Emerging stars: Under-19 Country Colts cricket team of the tournament for 2023
The biggest hitters and the craftiest bowlers that Country NSW has to offer. Check out which under-19 guns made the team of the tournament for the 2023 Country Colts competition.
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Some of NSW’s most promising young cricketers were all in action last week down the south coast as the under-19s Country Colts tournament played out.
After five rounds of captivating cricket, Newcastle were crowned champions for the first time in three years after dominating on the final day.
Now that the 2023 carnival is in the books, it’s time to look back on the emerging cricketers who shone the brightest across the week.
We’ve put together a team of the tournament that features the biggest hitters, craftiest bowlers and most talented all-rounders from the Colts competition.
Check out who made the team and read on for some honourable mentions.
Jake Scott (Riverina)
281 runs at 70.25
With two half centuries and huge ton, the powerful left-hander amassed the most runs in the tournament and was duly rewarded with the player of the carnival crown.
After a slightly underwhelming start, the Riverina skipper hit his straps in round three against Greater Illawarra when he hit an unbeaten 68 from 54 balls as his team easily chased down their total of 91.
He was back at it again the next with a classy 54 as his team posted a big total in its win against Southern Districts, while on the final day of competition he put together arguably the best knock of the tournament, bludgeoning five fours and an amazing 11 sixes in an innings of 134 from 103 balls as his side finished just short of Western’s total of 291.
Riley Keen (Western)
167 runs at 33.4
Keen was thrust into the order at a number of different spots for Western throughout the tournament and made some terrific contributions off the bat.
Twice he was the leading run scorer for Western, with a 69 against Greater Illawarra and a 47 against Newcastle, while also picking up a crucial 39 from sixth drop against North Coastal.
Keen also showed his worth with the ball by picking up three wickets across the week, including 2/8 in the nailbiting round four win over champions Newcastle.
Beau Mainey (North Coastal)
257 runs at 64.25
The young gun from Kempsey showed skill and experience beyond his years to help North Coastal to second place in this year’s tournament.
After starts of 18, 19 and 16 across his first three dig, the 17-year-old found form against the Central Coast and was unlucky not to crack the ton after hitting an unbeaten 97 from 92 balls.
If that wasn’t good enough, he backed that up the next day with a brilliant 107 from 105 balls as North Coastal put on by far the best batting performance in the tournament in scoring 4/345 against Southern Districts.
Sam Weir (North Coastal)
205 runs at 68.3
Another starlet in the North Coastal ranks who put in some stellar shifts with the bat from first or second drop.
After a slow start, Weir grew into the tournament as it progressed, raising the bat twice with 51 not out against Newcastle in round three and an impressive 82 not out against Southern Districts in round five.
With a vast array of shots he found the boundary 17 times throughout the tournament, including one maximum, while also showed his worth as a bowling option with a wicket and a couple of economical spells for his team.
Cameron Claridge (Newcastle)
189 runs at 47.25
A huge factor in Newcastle taking out the championship, the powerful right-hander top scored for his side three times in a truly dominant display of middle order batting.
While it took most batsmen in the competition a few rounds to get going, Claridge showed his class from the outset by smashing a brilliant 99 from 87 balls in his team’s first round demolition of Greater Illawarra.
He backed that up with another man-of-the-match performance in round two, top scoring with 35, taking two wickets and enacting a run-out as Newcastle swept aside Southern Districts, before chalking up a classy 55 in Newcastle’s narrow loss to Western.
And despite scoring the fifth-most runs, it could have been much more as Claridge was the only batsman in the top 10 not to bat in all five matches.
Hugh Taylor (Western)
133 runs at 133
He might not have been in the top-10 runscorers across the week, but Taylor finished the tournament with by far the best average of 133.
Batting anywhere from six to nine, Taylor was an expert at batting with the middle and lower order and was dismissed just once over the course of the week as he piled on crucial late runs.
He played a key role in a couple of Western’s narrow wins, hitting an excellent 45 not out from 51 balls to set a healthy total in the 15-run victory over Newcastle, while he then slugged an unbeaten 56 from 45 balls as Western set Riverina a huge target of 291 in what proved to be a nailbiting eight-run win on the final day of the carnival.
In addition, he also deputised for normal wicketkeeper Edward Murray during the thrilling final stages of the round four win over the eventual premiers.
Jaylen Johnston (Central Coast)
127 runs at 31.75 and eight wickets at 13.75
With the 14th-most runs and third-best bowling figures, Johnston put in an expert all-rounder’s performance for his side.
With the bat, he top scored for the Central Coast with 31 in its heavy loss to Riverina in round two, and scored an excellent 59 not out from as many balls as he helped his side chase down North Coastal’s target of 240 inside 39 overs.
However it was with the ball where Johnston really shone, taking wickets in every game in what was a brilliant display of consistently dangerous left-arm orthodox bowling.
Angus Parsons (Western)
102 runs at 51 and 7 wickets at 12.5
Touted as one to watch in this tournament, Parsons lived up to the hype with a deadly bowling performance and handy showing with the bat .
The right-arm fast bowler picked up seven wickets across three games of bowling, twice picking up three in the one match, with his best spell a 3/28 in six overs bowled against North Coastal.
With the bat he proved to be a cool head to pick up some important late runs in the lower order, remaining not out on three occasions with a best score of 33*.
Ted Waterman (Southern Districts)
10 wickets at 13.9
It might have been a tough inaugural carnival for Southern Districts, but the paceman from Queanbeyan was an absolute standout for the side as he claimed the equal-most wickets for the tournament.
He well and truly showed that he could match it with the best after dismissing both Newcastle openers Joe Merlino and Joey Gillard cheaply to give his side a great start against the eventual champions round two, before producing one of the greatest individual performances in Country Colts history in the team’s in round four clash with Riverina.
Coming up against a strong batting lineup, Waterman took an incredible 7/57 from nine overs in what was a brilliant display of persistent, resilient fast bowling.
Bailey Lidgard (Central Coast)
8 wickets at 14.5
Finishing as the Central Coast’s equal top wicket-taker alongside Johnston with eight, Lidgard dominated with the ball in the early stages of the tournament.
The left-arm orthodox spinner picked up back-to-back three-wicket hauls in the opening two matches, with his 3/8 in seven overs of bowling against Southern Districts one of the performances of the tournament.
He carried his form all the way through, bowling an impressive four maidens and claiming a wicket in the final round against Greater Illawarra.
Jamie Dickson (Newcastle)
10 wickets at 7.7
The big quick was an absolute matchwinner for the eventual champions, finishing the week with the best figures despite only bowling in three games.
In a remarkable statistic, Dickson dismissed all openers in all games he played, with his finest performance coming in the crucial final round match against Central North.
Needing to win to have any chance of taking home the title, Dickson put in a spell for the ages, claiming four wickets in his first three overs to destroy the top order, before eventually finishing with figures of 5/42 from 10 overs as Newcastle bowled Central North out for just 107 and then went on to surpass the total inside eight overs.
Honourable mentions
Given the high level of performances on show at the carnival, it is incredibly difficult to restrict a team of the tournament to just 11 players, with some players narrowly missing out on our top XI despite putting in some excellent displays.
Perhaps the unluckiest is North Coastal opener Kai Croft, who scored 155 runs at an average of 31 – including a ton against Southern Districts – to be the seventh-highest runscorer. He also took five crucial wickets across the week to finish with an excellent bowling average of 11.6.
Riverina opener Oscar Lyons is another in the same boat. After a difficult start to the tournament he came home strong, scoring 122 against Southern Districts and then 43 in the final game against Western to be the fourth-highest runscorer with 193 at an average of 38.6.
On the bowling front, Central North’s Tom Callan was brilliant for his side, taking eight wickets at an average of 14 to finish the week with the fourth-best bowling figures. Meanwhile Greater Illawarra’s Michael Amadio wasn’t far behind, also taking eight wickets which included two excellent three-wicket hauls against Newcastle and the Central Coast.
Honour board
Most runs
Jake Scott (Riverina): 20, 5, 68*, 54, 134 (281 runs at 70.25)
Beau Mainey (North Coastal): 18, 19, 16, 97*, 107 (257 runs at 64.25)
Sam Weir (North Coastal): 14, 13, 51*, 45, 82* (205 runs at 68.3)
Oscar Lyons (Riverina): 12, 12, 4, 122, 43 (193 runs at 38.6)
Cameron Claridge (Newcastle): 99, 35, 0, 55, DNB (189 runs at 47.25)
Riley Keen (Western): 39, 69, 10, 47, 2 (167 runs at 33.4)
Kai Croft (North Coastal): 46, 0, 7, 2, 100 (155 runs at 31)
Edward Murray (Western): 2, 1, 12, 0, 134 (149 runs at 29.8)
Bailey Abela (Greater Illawarra): 14, 6, 0, 62, 65 (147 runs at 29.4)
Joey Gillard (Newcastle): 72, 8, 19, 0, 33* (142 runs at 35.5)
Hugh Taylor (Western): 20, 12*, DNB, 45*, 56* (133 runs at 133)
Thomas Alderson (Central Coast): 41, 1, 13, 75, 2 (132 runs at 26.4)
William Thomson (Southern Districts): 4, 65*, 24, 4, 33 (130 runs at 32.5)
Jaylen Johnston (Central Coast): 17, 31, 11, 59*, 9 (127 runs at 31.75)
Joe Merlino (Newcastle): 0, 2, 29*, 18, 74* (121 runs at 40.3)
Brodie McDowell (North Coastal): 25, 34*, 15, 16, 29 (119 runs at 29.75)
Thomas Fletcher (Greater Illawarra): 6, 18, 23, 40, 22 (109 runs at 21.8)
Thomas Blowes (Western): 54, 11, 14, 24, 4 (107 runs at 21.4)
Angus Parsons (Western): 14, 26, 5*, 33*, 24* (102 runs at 51)
Hugh Sienkiewicz (Western): 9, 0, 30, 17, 43 (101 runs at 20.2)
Most wickets
Jamie Dickson (Newcastle): 2/18, DNB, DNB, 3/17, 5/42 (10 wickets at 7.7)
Ted Waterman (Southern Districts): 0/15, 2/8, DNB, 7/57, 1/59 (10 wickets at 13.9)
Jaylen Johnston (Central Coast): 2/11, 2/25, 2/13, 1/36, 1/25 (8 wickets at 13.75)
Tom Callan (Central North): 3/28, 2/24, 2/22, 1/16, 0/26 (8 wickets at 14)
Bailey Lidgard (Central Coast): 3/8, 3/27, 1/20, 0/41, 1/20 (8 wickets at 14.5)
Michael Amadio (Greater Illawarra): 3/51, 2/17, 0/16, 0/16, 3/33 (8 wickets at 16.6)
Patrick Lavis (Riverina): DNB, 2/14, 2/13, 0/3, 3/45 (7 wickets at 10.7)
Angus Parsons (Western): 3/28, 1/18, DNB, DNB, 3/42 (7 wickets at 12.6)
Hugh Sienkiewicz (Western): DNB, 1/23, 2/24, 3/33, 1/9 (7 wickets at 12.7)
Jack Yates (Greater Illawarra): 1/50, 2/17, DNB, 0/14, 4/43 (7 wickets at 17.7)
Will Parkinson (Central North): 3/18, 0/14, 2/19, 2/57, 0/33 (7 wickets at 20.1)
James Burke (Newcastle): 1/30, 0/10, 2/8, 1/23, 2/18 (6 wickets at 14.8)
Kepler Lukies (Riverina): 1/13, 0/15, 1/7, 4/22, 0/39 (6 wickets at 16)
Hunter Hall (Riverina): 1/14, 3/8, 1/15, 1/37, 0/28 (6 wickets at 17)
Daniel Thompson (Central Coast): 3/18, 1/23, DNB, 0/42, 2/26 (6 wickets at 18.2)
Mitch Constantinou (Greater Illawarra): 1/62, 0/10, 0/18, 4/35, 1/17 (6 wickets at 23.7)
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