AW Green Shield 2021/22: Northern District junior cricket success

It’s an elite junior cricket program which hasn’t lost for almost two years, with the team now preparing for its eighth consecutive finals series. Find out what makes Northern District so great.

For eight consecutive summers Northern District has featured in the finals campaign of the AW Green Shield, the elite under-16 cricket competition contested by Sydney’s grade cricket clubs.

For almost two years to the day the side hasn’t lost a match in the competition with the most recent defeat being a 27 run grand final loss to St George on January 21, 2020.

Northern District cricketers in action. Picture: Jeremy Ng

Northern District captain Riley Mackay celebrates a wicket as he finishes up with 6/14 in round 6. Picture: Jeremy Ng

It is a stretch of success unparalleled in the competition with past Rangers ‘Greenies’ including NSW-contracted and Sydney Thunder player Baxter Holt, who scored 594 runs at an average of 198 in the 2015/16 summer, and current Australian under-19 World Cup players Corey Miller and Aiden Cahill.

The club’s AW Green Shield coach for the past five summers, Josh Miller, said it was no fluke the current defending champions have enjoyed such sustained success in the under-16 competition.

“One of the big reasons we have had such a strong pathways system is we probably don’t have the advantages some of the clubs have with really strong first grade cricketers, so we do have to build from the bottom,” he said.

Former Northern District ‘Greenie’ Baxter Holt. Picture: Mark Evans

“I think that’s why we have had so much success. It’s a priority for the club to build team of players and a big part of that is why we’ve made the finals eight years in a row.

“Now we are seeing a lot of our seniors’ first grade and second grade team including players who have previously played Green Shield.”

Miller said the club made a shift to invest more in junior development about six years ago, with a focus on building a nursery of strong local player to strengthen the club.

Talented young cricketers become involved with Northern District at three junior age groups, being under-13, under-15s and Green Shield, a series of development program held in the off-season involving up to six junior coaches.

Northern District hasn’t lost a Green Shield match in almost two years. Picture: Jeremy Ng

Miller said the benefits of the junior coaching are clear.

“We have 12-year-olds who already feel like they are part of the club,” he said. “I think the Green Shield program is not just an extra component but an extension of the grade club and therefore the boys from the age of 14, 15 and 16 feel like they are big part of the grade cricket success, not just the Green Shield success.

“I think that leads to a sense of wanting to continue playing and has led to some really strong first and second grade teams over the past few years.”

The club is currently topping the club championship for the 2021/22 season and finished the AW Green Shield regular season undefeated in second position.

The ‘Greenies’ will play in an elimination quarterfinal against Sydney Cricket Club on Sunday at Asquith Oval.