SG Moore Cup cricket: Team previews, young guns to watch
It’s one of the strongest junior cricket competitions in regional NSW. Check out some of the rising stars to watch from the SG Moore Cup.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Some of the best young cricketers from regional NSW will be on show this weekend as the SG Moore Cup kicks off on Sunday.
In its fourth season, the Newcastle District Cricket Association-run competition lays claim to being the best under-16 tournament in country NSW and sees Newcastle’s best, along with guest players from the Central Coast, Hunter Valley, the North Coast and Sydney, battle it out for the title.
“When you talk to the kids about it they’re pretty excited to play because they’ve heard about it and it’s been building its profile each year that it’s been played,” said Newcastle City and Newcastle representative under-16s coach Rob Parkinson.
With nine teams entering this year, all sides will play four T20 matches before the knockout quarterfinals, semi-finals and final ultimately determine the winner. Check out how teams are shaping up with profiles on all sides below.
CARDIFF-BOOLAROO
Cardiff-Boolaroo will take a young but exciting side into this year’s competition, with some talented underage cricketers looking to make their mark on the big stage.
Led by Newcastle rep all-rounder Garvish Gulati and Maitland guest recruit Reece Tyrrell, the team also has some X-factor of its own as it looks to challenge some of the more fancied sides in the competition.
“Things are looking pretty good,” said team manager Matthew Willett. “It’s a very young side, most of them will probably be playing again next season so there’ll also be a lot of work in developing the side as well.”
He added: “We go into these competitions to win them and the same with every game – we go into them looking to win. But overall our idea is to make the first week of the finals and see where we can go from there.”
With some exciting tearaways in the squad, Willett is particularly looking forward to seeing how his bowlers go against Newcastle’s best.
“I’m really excited about our pace attack. We have a few guys like the skipper Garvish (Gulati), who’ll open the bowling, as well as Lachlan Creer, who’s a really tall, gangly 15-year-old with a bit of height and pace that could be frightening for a few kids.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Garvish Gulati
A bowling all-rounder, Gulati will take the new ball for Cardiff-Boolaroo and also line up in the middle order.
In a sign of his quality, the captain was recently selected in Newcastle’s extended Bradman Cup squad for the under-16 country championships. And although expected to start the season in third grade, Willett said it “will be a question of not if, but when he becomes a second grader”.
“He’s a young, tall lad who gets a lot of purchase off the wicket but also brings it away from the right-hander in the air with some outswing bowling, so he’s very handy,” said Willett.
“Although he’s going to be very good with his bowling, he’s also going to be very useful with his batting as well in the top six.”
Reece Tyrrell
A key recruit from Maitland, the wicketkeeper-batsman is a Central North rep player who will bring some quality to the young side.
“He’s pretty good with the gloves and is a good batsman as well, so he’ll be good for us,” said Willett.
Lachlan Creer
One of the club’s most promising young prospects, the 15-year-old looms as a potential key man for his side, with his height and pace expected to cause top order batters plenty of headaches.
“I think he’s going to be something special. He’s got the height and length advantage and I think he’ll leave a few batsmen trembling,” said Willett.
“He’s gonna be bowling with pace and he gets some seam movement. He bowls inswingers to the right-handers and just with that length, it’s just gonna be popping up, especially on some of these slow decks around town.”
CHARLESTOWN
After a solid campaign last year that saw Charlestown finish fifth after the regular rounds before narrowly losing in the quarterfinals, the Magpies will be out to go a couple of steps further this year.
Led by the likes of representative players Tasman Davidson and Riley Sharples, Charlestown will kick off its campaign against last year’s grand finalists Newcastle City before facing off with Hamwicks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tasman Davidson
The emerging quick is one of the club’s brightest prospects.
Playing up an age group last year, Davidson was selected for Newcastle’s under-16 rep team in the Bradman Cup, taking an impressive seven wickets at 15, and will look to lead the line for Charlestown on the weekend.
Riley Sharples
Another talented cricketer who has also been selected in Newcastle’s Cup squad, Sharples lit up the SG Moore Cup last year with an incredible return of 7-23 in the team’s game against Belmont, while he also looms as a key source of middle-order runs.
BELMONT
It has been a tricky opening to the season for Belmont, which has been struggling for numbers in the junior age groups ahead of the SG Moore Cup competition.
A combination of factors – including lower registration numbers, some players moving to rival clubs, others being temporarily unavailable and the fact that talented female cricketer Molly Dare is playing senior grade cricket in Sydney – has left the side somewhat stretched ahead of Sunday’s opening game.
The club applied for dispensation to play a couple of its slightly older female cricketers in the under-16s competition, but this was turned down by the NDCA.
“We’re trying to scrape together some extra players who may have been looking at retiring at the ripe old age of 15 or 16,” said Belmont president Jamie Heath, who also noted that the shortage in junior numbers has prompted the club to look to build better relationship with junior feeder clubs Valentine and Swansea-Caves.
“I’ve tried to open the feeder club doors with them so that we can build a better relationship and all the kids know what the process is if they want to play seniors for their local club or make their way into grade cricket,” said Heath. “This is just so they know what the pathway is and that they can play in their own area instead of going into town.”
While not among the major contenders heading into this year’s tournament, Belmont has a string of locals who have already tasted senior cricket in the lower grades and will be looking to lead the side.
“They’ve got some good experience, not only with their junior cricket, but they’ve also started to play some senior cricket,” said Heath. “I think they’re going to be the more experienced players in that side.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Zac Nicholls
The young all-rounder, who played development league cricket alongside his dad last season, will be one of the players Belmont looks to for some experience.
“He’s a very good medium-fast bowler with a nice outswing action,” said Heath. “He’s very accurate, he’ll keep batsmen playing at them and he might get a few nicks.”
Kale Keast
An up-and-coming leg-spinner, Keast has benefited from more involvement in the senior club over the pre-season.
“His leg spin has come on in leaps and bounds in the last two months of training so I’m expecting good things from him,” said Heath.
Ned Halligan
Keast’s “spin twin”, Halligan is another leggie who is not also dangerous with the ball but can more than handle himself with the bat.
MEREWETHER
Last year’s champions will be looking to go back to back when another strong Merewether side takes the field in this season’s tournament.
While the likes of junior rep stars Harry Price and Darcy White have aged out of the competition, the Lions still have one of the best squads on paper, with a large of chunk of last year’s team coming back for another shot at the title.
Indeed, with top-order batter Drew Saxby joining the club from rivals Newcastle City, Merewether has a remarkable nine players in Newcastle’s 24-man squad for this summer’s Bradman Cup, the under-16 country championships.
“We’ve got a really good strong junior base,” said Merewether committee member Sam Holding.
“We’ve lost our top-three batsmen but we’ve also added Drew Saxby,” he added. “I’d say we’re in pretty good hands again this season.”
And fresh from the club’s first win in the competition last year, the Lions will be hoping to defend their title.
“Without being arrogant, there’s a quiet confidence in the squad,” said Holding. “With a very similar team, with the addition of Drew and with the boys another year older, I can’t see any reason why the boys wouldn’t be challenging.”
Indeed, the group has tasted plenty of success in recent times. On top of the SG Moore Cup win, a large chunk of the squad also played in Merewether’s grand final-winning fourth grade team last season.
While the squad is full of talented batters and bowlers, Holding said another factor could separate it from the rest.
“I actually think their area of advantage will be their fielding. We train pretty hard on our fielding at Merewether and all of those boys are exceptional fielders,” he said.
“Last year there were a lot of run-outs, no dropped catches – and I think that’s the thing that wins you those comps. You obviously need runs and wickets but I think fielding is the thing that ticks us over a little bit.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Harrison Najor
A very talented top-order batter, Najor likes to play his shots and will be one the Lions look towards for plenty of runs in the tournament.
“He’s certainly a flashy batsman,” said Holding. “Last year we had seven overs to bat in a fourth grade grand final at the end of the day after we bowled first.
“He was only 14 at the time and he got bounced by a fully grown man, their opening bowler, and he pulled him for six with not many overs to go in the day, which you don’t usually see at that age. That’s just an idea of how he plays his cricket.”
Drew Saxby
A big off-season recruit from local rivals Newcastle City, Saxby is another talented top-order bat who will look to offset the losses of some key runscorers from last season.
“He’s very much of a similar ilk to Harry,” said Holding. “He’ll be batting in the top four and he can score runs very quickly.”
Tom White
A very sharp bowling all-rounder, White will take the new ball for Merewether and be tasked with leading the line for his side.
“He’ll open the bowling, he bowls quick. He’s quite big for his age so he can throw them down,” said Holding.
NEWCASTLE CITY
Another leading contender for the title is expected to be Newcastle City, who was one of the standout sides last season before being pipped by Merewether in the final.
“There are a few that have played it for the last couple of years. They’re the older ones now and the more experienced players in the team,” said coach Rob Parkinson.
With plenty of firepower of their own, the Sabres have got three players in the Newcastle under-16s rep squad and have been bolstered by a few recruits from elsewhere.
“We’ve got a fair few rep players in the team, so we’re expecting good things,” said Parkinson. “We’ve also got a few imports from the Central Coast who are good, strong players.”
Looking to go one step further in 2024, City is expected to build its success on the back of its top order.
“Batting is probably the stronger point of the team this year. We’ve got some of the top runscorers for that age group,” said Parkinson.
“We’ve also got some younger age group fast bowlers coming through. It’ll be their first year of SG Moore so they’re looking forward to getting into it.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hayden Checker
The co-captain is a crucial cog in the Newcastle City team. An excellent gloveman behind the stumps, he’s also a dangerous top-order batter who is likely to open the bat for his side throughout the tournament.
“He’s a very good keeper and a top-order bat,” said Parkinson. “I see him as one of our key runscorers.”
Will Parkinson
The team’s other co-captain, Parkinson is another talented batter and fielder who has a great mix of technique and flair.
“He builds well but can hit out if he needs to,” Parkinson. “He’s pretty tall, so he’s got long levers and can hit boundaries at will.”
Max Langworthy
Along with Checker and Parkinson, Langworthy is the team’s third Bradman Cup squad member and completes an incredibly strong triumvirate at the top of the order.
Either opening or coming in at number four, the young gun is an accomplished stroke player who doubles as one of the team’s top off spinners.
HAMWICKS
After a tough campaign last year that saw the side finish eighth, Hamwicks are aiming to be one of the biggest improvers in 2024.
“Our squad is looking pretty good,” said Hamwicks president Adam Smith. “We’re a little bit more prepared than we have been in recent years.
“We’ve got a core group of good young kids coming through who have been together for a while and a few of those guys have just been named in the Bradman Cup train-on squad as well, so we should be competitive.”
Indeed, with the likes of Archie Wicks, Izaac Flanagan and Jack Hughes involved in representative squads, the team has plenty of firepower of its own for the upcoming campaign.
“I think we’ll probably be stronger as a batting unit but for a lot of these kids it’ll be their second crack at SG Ball,” said Smith.
“There’s about five or six of them who are genuine under-16s players playing in their age group and they’ll be better and more confidence after playing up an age last year. Their batting will be better, their bowling will be a bit more on target. I just think the maturity will be the biggest improvement because they can all play cricket.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jack Hughes
A dangerous opening bowler who can swing the ball, Hughes will lead Hamwicks’ attack as he looks to make early inroads into opposition batting line-ups.
“He’s really impressed me in senior cricket with the ball and I’m hoping he can do well in the competition,” said Smith.
Kye Velich
The all-rounder looms as one of the team’s big improvers after putting in plenty of work over the winter.
“He’s had a really big off-season and is really starting to find his feet with the ball and bat,” said Smith.
“Given what he’s done in the off-season and the way he has approached his off-season, I think he’s going to have a real serious crack this season. I hope it all goes his way because I think he can really make some inroads.”
Archie Wicks
One of the team’s top batters with shots all around the ground, Wicks has earned selection in Newcastle’s provisional under-16s rep squad and is seen as one of the team’s main source of runs.
Isaac Flanagan
Another key batsman who earned Bradman Cup selection, Flanagan can shots all around the ground and will look to get the team off to a good start at the top of the order.
“They’re talented batters, I think they’ll really go after it this season and I hope it really comes off for them,” Smith said of both Wicks and Flanagan.
STOCKTON & NORTHERN DISTRICTS
There will be plenty of opportunities for young players to step up and catch the eye of grade and rep selectors as Stockton takes a young team into this year’s competition.
After finishing fourth and making the semis before being bundled out by eventual champions Merewether in what was an impressive campaign in 2023, the Seagulls will be looking to replace a string of key players who have aged out of the competition.
They include gun representative players Lucas Vincent and Tyler McInnes, who dominated with the bat and ball respectively last year.
“I think we’ll be solid. We lost a lot of experience we a few of the older kids who’ve moved out of that age group but I think it’d be good to see the next lot come through and put their own mark on things,” said club captain Nick Foster.
“I think we’ll probably be a little inexperienced but I think that brings some opportunity with it. I don’t see that as a negative at all. It’ll be good for those guys to have less reliance on the likes of Lucas Vincent and just go and do their own thing a little bit.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tremayne Small
Tall, sharp and with plenty of skill, the skipper will lead the attack by opening the bowling for the Seagulls.
Also a strong middle-order batter, Small recently represented the NSW Schoolboys under-15s team at the national championships and will look to lead his side to another finals spot in the SG Moore Cup.
“He’s spent the last couple of years in third grade for us and has done pretty well,” said Foster. “He’s a pretty talented young guy and will definitely be a point of strength for us.”
WESTS
Semi-finalists last year, Wests head into this season’s campaign with high expectations as it takes a strong squad into the competition.
“We would love to win,” said coach Rob Thornton. “Semi-finals is our minimum expectation but its under-16s so it’s a bit of a journey with these guys and we also want to develop towards the future.
“We know there are a couple of very strong teams in there but we see ourselves as ready to give them a game.”
The team’s confidence is built on the talented crop of junior coming through the ranks at New Lambton, with the squad featuring four under-15s rep players and Jacob Chaff, Joe Vandenbergh and Koby Blight, all of whom have been included in Newcastle’s Bradman Cup (under-16s) squad.
“We’ve got a pretty good squad this year and we’ve been working hard in preparation as a group,” said Thornton. “Compared to last year we’ve probably lost three or four under-16s but guys have graduated up into the age group and we’ve got a really good 15s group.”
The team warmed up for the tournament with an impressive tie against Sydney Green Shield side St George on Thursday, and will be keen for a good start when it kicks off its campaign against Cardiff-Boolaroo and Waratah-Mayfield.
And while most teams look to dominate with the bat, the coach said his team’s advantage lies with the ball.
“It’s definitely the versatility of our bowling attack,” said Thornton. “We’ve got four decent pace bowlers at the moment but we’ll also have three wrist spinners in the team who are all rep players.”
Indeed, in what could be a key point of difference, the team’s frontline spinning stocks are made up of guest player Charlie Lovegrove from Maitland, left-arm wrist spinner Leo Thornton, who adds plenty of variation to the side, and tall left-arm orthodox tweaker Cooper Davies.
“We’ve got eight different bowling options and then everyone’s an all-rounder except the keeper, so there are medium-pacers as well to support them,” said Thornton.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Joe Vandenbergh
Tall, sharp and dangerous with the ball, Vandenbergh is one part of Wests’ excellent fast bowling quartet.
Likely to be handed the new ball, he’ll be looking to make inroads into opposition top orders throughout the tournament.
Koby Blight
Another fast bowler with plenty of height and speed, Blight will likely lead the attack with Vandenbergh and promises plenty of fireworks.
Jacob Chaff
Coming across from Belmont in the off-season, Chaff brings plenty of class and flair to the Rosellas’ top order and will be looked upon as a key source of runs.
“He’s a bit of a hard-hitting batsman, which is something we really need,” said Thornton.
WARATAH-MAYFIELD
While some clubs will go into the competition with expectations of challenging for the title, it is likely going to be more a development season for Waratah-Mayfield, who will look towards the future and aim to blood a string of talented youngsters in the tournament.
“We’re really fortunate that our manager, Chris Walton, is also the new president of our junior club,” said club committee member Jack Dundas.
“He’s bringing across eight to 10 kids from the junior club to get them used to not just this comp but grade cricket as well. So we’re hoping it’s going to be more of a learning experience for those players rather than us being super competitive.”
And while the team might not have some of the big names of other clubs, the Tahs will benefit from an ongoing relationship from Sydney sister club Western Suburbs that will see two of the Magpies’ young guns head north for a guest stint.
“At the end of the day we want our young blokes to enjoy it, but if they get two very strong players around them then they’re going to get better,” said Dundas.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Izaan Mohammed
He might only be 15, but Mohammed is one of the club’s brightest prospects who will captain the side this year.
“It was great to see the smile on his face after we told him he’d be captain and see how seriously he wants to take the competition, so he’ll lead from the front,” said Dundas.
A talented top order batter, the young gun has already made an impression in the senior ranks after breaking into third grade and was selected as one of the few underage players in Newcastle’s under-16 rep squad.
“He’s a very promising cricketer. He’s been part of all the rep systems and was selected for the Bradman Cup squad.”
Sulaiman Moin Muhammad
At just 14, Izaan’s cousin is another young gun looking to make his mark against much older opponents.
“He’s going to be a very, very talented cricketer,” said Dundas. “He’s only 14 but he’s an exceptional all-rounder: he can bat anywhere and he’s just a very classy bowler for his age.”
Koby Walton
A keen young player with a great attitude and plenty of ability with both the bat and ball, Walton could well use the competition as a springboard into grade cricket.
“He’s one where he probably doesn’t know where his best cricket is going to come from, whether he’s going to be a batter or a bowler,” said Dundas. “But he will step up and have a good taste of better cricket and that will do him well for the season.”
Join the conversation
Pain game! Stairway to rugby dream for Waratahs young gun
It’s a time he hated with a passion but this painful interlude in Waratahs young gun Henry O’Donnell’s life could well pave the way to his future success in the game. Tahs v Brumbies squads
Read more
Girls on the rise: 80 players to watch in Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale Cup
Keep an eye on these names. The future of women’s rugby league is on show in the Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale Cups, and we look at 80 stars set to shine in this year’s competition.
Read more