Jhye Richardson, Scott Boland, D’Arcy Short among stars competing in Top End Series
Territorian Jake Weatherald has loved his return to the NT side learning from some of the best in the business and teaching the up and comers in a side destined for finals. Read the latest.
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Territorian Jake Weatherald is loving his time back in the NT Strike side, which are likely to be one of the teams to watch come finals time in the Top End T20.
The Adelaide Strikers man has joined forces with D’Arcy Short as one of the experienced heads in the Strike side, and together have brought plenty of skills to help the team turn into a real force.
Hamish Martin, Matt Hammond and Strike captain Jacob Dickman have been among the players to impress the 29-year-old, as well as young guns Tom Menzies and Charlie Smith.
“It’s been a great opportunity, especially for D’Arcy and myself, to come and see the budding Territorians show their skills in front of the rest of Australia,” Weatherald said.
“I’m really proud of the boys for how much they’ve competed, even some of the older boys like Hamish Martin and Matt Hammond, it’s been good to be a part of it.”
The NT Strike led the table after five games and are currently strong chances to go back-to-back in a competition full of sides from the BBL or overseas.
It helps they’ve got the competition’s leading run scorers in Short with 258 from six innings, while Dickman (148) and Jake Weatherald (133) have also posted strong numbers.
“We deserve it, we’ve played really good cricket throughout, the boys have been really good, we’ve been in every game and dominated every game,” he said.
“D’Arcy takes a lot of pressure off you, it’s good to have a lot of experience on the other end.
“He shows the way and shows no matter what or who we’re playing he takes the game on, and that sets a great example for the dressing room.”
Weatherald has also had an early taste of what it will be like being coached by former Australian test captain, Tim Paine, who has been the assistant coach to Simon Helmot at the NT Strike.
Paine was recently named the new BBL head coach of the Adelaide Strikers, with Weatherald looking forward to building on that relationship.
“No matter what age you are you’re always aspiring to get better and the experience of guys like Paine and Helmot has been pretty cool for everyone involved,” he said.
“It’s about seeing what it takes for these young guys to get the next level, and they’ve been there so there’s plenty for everyone in this group to learn off.
“Paine will do great at Adelaide, we’ve got a great relationship and he’s got a great relationship with a lot of players, that’s probably why he got the job.
“The players are really exciting with last year being just a glimpse of how good we could be and next year we’re in a position to win it.”
Australian cricket star runs Territory school clinic
Australia’s most prominent Indigenous men’s cricketer Scott Boland has taken his Top End experience beyond the field of play to spend some time with local kids.
Boland was joined by his Melbourne Stars teammates at the Malak Primary School on Wednesday morning to engage kids in skill challenges and to let them see quality cricketers up close.
The session also involved a Q&A with the 35-year-old, who became just the second men’s Indigenous player to have played test cricket for Australia in 2021.
For him it was another special Top End experience, and a key part in his personal driver to pave the way for more Aboriginal kids to take up the game professionally.
“Spending time today with the students at Malak Primary School was special, they love their cricket and it was great to see the smiles on faces,” Boland said.
“What’s really evident in the Territory is the passion for sport, there’s a huge opportunity for Cricket NT to grow and develop the game here.
“Hopefully I can help pave the way for Aboriginal kids to want to play cricket in the Territory.
“But if we can help grow the game at a community level, hopefully it will filter through over the next few years to the higher level.
“Ultimately, you can’t be what you can’t see, so the challenge for everyone in cricket is to provide opportunities to the next generation of Indigenous cricketers.”
Boland and the Stars are in town for the Top End T20 Series, taking on some of the other big sides of the BBL, the Territory’s own NT Strike and international outfits such as the Pakistan Shaheens.
The series has highlighted the ability for Australian cricketers to play competitive cricket within their own country during the typical off-season.
And Boland has been using the competition as intended as tune-up ahead of the big Australian Summer to come.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time up in Darwin this week,” he said.
“From a cricketing perspective, I’ve been really impressed by the quality of the Top End Series.
“There’s a unique opportunity to play high-quality cricket in the middle of winter and we’re seeing players make the most of it.
“The Top End Series has got huge potential, there has been awesome buy-in from the teams who are here, and the competition is certainly gaining momentum and moving in the right direction.”
Territory talent stars against Big Bash players in Top End T20
The NT Strike have enjoyed a big start to the 2024 Top End Series with some of the brightest Territory young guns taking the challenge right to the stars of the Big Bash.
After four games the side sat with a 2-2 record, with competitive showings in every outing against quality opposition from down south and abroad.
The victories came against the Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikes with the top order of D’Arcy Short, Jake Weatherald and Jacob Dickman laying down the hurt.
But the young bowlers of Charlie Smith and Tom Menzies were among those to catch the eye of coach Simon Helmot, who called the competition a great stepping stone in their careers.
“This is the most exciting part and most enjoyable part is seeing a guy like Charlie Smith bowling leg spin against some of the really talented players from the Big Bash,” Helmot said.
“Every side has five or six regular members from their number one team and seeing the likes of Smith and Menzies apply their talent is great.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the tournament plays out and seeing how we can keep giving these Territorians some really good opportunities.
“Then you have guys like Hamish Martin who’s bowling so well with his left arm orthodox and is a really good fielder, while Jacob Dickman has been really solid early on; it’s great for the Territory.”
The young Territorians have had first-hand experience learning from some of the best in the country, being first class cricketers in Short and Weatherald.
Then there’s former test captain Tim Paine in the dressing room, as an assistant coach, who’s been able to impart his knowledge on the Territory squad.
“They’re integrating so well and giving so much back to the players,” Helmot said.
“Having an ex-test captain in our dressing room making players feel valued should make for a really good growing period for these young Territorians to develop and grow in their game.”
Melbourne rivalry to play out in Top End Series
The Melbourne derby will take centre stage in the Top End series with the Renegades set to face off against the Stars in the opening round of the NT’s T20 competition.
Australian star Scott Boland will be one of the big names on show for the Stars, as they take on a Renegades outfit featuring Josh Brown, who has more than bit of Top End experience.
It will be the first appearance for Brown with the Renegades, who last year smashed a 41-ball ton for the Heat.
And the former Nightcliff man knows a thing or two about playing in Darwin, previously using it as a platform to propel his career to the next level.
It’s there he played plenty with NT Strike players Charlie Smith and Connor Carroll, as well as against the likes of young gun Tom Menzies.
“I love being back up here in the warm, it’s a nice change of weather from Melbourne,” Brown said.
“I’m pumped to be playing again, and being up here again it’s nice to be around all my mates from the past couple of years.
“Coming up here for the off season is what helped me a couple of years ago.
“I spent a lot of time up here working on my game and everything else, it’s definitely a big opportunity for people to come up and play.
“If you love your fishing like me it’s a great place to be, and Mitchell St is always a good night out.”
He will be looking for similar knocks that made him a valued name for the Tigers last season, to push his case further with his new squad.
And he will also be keeping a close eye on the NT Strike side, who despite being young have put out a strong team headlined by D’Arcy Short.
“They should be a pretty strong team and hopefully they keep going pretty well,” Brown said.
“Coming to the Renegades has been unreal, all the boys are so supportive and have been unreal for me.
“I’m pretty pumped to get on the field with them.”
Aussie quick’s injury return begins in Darwin
Australian quick Jhye Richardson will take full advantage of the Top End T20 tournament as his return to play for the Perth Scorchers since a lengthy injury lay-off.
Richardson has not played a domestic game since injuring himself in the BBL in January, with just one IPL appearance for the Delhi Capitals in between.
Now he headlines a Perth side that will face the Simon Helmot and Tim Paine coached NT Strike team in the Darwin tournament opener on Friday.
Other teams include the Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Pakistan Shaheens, Tasmanian tigers, Adelaide Strikers, ACT and Bangladesh.
“It’s always exciting to returning to playing games, that’s why we do what we do,” Richardson said.
“No one really wants to do this to be a rehabber or just be in the gym, ultimately we want to play and the Darwin weather has us super excited.
“The past two or three months since the IPL we haven’t slowed down, which is nice, what we’re trying to do this year is not have another extended period on the sidelines.
“I’ve been able to continue to bowl throughout this period, it’s a bit different to what I’ve traditionally done but different isn’t bad because what we’ve done before hasn’t worked.”
He paid credit to the series being played in Darwin during the Australian winter, when most cricketers had to ply their trade overseas to get some game time.
“The facilities are awesome, the grass is green and the weather is good, you can’t really ask for much more,” Richardson said.
“It provides an opportunity for the emerging guys and the players like myself to get some extra cricket in, particularly after injury or as time to gel as a team.
“It’s got huge potential, we’ve seen some of the line-ups that teams have brought out this year, and there’s been awesome buy in.”
Sam Fanning will captain the Scorchers while Matthew Kelly is also coming back from injury, but there’s some young blood coming up that Richardson’s looking forward to seeing on the field.
“We pride ourselves on our programs in WA, and to see a few young guys is exciting,” he said.
“Sam is a natural leader around the group, he’s bubbly and outgoing and will do a good job.
“Young bowlers like Bryce Jackson, who’s played one one-day game, or Josh Vernon are the guys who will have an awesome learning experience against some great opposition.”
The first game will see Richardson come up against fellow Western Australian player and Darwin junior D’Arcy Short who was looking forward to the first contest against some friends.
Short headlines an NT Strike side full of young Territory talent including Tom Menzies, Cadell McMahon and Charlie Smith.
“It’s pretty special, it’s always nice to come back, play where I grew up playing and hopefully get some wins in for the NT boys,” Short said.
“I’m excited to come up, help the young guys out and be an older head for them.
“It’s been very exciting to see the growth of cricket up here, I’ve been saying for years that it’s a great place to come up and play cricket while the sun’s out.
“The teams that have been put out for this week and a half, there’s some great players in there and it will be pretty competitive, so it’s just onwards and upwards from here.”
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