Cricket NSW junior State Challenge: Players to watch, squad lists

More than 200 budding cricketers will showcase their talents at the Cricket NSW State Challenge. Meet the players to watch across the under-17 male and under-19 female competitions:

For more than 200 budding cricketers who dream of becoming future stars of the BBL or WBBL or reaching the heights of Test cricket, the Cricket NSW State Challenge is a chance to showcase their talents against the state’s best in their age group.

Dubbo will host the under 14 male, under 17 male and under 19 female competitions across four action-packed days in the state’s central west.

Eight under 14 teams will contest the competition, along with four teams in each of the under 17 male and under 19 female divisions.

Cricketers will be looking to put their best foot forward to be identified for the Cricket NSW youth pathway system or be selected in the NSW squad for the under-17 male and under-19 female national championships set to take place later this year.

Cricket NSW pathways manager Nic Bills said while runs and wickets are important, talent scouts would be looking for cricketers who can perform two of the three skills – batting, bowling or fielding.

“We want players that can win games of cricket,” he said. “That is cricketers who can take wickets and keep the runs down and batters who can score runs, move the game forward and contribute to wins.”

Bills said it was the first chance for Cricket NSW pathways to cast their eye across the under-14 talent, but there was a number of players to watch in the older age divisions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sam Konstas in action for St George. Picture: Jeremy Ng

Sam Konstas

The current leading runscorer in the under-16 AW Green Shield competition for St George, Konstas is a top order batter who has the ability to single-handedly win matches.

The 16-year-old scored a century on Thursday and has previously been selected in a 20-man Cricket Australia squad for his age group.

Jonah Trope

The leading run scorer of the under-15 male national championships just under two years ago, compiling 286 runs at an average of 71.5, the teenage batter is one to watch.

Trope is currently competing in NSW Premier Cricket for Eastern Suburbs in second grade and was also previously selected in a 20-man Cricket Australia squad for his age group.

Bryce Cook

A promising quick hailing from the state’s north coast, Bryce Cook has been involved with the Cricket NSW pathway system for a number of years and is expected to be a handful for opposition batters.

Angus Parsons

Hailing from the state’s west, Parsons is a fast bowler from Bathurst who turned heads at the Country Youth Championships held in recent weeks.

Angelina Genford playing for the Hobart Hurricanes. Picture: Chris Hyde

Angelina Genford

With experience in the WBBL, the talented Angelina Genford is handy with the bat and ball and is tipped to be one of the players to watch.

Genford was a Junior Sports Star Award nominee in 2016 as a 13-year-old when she told NewsLocal her cricket idols were Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.

Ebony Hoskin

A pace bowler who has competed with class in the men’s grade cricket competition in her hometown of Howling in the Riverina region will be one of the key players to watch in the under-19 female competition.

Jade Allen

With four matches of experience in the WBBL for Sydney Sixers and a member of the NSW Breakers squad in the Women’s National Cricket League, Allen will be one of the biggest names in the female competition.

The 18-year-old is a leg spin bowler.

Jess Davidson

The Tamworth local who was a member of the Sydney Thunder WBBL this past season is tipped to terrorise batters with her pace bowling.

A passionate violinist, Davidson came to the attention of cricket scouts when she celebrated figures of 1/5 off five overs in the Tamworth men’s competition.

Blake Noorbergen will feature in the under 14 competition. Picture: Jeremy Ng

UNDER 14 SQUAD LISTS

METRO STALLIONS

Anoop Bawa – Bankstown

Karan Sharma – Blacktown

Riley Collison – Fairfield-Liverpool

Shlok Patel – Hawkesbury

William Byrom – Hornsby Ku-ring-gai & Hills

Thomas Coughlin – Inner West Harbour

Lukas Overhoff – Manly Warringah

Thomas Fuzes – North Shore

Campbell Smith – North Shore

Naman Batish – Northern Districts

Blake Noorbergen – Parramatta

Rupan Senthilnathan – Penrith

Aston Weir – South Eastern

Coach – Suffan Hassan

METRO SCORPIONS

Joshua Jurgeit – Blacktown

Rishab Luthra – Camden

Rehaab Afzaal – Canterbury & Western Suburbs

Benett Kattakayam – Fairfield-Liverpool

Aarush Soni – Hawkesbury

Lachlan Russell – Inner West Harbour

Julian Osbourne – Manly Warringah

Flynn Pavely – Manly Warringah

Toby Robinson – North Shore

Roby McDonald – South Eastern

Arlo Brazier – South Eastern

Thomas Parawa – St George

Manav Shah – St George

Coach – Sutha Thanabalasingam

METRO SHARKS

Arin Bhargava – Blacktown

Yash Deshmukh – Fairfield-Liverpool

Joshua Bawcombe – Hawkesbury

Lucas Medford – Hornsby Ku-ring-gai & Hills

Raj Sharma – Hornsby Ku-ring-gai & Hills

Angus Tesoriero – North Shore

Jack Mannix – North Shore

Jacob Callaway – North Shore

Ibrahim Khan – Parramatta

Saarim Ghias – Penrith

Will Zakostelsky – Penrith

Brady Philipson – Sutherland Shire

Jackson Kean – Sutherland Shire

Coach – Graeme Smith

METRO STAGS

Joshua Peters – Bankstown

Sajith Kundar – Blacktown

Sumair Sira – Hawkesbury

Harrison Valenzisi – Hornsby Ku-ring-gai & Hills

Henry Abood – Inner West Harbour

Alex Au-Yeung – Inner West Harbour

Nicholas Blackmore – North Shore

Jack Quinane – North Shore

Yash Singh – Northern Districts

Arjun Nadadur – Parramatta

Connor Culnane – Parramatta

Alexander J Kerkham – Penrith

Parth Taya – Sutherland Shire

Coach – Cam Weir

GREATER HUNTER

Harry Askew – Central Coast

Austin Berry – Lake Macquarie

Oslo Harradine – Lake Macquarie

Alexander Jack – Central Coast

Tyler McInnes – Newcastle

Hunter Palmer – Newcastle

Harry Price – Newcastle

Jonah Rheinberger – Newcastle

Koby Smith – Central Coast

Lucas Vincent – Newcastle

Samuel Voight – Lake Macquarie

Noah Westcott – Lake Macquarie

Darcy White – Lake Macquarie

Coach – Brett Rankin

NORTHERN NSW

Lachlan Barnes – Far North Coast

Keanu Botha – Hunter Valley

Quinn Cooper – North Coast

Charlie Cotton – Hunter Valley

Daniel Craig – North Coast

Kai Dalli – Far North Coast

Brody Felton – Far North Coast

Taylor Gilbert – North Coast

Thomas Holmes – Northern Inland

Harry Kershler – Far North Coast

Patrick Rose – North Coast

Maison Simmons – North Coast

Riley Weir – Far North Coast

Coach – Dean Burke

SOUTH EAST NSW/ACT

Kasey Barton – Southern Marlins

Sebastian Beath – ACT/Southern Districts Barons

James Blencowe – ACT/Southern Districts Barons

Blake Cattle – Illawarra Highlanders

Noah Fien – Illawarra Highlanders

Lucas Kay – Southern Marlins

Nathan Kerr – ACT/Southern Districts Kings

Logan Jensen – Illawarra Highlanders

Fraser O’Rourke – ACT/Southern Districts Kings

Isaac Meyer – ACT/Southern Districts Kings

Joshua Nuss – ACT/Southern Districts Kings

Jackson Taylor – Southern Marlins

Aminda Weerasooriya – ACT/Southern Districts Kings

Coach – Mitch Calder

SOUTH WEST NSW

Hunter Hall – Cricket Albury Wodonga Country

Ed Kreutzberger – Cricket Albury Wodonga Country

Chad Brookes – Cricket Albury Wodonga Country

Noah Orchard – Cricket Albury Wodonga Country

Flynn Stewart – Cricket Albury Wodonga Country

Blayde Burke – Central West

Toby Middleton – Central West

Cooper Stephen – Central West

Baden Lewis – Central West

Braith Gain – Murrumbidgee

Sam Williamson – Murrumbidgee

Cooper Giddings – Western Plains

Triston Ross – Western Plains

Coach – Greg McLay