Bradman Cup: NewsLocal picks its team of the tournament for the NSW U16 Country Championships

With the NSW under 16 Country Championships done and dusted for another year, NewsLocal has pored over the stats and crunched the numbers to come up with the Bradman Cup team of the tournament.

The best under 16 male cricketers from country NSW have been on show over the past couple of months, with the Bradman Cup taking place in venues all across the state throughout December and January.

While Newcastle walked away champions with its first Bradman Cup victory in more than a decade, players from all zones put in standout performances with the bat, ball and in the field.

After poring over the stats and crunching the numbers, NewsLocal has put together a Bradman Cup team of the tournament.

See who made our squad.

Austen Hiskens (Newcastle)

Hiskens was a rock at the top of the order for Newcastle. Photo: supplied.

228 runs at 45.6

The opener was a standout for Newcastle during the team’s championship run, seeing off the new ball and making an excellent contribution in all but one of his innings.

This was highlighted by an outstanding 97 in the team’s final round championship decider against Riverina. In fact, Hiskens’ run tally could have been far higher, however the opener missed two games early in the tournament due to injury.

Jackson Ingram (Greater Illawarra)

Jackson Ingram was explosive with the bat for Greater Illawarra. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Newscorp Australia)

249 runs at 49.5 and six wickets at 19.7

Greater Illawarra’s Mr Explosive, Ingram turned on a couple of match-defining performances to get his team over the line throughout the tournament.

There was no better example than during the team’s clash with Central North, when Ingram bullied the attack with an unbeaten 101 from 64 balls as he remarkably scored all bar 21 of his team’s runs in the nine-wicket victory.

In addition, Ingram picked up a handy six wickets at 19.7 throughout the tournament to prove his worth as an all-rounder.

Lachlan Williams (Newcastle)

286 runs at 71.5

Another one of the major reasons behind Newcastle’s championship win, Williams was outstanding with the bat across his six innings.

His 103 against Central North was one of the best knocks of the tournament, while Williams also proved himself to be very handy with the ball, picking 3-43 in Newcastle’s round six clash with Western.

Shaun Smith (Riverina)

Shaun Smith’s performances for Riverina earned him the player of the tournament award. Photo: Alex Pichaloff.

359 runs at 59.8

The player of the series, Smith was outstanding with the bat for second-placed Riverina, finishing the tournament as the highest run-scorer with 359.

Smith’s 154 from 129 balls against the Central Coast was the knock of the tournament, while he was also excellent with the gloves as Riverina’s keeper.

Harry Roscarel (Western)

Harry Roscarel, front row, second from left, was outstanding for Western. Photo: supplied.

318 runs at 53

The South Dubbo batter was an absolute standout for Western throughout the tournament, amassing the second-highest amount of runs behind Smith.

A rock during the early part of the tournament when the team struggled, Roscarel took his game to another level for the second half in Lake Macquarie, highlighted by a brilliant 102 against Central North as Western came home with a wet sail, winning three of their last four games.

Jaylen Johnston (Central Coast)

Jaylen Johnston topped the Central Coast’s runs and wicket tallies. (Photo by Jeremy Ng / Daily Telegraph NewsLocal)

226 runs at 32.3 and 13 wickets at 13.5

The absolute standout player for the Central Coast, the all-rounder remarkably topped the team’s runs and wicket tallies throughout the tournament.

His outstanding Bradman Cup was capped off by a brilliant final round match against Greater Illawarra, in which he scored 79 with the bat and then delivered an almost unplayable 4-10 from eight overs with his left-arm orthodox spinners.

Joshua Garnero (Greater Illawarra)

147 runs at 49 and nine wickets at 11.6

Brilliant with both the bat and ball, Garnero starred for Greater Illawarra.

The left-arm quick was a bowling threat throughout the tournament, highlighted by his 4-29 from nine overs against the Central Coast in the final round.

He also scored valuable runs in the middle-order, top scoring with 40 against Newcastle and notching up an unbeaten 48 in the round four victory over North Coastal. In fact, in a sign of his form with the bat, Garnero was only dismissed three times throughout the tournament.

Jay Lavis (Riverina)

11 wickets at 11.8 and 103 runs at 25.75

Another star all-rounder, Lavis was brilliant for the second-placed Riverina side.

While scoring some handy thirties throughout the tournament, the right-arm quick really shone with the ball, taking 11 wickets for the series with some brilliant stump-to-stump bowling, including an incredible 4-31 in the final round against Newcastle, which gave his team a sniff at causing an upset and claiming the championship.

Harry Kershler (North Coastal)

Harry Kershler took home the match ball after taking 5-22 against the Central Coast. Photo: North Coastal Cricket Zone.

10 wickets at 15.5 and 79 runs at 39.5

With excellent spinners like Greater Illawarra’s Blake Cattle and Newcastle’s Harry Campbell all performing excellently throughout the tournament, this was the most difficult position to fill. However Kershler’s match-winning performances ultimately saw him selected as the main tweaker.

None were better than his round three performance against the Central Coast. After scoring a handy 22 with the bat, the left-arm leggie more or less single-handedly won the match for his team, taking 5-22 from 10 overs to trigger an almighty Central Coast collapse and secure the 42-run win.

Kershler also showed that he’s no mug with the bat, scoring 79 runs at 39.5, which included a team-high 48 against the ACT in round seven.

Dylan Shillington (ACT)

13 wickets at 16.2

The spearhead of the ACT’s attack, the right-arm quick was a constant threat throughout the tournament.

He took wickets in every game – including a tournament-best 3-32 against North Coastal – to finish the Bradman Cup as the joint-leading wicket-taker.

Jamie Dickson (Newcastle)

Jamie Dickson, pictured in the back row fourth from the left, was the spearhead of Newcastle’s championship-winning attack. Picture: supplied.

13 wickets at 12.7

Another outstanding quick, Dickson and his opener partner Jacob Curry – who missed the last couple of games due to injury – were central to Newcastle’s championship win.

In fact, Dickson and the bowling unit got the team out of trouble on a number of occasions, with his 4-28 against Greater Illawarra one of the most destructive and damaging bowling performances of the tournament.

12th man – Alexander Gunn (ACT)

199 runs at 49.75

ACT’s most consistent performer with the bat, Gunn was a rock in the middle order for the Canberra side, often batting with the tail end chase down the opposition or set a defendable target.

Not out three times in the tournament, Gunn’s best performance undoubtedly came in the final round, with his unbeaten 81 getting the team over the line in a narrow DLS victory over North Coastal.