's foundation in 1981.
Melbourne achieved the feat in 1984-86 and Brisbane State picked up the triple in 1990-1992.
Adelaide High cricket director Paul Volkov says his players are chasing "immortality" in the competition which has produced Test cricketers such as Australia's Michael Kasprowicz (Brisbane State) and Marcus North (Kent Street) and New Zealand's Lou Vincent (Adelaide).
"The immortals are people who are able to win the 5 Highs and therefore etch their names forever in the history and the annuls of Adelaide High School and the competition," Volkov says.
"We have had a magnificent side for about three years … what we've got now is a very young side which is immensely talented but, as yet, has not gelled as a team to the extent I would like.
"But they're learning and I'm hoping that from Monday to Friday they will progress and that by Friday we will be somewhere near where we want to be."
The five teams gathered at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval on Sunday night for the carnival's welcome dinner.
Volkov says the week is about the "relentless pursuit of excellence".
"The thing that is really meaningful to people that are involved is that prior to this carnival getting the stature that it has now there was nothing that the state schools or the public schools could claim as a special tournament," he says.
"What we do as part of 5 Highs is to bring the five iconic capital city high schools together once a year and watch the boys, at times, do exceptional things.
"They get to travel from one city to another and meet people they otherwise wouldn't.
"Not only are we giving young cricketers an opportunity to play at a high level, we're giving young people an opportunity to become leaders."
Games will be played in a round robin format at Adelaide High, Kensington's Parkinson and Colonel Waite ovals, and Park 25 from today to Friday.