Under-17 National Cricket Championships: NSW Country claim historic win
NSW Country has created history by taking out its first-ever Australian title at the under-17 National Cricket Championships in Ballarat. See how they got the job done.
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A string of NSW players have been recognised for their excellent performances following the completion of the under-17 National Cricket Championships in Ballarat.
For the championship-winning NSW Country side, wicketkeeper-batsman Shaun Smith and left-arm orthodox spinner Blake Mackrell were both chosen in the tournament’s team of merit, alongside NSW Metro leg-spinner Aarush Soni.
Opening the batting for Country, Smith was outstanding throughout the tournament, scoring four half-centuries from six knocks to finish as the fourth-highest runscorer with 303.
This included a matchwinning 57 not out as the team overcame an early collapse to chase down 143 and record its first win of the tournament against the ACT in round and a brilliant 99 from 107 balls against Queensland in round three as Country started to hit their straps.
Proving he could also perform when the pressure was on, Smith top scored with 89 as the team chased down 207 in the semi-final against Victoria Metro, and then set the tone for victory in the final with an excellent 50 from 56 balls.
“He’s had a massive carnival, he opens the batting and keeps – and his glovework’s been spectacular. He’s fantastic,” said coach Greg McLay.
“He lives an hour up the road in Gundagai and I’ve had a lot to do with Shaun. He’s had a top-notch carnival.”
Country’s other standout performer was spinner Mackrell.
The Kiama tweaker was an absolute revelation for the side, proving to be a hard to get away and a lethal wicket threat as he finished the carnival as the leading wicket-taker with 17 – a whopping six clear of the next best, Metro’s Soni.
Picking up wickets in every game bar one, Mackrell’s highlights undoubtedly came through the middle of the tournament when he took back-to-back five-wicket hauls against Queensland and Northern Territory.
It was an incredible achievement for the spinner, who until recently wasn’t even part of the Cricket NSW state pathways program.
“It’s just amazing when you give him the opportunity,” said McLay. “He’d never had a five-for before this carnival, believe it or not, and he got two in a row and was the leading wicket-taker, as I understand it. He was fantastic as well.”
And while it was a difficult tournament for Metro, who missed out on the semi-finals, leg-spinner Soni was a shining light for the side, picking up 11 wickets to be the second-highest wicket-taker and earn his spot in the team of merit.
His best figures were an incredible 5-10 from seven overs in the final round consolation match against Tasmania.
And while only three made the team of the tournament, both Country and Metro had a string of excellent performers over the course of the week.
After an incredibly difficult start to the tournament, which saw him average just 5.2 from the first five games, skipper Lachlan Williams showed his class with a typical captain’s knock in the final, top scoring with 70 to help get his side home and earn the player-of-the-match award.
Another one who overcame a slow start to finish all guns glazing was Ungarie’s Harry Roscarel.
With just 26 runs from his first three digs, the second-drop batter hit form at the right time of the tournament, scoring an excellent unbeaten 80 against the Northern Territory, 45 against Victoria Metro in the semi-final and then a classy 50 from 52 balls in the final against WA to finish behind Smith as the team’s second-highest runscorer with 201.
“He’s one of the best players of spin for his age group that I’ve ever seen,” said McLay.
“He’s really, really good and is such a humble kid, lives on a farm and has a home-spun technique, hasn’t been over-coached and is a hard man to bowl to, hard man to contain. He invariably goes at a run a click without even trying.”
Elsewhere, Newcastle’s Austen Hiskens proved to be an incredibly valuable player with both the bat and ball.
Nominally an opening batsman, Hiskens was extremely dangerous with his medium-pacers throughout the tournament, picking up 10 wickets to be the team’s second-highest wicket-taker behind Mackrell, while he also scored valuable runs at the top, highlighted by his excellent 66 against Northern Territory in the final group game.
He was well supported by Novocastrian teammate Kel Wilson. Batting at six, Wilson showed that he could score runs in all matter of conditions, whether that he helping to stabilise the innings after a collapse, turn up the heat on the path to setting a big total or offering a steady hand in a run chase.
He finished the tournament as Country’s third-highest runscorer with 197 at an average of 43.25, hitting a crucial 56 in the team’s successful run chase against the ACT, plundering 67 from 51 balls against the Northern Territory and ensuring that he was there at the end of the run chase as Country hit the winning runs in both the semi-final and final.
Meanwhile onto the bowlers, and Ted Waterman was outstanding for Country throughout the week. Leading the attack, the big quick from Queanbeyan was crucial in helping the team get off to a good start with the ball.
And while he might not have picked up too many bags, he took wickets in every game to finish with seven and was incredibly hard to get away.
He was well supported by another Novocastrian in Jacob Curry. A bustling quick who wither opened or came on at first change, Curry brought plenty of energy to the attack and was rewarded with eight wickets across the tournament, highlighted by an excellent 3-37 in the final.
BRILLIANT COUNTRY CREATE HISTORY
NSW Country has claimed a historic first-ever national cricket title after taking out the men’s under-17 championships in Ballarat.
A brilliant team bowling performance led by Austen Hiskens, Jacob Curry and Blake Mackrell was then backed by some dominant batting from top order players Shaun Smith, Lachlan Williams and Harry Roscarel to hand the side a comfortable six-wicket victory over Western Australia in the final at Eastern Oval.
Set 215 to win, Country never looked like they were behind in the chase, with skipper Williams topscoring with 70 and Roscarel and Smith both posting half centuries as the team reached the target just four down with 7.5 overs remaining.
While NSW Country has won national junior titles before playing in a combined team with the ACT, this is the first time that Country has taken out a national junior title in any of the male or female divisions in its own right.
The victory also atones for a humiliating round one loss to WA, which saw Country bowled out for just 46.
Since that defeat, the team went on to win five games straight to claim a famous victory.
“I’m really, really proud of this group and what they’ve been able to achieve, especially after the first game where we were rolled by WA for 40-odd,” said coach Greg McLay, who praised not only the ability but the character of his group.
“We’re unbelievably proud to bounce back from getting rolled for 46.
“Groups that don’t have high-level characters within the group struggle to come back from that sort of stuff, it can really scar you. But I have full-confidence in these guys.
“I’ve had eight national championship campaigns and I’ve never taken a group away that has bonded and gelled as well as this group. They’re real good mates and these are the sorts of things that they’ll remember for lifetimes. I’m just unbelievably happy.”
McLay said the historic victory, which has seen NSW sides win all three junior national carnival this summer, is a shot in the arm for country cricket.
“Especially being from NSW Country, we don’t have the greatest facilities, we don’t get all the resourcing. But what they do have is a lot of adaptability and they find their own way – and I’m incredibly proud,” he said.
“It is our first time without ACT, so that adds even more weight to it and I think it speaks volumes for the systems that we have in place. With my colleague Dean Burke, there’s only two of us in the entire state that look after country players – he looks after the northern half of the state, I look after the southern half of the state. It’s a massive task, with boys and girls as well. It’s a tiring job but I absolutely adore it and this vindicates the hard work.”
MATCH REPORT: COUNTRY SWEEP ASIDE WA FOR TITLE
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Country openers Jacob Curry and Ted Waterman kept things tight and made it difficult for WA to score.
The pressure soon showed as WA captain Simon Budge slashed at a Waterman ball outside off to be caught at point for 14 in the eight over.
The big quick from Queanbeyan almost had another two balls later when he put down a sharp caught and bowled chance from Zed Hollick.
Then left-arm orthodox spinner Blake Mackrell, Country’s best bowler throughout the tournament, was introduced in the ninth over and wasted no time making his mark, luring Hollick into a slog sweep to be caught in the deep for a duck.
Everything Country touched was turning to gold, with Kasey Barton clean bowling Adam Solomons with an absolute peach of a delivery that came in off the seam with just his fifth ball to leave WA in serious trouble at 3-28 in the 11th over.
WA batsmen Will Malajczuk and Lincoln Hobbs did well to settle things down and push the score past 70. But just as they were getting comfortable, another Country bowling change did the trick.
Medium-pacer Austen Hiskens came on and, just as he’s done all carnival, secured another breakthrough by showing good athleticism and a safe pair of hands to dismiss Hobbs caught and bowled for 17.
The big Novocastrian then went bang, bang, trapping Josh Nathan on the pads second ball to leave WA reeling at 5-72.
While wickets fell around him, Malajczuk was a rock for the West Australians and looked dangerous and took the team past 100 in the 30th over.
But while the left hander was getting settled, he kept losing partners, with Curry coming back in the attack and destroying Dylan Ratter’s stumps with a scything yorker
Country just couldn’t do anything wrong, and another bowling change worked to perfection when Mackrell trapped Korey Sweetman in front LBW with the first ball of his second spell to reduce WA to 7-104 in the 32nd over.
With Country right on top the team made even more inroads with a Johnny Bairstow Ashes moment.
After Franklin Lough played and missed at a Curry delivery, Country keeper Shaun Smith – channelling his inner Alex Carey – threw the ball at the stumps to catch the WA batter out of his crease and reduce the side to 8-114.
Just when it looked like the innings would soon be wrapped up, Malajczuk – who brought up his half-century in 61 balls – combined with tailender Wyatt Wilson for a remarkable rearguard action.
With some excellent lower-order hitting, the pair put on a brilliant 90-run stand that frustrated the Country attack and pushed the total beyond 200.
Malajczuk looked destined for a ton when he was dropped on 91. However his luck ran out the following over when he was caught in the deep for a wonderful knock of 93 from 105 balls that kept his team in the contest.
Wilson kept swinging and brought up his 50 with a heaving six over deep wicket in the final over, before he was dismissed the very next ball to see his side bowled out for 214 in the final over.
Newcastle duo Curry and Hiskens were the pick of the bowlers for Country, taking three wickets each, while Mackrell continued his outstanding tournament with the excellent figures of 2-36 from 10.
After demolishing Country for just 46 in round one of the tournament, WA were hoping to get off to another flying start with the ball.
They managed to do just that when Country opener Hiskens was judged to have edged the ball behind to the keeper with just the fourth ball of the innings.
The big opener was unhappy with the decision as he walked from the field and replaced by his Newcastle teammate Lachlan Williams.
Despite the early setback, Wagga opener Smith, who has a genuine claim for player of the tournament, was in an attacking mindset and continued his excellent form by getting the Country innings going and pushing the side to 1-43 from 10 overs.
He seemed to build into the innings and at one stage was putting on a clinic, hitting three fours from one Wilson over with some of the best straight drives seen in the tournament.
The wicketkeeper batsman soon brought up his 50 in just 54 balls before he charged down the wicket to leg-spinner Zed Hollick, only to miss and be stumped with the team on 2-78 in the 16th over.
The wicket slowed things up for Country, as WA’s spinners tied the batters down and became difficult to get away.
With the team in a good position, the match was made for Country skipper Lachlan Williams. After a difficult tournament that had seen him average just 5.2 with the bat, the Novocastrian broke the shackles with back-to-back boundaries against Hollick, including a big six over deep mid-wicket.
And after a cautious start, he brought up a crucial half-century in 76 balls.
He was joined at the crease by Harry Roscarel who also got in on the action, belting a couple of boundaries of his own as the pair started to take a liking to the WA spinners.
After being bogged down early in their partnership, the pair really turned on the fireworks, scoring an incredible 66 runs in a seven-and-a-half-over spell that rammed home Country’s dominance.
Roscarel was on fire, and brought up his run-a-ball half-century with a brilliant six over long on.
The boy from Ungarie wanted to finish the game in style, but in almost a carbon copy of Smith’s dismissal, he danced down the wicket – this time to leg-spinner Micah Akkinapalli – missed the ball and was stumped for an excellent 50 with the team sitting pretty at 3-170 in the 34th over.
Then with just 18 to win, Williams finally fell, once again deceived by Akkinapalli to be stumped for an excellent 70 from 114 balls.
After experiencing a horror carnival with his personal performances, it was a superb knock under pressure when his team needed it most.
From here the team was in cruise control, with Jaylen Johnston and Kel Wilson guiding the side home with 7.5 overs remaining to secure the resounding win and claim a famous first national title for NSW Country.
Western Australia 10-214 (Malajczuk 93, Wilson 51; Hiskens 3-26, Curry 3-37) lost to NSW Country 7-217 (Williams 70, Roscarel 50, Smith 50; Akkinapalli 2-20) by six wickets
Follow all the games live: SCORES and VIDEO.
HARDY RAW PACE SINKS TASSIE
While Country carried the hopes of the state in the final, Metro headed to the Alfredton Recreation Reserve to wrap up their campaign against Tasmania.
It was a day where the Blues top order clicked and Will Hardy fired with the ball.
After being sent in, Metro opener Nitesh Samuel – fresh from a match winning 72 the previous day – teamed up with Alex Lee-Young and the pair kept the scoreboard ticking over until the 21st over when Lee-Young (45 off 71) was caught off the leading edge.
With 89 on the board, Will Adlam quickly slipped into gear, and alongside Samuel they added 34 from five overs before the Parramatta strokemaker departed for a well made 48 off 70 balls.
It was the perfect scenario for the attacking Blake Noorbergen and Adlam to push the contest out of Tassie’s reach.
By the time Adlam departed for a carnival-best 50 off 61, Metro were sitting pretty at 3-188 with 10 overs still up their sleeve.
The closing stages resembled a feeding frenzy, John James (23 off 15) blasted three boundaries and a maximum as the Blues raced to 5-273 from their allotted overs.
With an unbeaten 73 off 67, Noorbergen had struck his top score to finish as Metro’s leading run scorer with 210 at 52.5.
With his tail up, paceman Hardy made sure Tasmania never stood a chance in reply.
After finding the outside edge of Luca Di Venuto’s bat in the fourth over, at 1-15, the Sydney Uni speedster instantly ramped up the pressure, and pace.
For Tassie opener Riley Whitelaw, the sixth over of the chase is one he’ll never forget.
In arguably one of the best overs of the week, Hardy thundered into the crease to produce what were probably the fastest six balls of the tournament.
The first reared off a length before it slapped into the gloves of Advith Boreddy. Then with impeccable rhythm, the next three did Whitelaw for pace, while the fifth demolished the stumps.
From there, Aarush Soni feasted on the remainder of the line-up, exiting Ballarat with a five-wicket haul after Metro ran out winners by 200 runs.
NSW Metro 5-273, 50 overs (Noorbergen 73*, Adlam 50, Samuel 48, Lee-Young 45; Shead 2-61) defeated Tasmania 10-73, 24.1 overs (Harnwell 17, Dwyer 17; Soni 5-10, Hardy 2-13, Deshmukh 1-9, Cooray 1-12) by 200 runs
ROUND FIVE WRAP
NSW Country will have the chance to play for the national title after defeating Victoria Metro in a clinical semi-final performance.
The team’s big guns really stood up with both the bat and ball as the side extended its winning streak to four games. Country will now take on its round one nemesis Western Australia in the grand final, and will be keen to improve on its heavy loss earlier in the tournament.
Elsewhere, NSW Metro made up for the disappointment of not qualifying for the finals with a strong performance in the consolation games.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
CLINICAL COUNTRY STORM INTO FINAL
NSW Country will take on Western Australia in the grand final of the under-17 National Cricket Championships after a stunning five-wicket victory over Victoria Metro in the semi-final at Eastern Oval.
A magnificent team bowling performance restricted the Victorian side to 207 from its 50 overs, before opening batter Shaun Smith continued his golden tournament with a brilliant 89 to lead the side to victory with five wickets in the shed and three and a half overs remaining.
Country will go into the final with plenty of confidence, having won four games straight on the back of some excellent performances to overcome a disappointing first-round loss.
Perhaps fittingly, the team will take on its first round opponents Western Australia in the decider, with the opportunity to avenge its humiliating 151-run loss to kick off the carnival.
After losing the toss and being sent into the field, Country made the perfect start, with Queanbeyan quick Ted Waterman claiming the scalp of Aayan Nadeem in the third over for just four.
From here, the Country fast bowlers struggled somewhat with their line and length as the Victorian batters moved their way past 50 inside 12 overs.
Vic Metro were gaining momentum until danger man Cooper Rojko chopped on to the bowling of Kasey Barton for 19.
Young Illawarra quick Barton then struck again shortly after when Alex Turner got a fine edge on one down leg side to be dismissed for 19 and leave his side in a spot of bother at 3-53.
Country brought on the spinners and it had an almost immediate effect, with offie Tom Blowes taking a fantastic caught and bowled to send Archie Flynn back to the pavilion for 13.
Blowes, left-arm orthodox tweaker Blake Mackrell and leg-spinner Hunter Hall started to turn the screws with some tight bowling, and when Vic Metro batter Jack Czosnek took off for a quick single to get off strike, some sharp work from Harry Roscarel and Hall caught him short to reduce the team to 5-81.
While Orange all-rounder Blowes had been used as a part-time bowler in the tournament, he took centre stage in the semi, completely bamboozling Vic Metro’s Lachlan Quinn for him to be stumped by keeper Shaun Smith for 10 and leave the side floundering at 6-95 after 24.
Runs were hard to come by, with Newcastle duo Austen Hiskens and Jacob Curry both striking to reduce the Victorians to 8-144.
However just when it looked like a Country might be chasing something in the range of 150, Vic Metro’s Nikki du Toit (46) and Gurbir Singh (33) put in some stubborn lower-order resistance to push the score beyond 200 before Waterman – Country’s best quick throughout the tournament – finally cleaned up the tail to end the innings on 207 on the final ball of the 50 overs.
While undoubtedly a good result for Country, the Victorians would have been thrilled with their score given the collapse in their top order.
If the Country batters were at all nervous about the task ahead of them, they certainly didn’t show, with Smith and Hiskens smashing 11 from the first over as they ruthlessly put away anything short and wide.
The team was flying at more than a run a ball until Hiskens was caught on the pads by quick Thomas Paddington and given out for 17.
Skipper Lachlan Williams then edged one behind second ball to be dismissed for a duck to completely change the nature of the contest as Country fell to 2-29.
From here Smith – Country’s highest runscorer in the tournament – and Roscarel, who’s 80 not out set up the team’s last-start win against North Territory, went about stabilising the innings.
The pair settled well and chipped away at the total to move to 2-70 from 15 overs.
It appeared as if they were doing it easy, picking up runs without risk as they moved to 113 at the halfway point of the innings. Smith brought up his half-century – his third in five digs at the tournament – and the pair then brought up their hundred partnership shortly after.
However a combination of fatigue, bad judgment and a recurring error combined to break the wonderful stand of 106, with Roscarel run out for 45 after the pair tried to take a quick single.
In fact, it was the third time that a teammate had been run out while Smith was batting, with the team sitting at 3-135 in the 29th over.
While Country were still cruising, Jaylen Johnston was caught in the deep for five with 15 overs to go. And then when Smith failed to properly get onto a hook shot and was caught in the deep for a brilliant 89 from 103 balls, the team had fallen to 5-180 and given the Victorians a sniff with 10 overs remaining.
The Vic Metro bowlers then started turning the screws, doing well to dry up the runs as the pressure grew.
But full of confidence after picking up two key wickets, Blowes eased any nerves the Country may have had, belting 20 from 23 balls to get the team within touching distance, before Kel Wilson did the honours of smacking a four past Nadeem to hit the winning runs and book his team’s place in the final with three and a half overs to spare.
Victoria Metro 10-207 (Du Toit 46, Singh 33; Waterman 3-41, Blowes 2-24) lost to NSW Country 5-209 (Smith 89, Roscarel 45; Paddington 2-40, Nadeem 1-26) by five wickets
METRO SINK MAROONS
After facing off against Queensland in last season’s decider, before heading to Ballarat, not many would have predicted both these side’s to be trading blows among the also-rans.
But even with the silverware out of reach, state bragging rights meant there was still plenty at stake at CE Brown Reserve.
Queensland chose to bat, and despite six players scoring 21 or better they could still only muster 6-215 from their allotted 50 overs.
Opener Michael Neumann led the way for the Maroons with 38 but without any substantial partnerships beyond the opening stand of 50, they were unable to break the contest open.
After some wayward bowling with the new ball, NSW worked their way back into the match via the leg-spin of Naden Cooray (2-31) and Aarush Soni (1-31).
However, when the Blues openers strode to the wicket they quickly found that runs were hard to accumulate.
Opener Nitesh Samuel took 22 balls to get off the mark as Metro meandered to 1-35 in the 10th over.
In a day where patience was rewarded, Samuel held the fort as the Blues edged closer to the victory target. Players came and went but the Parramatta right-hander kept chugging away and by the time he departed for 72 off 118 balls, Metro were 5-205.
Samuel and captain Kobey Freer (56* off 58) added a game winning 84 runs for the fifth wicket. And in the over following Samuels dismissal, Freer rammed home the advantage with two boundaries to cap off a welcome return to form and a solid five-wicket victory with more than five overs to spare.
Queensland 6-215, 50 overs (Neumann 38, Steinhardt 37; Cooray 2-31, Soni 1-31, Kahlon 1-36) lost to NSW Metro 5-219, 44.5 overs (Samuel 72, Freer 58; King 2-30, Noffke 1-32) by five wickets
ROUND FOUR WRAP
After the final round of the preliminaries was pushed back a day due to Ballarat’s wet weather, the big names made their move on Tuesday as finals spots went on the line at the under-17 National Cricket Championships.
If there’s such a thing as dark horse heading into Wednesday’s finals, then with a comprehensive performance against the Northern Territory, NSW Country have stated their case.
While NSW Metro didn’t enjoy the same highs as their Country cousins, they lost no admirers with a spirited fightback against South Australia.
See how all the chaotic day four action played out.
COUNTRY ROCKET TO FINALS
Despite the early sun at Buninyong Recreation Reserve, the lingering damp conditions from Monday’s rain saw Country open their innings almost two hours after the scheduled start.
For a determined Country with an eager eye on the finals, it proved to be the calm before the storm. In a contest reduced to 45 overs Harry Roscarel led the way, plundering the Northern Territory attack with a run-a-ball 80 as the bush boys posted three half centuries in an emphatic 6-260.
Not to be outdone, Blake Mackrell shut down the chase with the ball, rounding out consecutive five-wicket hauls as NT crashed for 107 in the 33rd over.
Coming off a majestic 99 against Queensland, Shaun Smith was the first to depart for Country, edging one through the keeper in the fourth over before Lachlan Williams (18 off 31) joined Austen Hiskens to put on 60 for the second wicket.
When Williams popped a flighted leg-spinner from Rehaan Shyamsundar to cover, at 2-72 in the 17th over, Country had the perfect platform for an all out assault.
Hiskens had already showed his intentions in the over before Williams was dismissed. Winding up against the medium pace of Matthew St Clair, the towering Newcastle right-hander cleared the mid-wicket fence with the first of two maximums in an innings of 66 from 91 balls.
Hiskens and Jaylen Johnston fell in consecutive deliveries to the leg-spin of Archie McCormick, but it mattered little, at 4-119 Kel Wilson joined Roscarel to unleash a memorable blitz.
In 13 explosive overs, they added 109 runs with Wilson punishing anything remotely short in a commanding knock of 67 from just 51 balls that included two sixes and five fours.
When Wilson departed, Roscarel ramped up his own strike rate. In the end, Country left NT needing to score at 5.8 runs per over to register its first win of the tournament.
If there was any chance, Jacob Curry (1-11) shut it down in a hurry. Charging in with the new ball, the Newcastle speedster showed he was up for the fight and in the fifth over sent Lucas Rowlands packing after Johnston held onto a sharp chance in the slips.
Searching for quick wickets, it was no surprise when Mackrell was handed the ball. Fresh from his 5-21 against Queensland, the left-arm offie came on in just the sixth over of the innings.
The Illawarra whiz wasted no time in adding to his tally. He had opener Max Menzies caught at mid-off in his second over, and rolled St Clair with the very next ball. The hat-trick was averted but his control wasn’t. By the end of his nine overs, Mackrell had taken five wickets for 20.
Thomas Blowes (2-14) and Johnston (2-19) also chipped in with key wickets as Country locked down third place on the ladder and a semi-final showdown with Victoria Metro on Wednesday.
NSW Country 6-260, 45 overs (Roscarel 80*, Wilson 67, Hiskens 66; McCormick 2-49, Shyamsundar 1-20) defeated Northern Territory 10-107, 32.2 overs (Shyamsundar 33, McCormick 28*; Mackrell 5-20, Blowes 2-14, Johnston 2-19) by 153 runs
METRO BUNDLED OUT
NSW Metro’s title race is over.
With a surprise two-wicket loss to South Australia, the Metro boys have finished outside the top four and will now scrap for a minor place during the final two days of the competition.
In a must win contest to round out the preliminaries, once again the side’s top order failed to get out of the blocks. And despite a gutsy comeback with the ball, defending a below-par 125 was always going to be an uphill battle.
Roman Crawford was the hero for South Australia. Despite a late flurry of wickets the skipper held firm with an unbeaten 45, guiding his side to tomorrow’s semi-final against the top ranked Western Australia.
NSW won the toss, but their fortunes instantly soured when Nitesh Samuel was bowled through the gate in the opening over without troubling the scorers.
Will Adlam’s appearance was almost as brief after the Mosman right-hander became Hayden Schiller’s second victim, caught behind for one.
At 2-11, Kobey Freer joined Alex Lee-Young and with two booming pull shots over the mid-wicket rope, the skipper set about wrestling back the momentum.
Just as they appeared to have steadied the ship, South Australian paceman Ryan Percival rattled Lee-Young’s (7 off 20) furniture with a superb yorker. John James (1 off 5) then departed in the next over before Freer (24 off 20) skied a pull shot as Metro slumped to 5-40 in the 11th over.
It was an innings that constantly stumbled just when it appeared to be turning the corner.
At 5-60 in the over before drinks, the reliable Blake Noorbergen (11 off 25) chopped-on to the leg-spin of Matthew LeRay.
Then after Hayden McCarthy (26 off 42) and Manraj Kahlon added 32 for the seventh wicket, McCarthy became Blake Roberts’ third catch behind the stumps.
But just as he’d done all week, Kahlon chipped away with valuable runs in the lower order, this time finishing 31 not out in a Metro innings that last just 37 overs.
In reply, the Redback openers saw off the new ball before Aarush Soni (3-34) made the initial breakthrough with the score on 19.
With three leggies at his disposal, Freer put all his eggs in the one basket and with a combined six wickets between them, the plan almost came up trumps.
Parramatta’s Naden Cooray (1-21) picked up the second wicket and when Soni bagged another, South Australia headed to lunch at a nervous 3-59.
After the break, Freer pouched an edge off Soni at first slip and when Yash Deshmukh (2-21) bowled an advancing LeRay, South Australia still needed 21 with five wickets in hand.
Deshmukh quickly extended his golden run. The Fairfield-Liverpool gun added another dismissal with a run out before trapping Percival LBW just 11 shy of the victory target.
And when Lachlan Ranaldo was run out by McCarthy, SA had crashed to 8-118, seemingly paralysed by the excitement.
With their tails up, Metro looked like pulling off the impossible until Crawford managed to peel off the winning runs.
NSW Metro 10-125, 37 overs (Kahlon 31*, McCarthy 26; Percival 3-12, Schiller 2-14) lost to South Australia 8-126, 40.2 overs (Crawford 45*, Pringle 22; Soni 3-34, Deshmukh 2-21, Cooray 1-21) by two wickets
ROUND THREE WRAP
There was some serious action at the under-17 National Cricket Championships in Ballarat, with some unbelievable batting, destructive bowling and match-turning performances lighting up a rain-affected round three of the tournament.
NSW Country well and truly hit its straps and in the process announced itself as a genuine contender with a huge victory over Queensland.
Meanwhile Metro kept its finals hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over a stubborn Victoria Country side.
Here’s how all the day three action unfolded.
COUNTRY TURN ON FIREWORKS IN QLD ROUT
Some absolutely devastating batting and one of the most destructive bowling performances in national championship history has given NSW Country a huge win over Queensland at CE Brown Reserve.
Batting first, opener Shaun Smith and middle order hitter Jaylen Johnston treated the Queensland attack with disdain as Country posted an excellent total of 304, before a spell for the ages from left-arm spinner Blake Mackrell saw the maroons skittled for just 96 in a win that puts Country right in the mix for a spot in the semi-finals.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Country openers Smith and Austen Hiskens were on fire with the bat, dispatching the Queensland bowlers to the boundary at will as they raced to 67 from the first 10 overs, with Smith belting four fours in a row in the eighth over.
After a disastrous day one for the team and disappointing top order collapse on day two, the pair looked in fine touch as they brought up their century partnership in just 93 balls.
The pair were cruising until a recurring problem curse struck again. After a nice Smith cover drive into the outfield, the pair turned for an easy second, only to run into each other halfway down the pitch and leave a diving Hiskens short of his crease and run out for 43.
It was the second time in successive games that the big opener was run out, after a disastrous mix-up between the pair saw the Newcastle opener run out against the ACT.
The wicket was much needed for Queensland, who shortly after picked up Country skipper Lachlan Williams for two, extending his disappointing tournament.
Harry Roscarel looked in fine touch with a couple of nice boundaries, but when he was caught for 15 from 17 balls, suddenly Country had lost three quick wickets and were on 3-140 at the halfway mark.
Coming off a matchwinning 57 not out in round two, Smith was a rock at the other end and helped keep the run rate to close enough to six an over.
He was well supported by Central Coast all-rounder Johnston, who also found the boundary early to keep things ticking along and push the team score beyond 200.
Smith was batting beautifully as he entered his 90s. However just as he was preparing to raise the bat, disaster struck, as he was caught out for an incredibly well-made but heartbreaking 99 from 107 balls.
The wicket certainly didn’t deter Johnston, who kept finding the boundary and brought up his half century from just 51 balls.
Meanwhile Kel Wilson, whose partnership with Smith got the team over the line against the ACT, picked up from where Smith left off, clearing the boundary and hitting a four early on as the run rate continued to lift.
The pair belted an incredible 63 in the five overs following Smith’s dismissal, with Johnston personally taking Queensland bowler Will Noffke for 16 in one over
When the Johnston was finally dismissed for an outstanding 82 from just 65 balls, Country has surged to 5-277 with 6.4 overs remaining.
As they searched for quick runs Country lost a string of late wickets, and were ultimately bowled out for 304 in the final over.
Despite being an excellent score, the team would have felt that it left plenty of runs in the shed, scoring just 22 from its final five overs.
Needing to chase a big score, Queensland came firing out of the blocks, taking advantage of some wayward Country bowling to race to 27 from the first two overs.
However Ted Waterman, one of Country’s best so far in the tournament, soon found his rhythm and picked up the wicket of Michael Neumann for 15.
This left the side at 1-39 from 6.4 overs when rain stopped play.
After a long delay the Queenslanders came back out to bat with plenty of intent and sought to match the required run rate until one of Country’s secret weapons helped turn the match on its head.
Medium pacer Hiskens continued his excellent tournament with the ball when he clean bowled dangerous opener Damon Bass for 18 in his first over.
The big Novocastrian struck once again in his next over, this time dismissing number three Steven Hogan, in what proved to be the beginning of an almighty collapse for Queensland.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Mackrell, another of Country’s top bowlers throughout the tournament, had his first when Will Noffke was caught on the long-on boundary by Jamie Dickson for nine. There was a sense of deja vu two balls later when that same combination struck again to dismiss Harvey Malpass for a duck.
Queensland had quickly slumped to 5-72, but that wasn’t the end of it.
Leg-spinner Hunter Hall came on in the next over and had Jackson Steinhardt caught at mid-on, before Mackrell kept rolling through the batting order, picking up the wicket of Zac Robinson, once again caught in the deep. And when Hall had his second in the very next over, the Queenslanders were reeling at 8-85.
Smelling blood in the water, Mackrell wasn’t about to stop, and put an end to the innings by taking the final two wickets in his next over to bowl Queensland out for just 96 and finish with personal figures of 5-21 from 4.4.
All up, Queensland lost 9-43 in just seven overs in what was an almighty batting collapse, including their last seven wickets for just 24 runs, to give Country a huge win and put the team right in the mix for a semi-finals spot.
NSW Country 10-304 (Smith 99, Johnston 82; McLean 3-38, Singh 2-52) defeated Queensland 10-96 (Bass 18, Neumann 15; Mackrell 5-21, Hall 2-14)
METRO SPINS OUT VIC COUNTRY
A lower order recovery mission with the bat and some inspired spin bowling has seen NSW Metro defeat Victoria Country in a thrilling rain-reduced match at St Patrick’s College.
Blake Noorbergen was the star for Metro, scoring an excellent unbeaten half century and picking up a crucial wicket to see his side stay in the hunt for a semi-finals spot.
After losing the toss and being sent into bat, Metro openers Nitesh Samuel and Alexander Lee-Young got off to a solid start, working their way to 49 from the first 10 overs until Lee-Young top edged a short ball and was caught for 16.
With rain overhead, play was suspended with the team on 1-60 from 15 overs.
After a long break, Metro came out of the blocks firing, with Will Adlam finding the boundary three times in the first two overs.
Samuel tried to get into the action as well, however he miscued a hook shot and was caught for 30.
From here, things slowed up somewhat on the back of some tight Victorian bowling, and when Adlam was caught on the pads by left-arm unorthodox spinner Fletch Grimsey-Cook for 26, Metro were 3-90 in the 24th over.
Things got worse for the team, with Kobey Freer dismissed for eight, round two’s star with the bat, John James, caught for four and Advith Boreddy given out LBW for five. By this stage, Metro had lost 4-26 and were struggling at 6-118 in the 34th over.
Staring down the prospect of a small total, Noorbergen and Manraj Kahlon combined with a rearguard partnership to get the innings back on track.
The pair put on 60 in 10 overs before Kahlon was caught in the deep swinging hard against the bowling of Lincoln Koliba for 30.
Batting with the tail, Noorbergen took control to lift the team beyond 200, with the all-rounder finishing with 56 not out from 57 balls as Metro scored 8-202 from its rain-reduced 47 overs.
Grimsey-Cook was the chief destroyer with the ball for the Victorian side, picking up three crucial middle-order wickets, while Ashton Young finished with 2-19 from eight.
Knowing they didn’t have a huge total to chase and were not going to get all their overs in, Vic Country got off to a steady start. The openers saw off the new ball and worked their way to 34 from the first nine overs.
However a William Hardy short ball crept up on Koliba and the opener top edged it down to fine leg to be caught for 18.
Hardy was in good rhythm, and when Oliver Peake took off for a single from his bowling that was never there, he was run out by James for three to leave his team at 2-47 after 12.
Opener Ashton Young looked among the most accomplished of the batters at the crease, and he and Monty Maloney put on 50 for the third wicket as Vic Country appeared to be ahead in the contest.
However a captaincy masterclass by introducing leg spinner Naden Cooray into the attack paid dividends almost immediately as Young miscued a shot across the line with just the bowler’s second ball to be caught for 41 and with the team on 3-97 in the 23rd over.
The wicket proved to be a match-turning moment as NSW Metro turned the screws with some brilliant spin bowling.
In the very next over off-spinner Noorbergen, bowling his first over, clean bowled Maloney for 22.
If that wasn’t bad enough, some calamitous running between the wickets and sharp work in the field saw both Zane Attard and Jobe Fraser run out within four balls of each other, while Cooray picked up his second by clean bowling Grimsey-Cook for 10 to leave the Victorian side absolutely floundering at 7-116.
Vic Country remarkably lost a wicket in five consecutive overs as the match turned on its head.
While there was some late resistance from Lachlan Hay (16) and Tyler Hunter (22 not out), fellow leggie Aarush Soni came on to claim one wicket and help run out another batter before James claimed the final dismissal to bowl Vic Country out for 164 and cap off a remarkable win.
NSW Metro 8-202 (Noorbergen 56*, Kahlon 30; Grimsey-Cook 3-31, Young 2-19) defeated Victoria Country 10-164 (Young 41, Hunter 22*; Cooray 2-27, Hardy 1-8)
ROUND TWO WRAP
The tides turned for the NSW sides on day two of the Cricket Australia Under-17 Male National Championships in Ballarat after another pulsating day of cricket.
Country bounced back from an opening day humiliation with strong performance, while Metro were locked in a thriller against their city counterparts from Victoria.
There were plenty of crucial digs, batting collapses and swings in momentum over the course of the day as some ultimately matchwinning performances turned the games in favour of their sides.
Here’s how all the day two action unfolded.
COUNTRY BOUNCE BACK IN SEESAWING CLASH
NSW Country has bounced back from a round one humiliation to down the ACT in a seesawing clash at Eastern Oval.
After a strong bowling performance to restrict their opponents to just 143, Country survived yet another top-order collapse to ultimately get home with four wickets to spare.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Blake Mackrell and opening bowler Ted Waterman were among the standouts with the ball, while excellent knocks from Kel Wilson (56) and Shaun Smith, who batted through the innings to finish on 57 not out, saw the team win with a comfortable 14 overs remaining.
After losing the toss and being sent into the field, Country got off to a great start with the ball, with Waterman and fellow quick Jacob Curry combining to bowl three straight maidens to kick off the match.
It took ACT 19 balls to get off the mark, but that was just a slight reprieve from the pressure, as opener Monty Green nicked off to keeper Shaun Smith as Curry got the breakthrough.
The young Newcastle quick was particularly dangerous, with two huge LBW shouts in the opening overs turned down by the umpire.
Waterman, who personally opened with three-straight maidens, was also very difficult to get away and had a huge shout for caught behind that was waived away.
He bowled 23 dot balls before a run was scored from his bowling, as ACT were restricted to 1-2 from the first five overs.
After excellent tight bowling, Waterman finally had his reward, knocking over Samuel Smith’s stumps to dismiss the opener for a difficult nine from 38 balls and leave the side on 2-25 in the 11th over.
While the opening bowlers did extremely well, the bowling change was equally as effective for Country, with Mackrell picking up the dangerous pair of Thomas Hogan and Hugh Taylor with consecutive overs.
And when Kasey Barton knocked over Alexander Gunn, ACT was reeling at 5-31.
The Canberra side was finding it particularly difficult to get the ball away, with Barton at one stage turning in figures of 2-6 from five as the ACT has scored just 48 runs in the first 25 overs.
And when leg-spinner Hunter Hall bowled Lucas Louis around the legs and had Krish Joshi stumped, the ACT was in serious trouble at 7-68.
Just when it looked like all hope was lost, number six Lukas Boorer and number nine Ishaan Khan combined to stop the rot and keep the scoreboard ticking over.
In what was a disappointing team innings, Boorer was far and away the best ACT batter and showed plenty of class to bring up a well-made 50 from 71 balls.
However his innings came to an end when was looking to lift the run rate, trapped on the pads while trying to reverse sweep Austen Hiskens for a well-made 58 from 79.
The crucial partnership of 62 took the side to 8-130 from 44 overs.
It triggered a late collapse, with Khan caught in the deep the next over for 21, while tailender Freddie Cleverly gave medium-pacer Hiskens his third when he edged behind to Shaun Smith as the ACT was bowled out for 143 in the 48th over.
While Hiskens cleaned up the tail with his late cameo, Mackrell was arguably the pick of the bowlers, picking up 2-16 from 10, while Waterman finished with the excellent figures of 1-19 from 10.
Desperate to avoid the batting catastrophic collapse of round one, Country shot itself in the foot early in its chase with some terrible running between the wickets.
After running three on the back of a nice cut shot from Smith, there was confusion between the batter and opening partner Hiskens as they turned for a fourth, with Hiskens easily run out for just two in the third over.
Skipper Lachlan Williams sought to stabilise things but soon found himself back in the pavilion after ACT spinner Hogan took a brilliant catch from his own bowling to dismiss the dangerous batter for six and leave Country at 2-24 in the eighth over.
It got worse for the NSW side, with Harry Roscarel edging to first slip for one. And then when Jaylen Johnston was caught for five the team must have been feeling a serious case of deja vu as they slumped to 4-33.
While chaos ensued, Country opener Smith watched it all unfold from the other end. He was joined by Kel Wilson in the middle and the pair sought to rebuild the chase.
The pair chipped away at the target, with Wilson in particular looking in good touch as he scored at a healthy strike rate.
The pair took the total beyond 100, with Wilson bringing up his 50 in just 59 balls.
However just as it seemed that Country were cruising to victory, the game threw up a couple more twists.
Firstly, Wilson was caught in the deep for a crucial 56, leaving the side at 5-120 and needing just 24 runs to win with more than 20 overs to spare.
Then, eight balls later, an excellent direct hit from Alexander Gunn in the field caught Country batter Waterman short.
However it proved to just be a minor scare, with Smith – who finished with 57 not out – and Hall guiding the team home with 14 overs to spare.
ACT 10-143 (Boorer 58, Khan 21; Hiskens 3-10, Mackrell 2-16) lost to NSW Country 6-144 (Smith 57*, Wilson 56; Hogan 2-29, Mehta 1-30) by four wickets
METRO RUN DOWN IN EPIC CHASE
NSW Metro will be left to rue a later-order batting collapse and an inability to stem the runs with the ball as the team was run down by Victoria Metro in a thrilling match at JH Hedges Memorial Oval.
After a brilliant dig from John James helped the NSW side to a healthy total of 273 from its 50 overs, Metro appeared to be on top for much of the Victorian team’s chase, until a blistering matchwinning cameo from Lachlan Quinn saw Vic Metro storm home for a three-wicket win with 15 balls remaining.
Coming off a first-up win against Northern Territory, NSW Metro won the toss and elected to bat.
Openers Alexander Lee-Young and Hayden McCarthy started off with a positive mindset before the latter nicked off for eight in the fifth over.
Will Adlam came in and kept things ticking over at a healthy strike rate before Lee-Young top-edged a pull shot and was caught behind for 16 to leave the side at 2-51 after 11.
It was a tale of things to come for the Sydney team, who had a string of players fail to capitalise after getting starts.
Kobey Freer (19), Adlam (34) and Advith Boreddy (20) all looked good and put together handy partnerships before being dismissed relatively as the side moved to 5-140 in the 28th over.
The only one to go on with his innings was third-drop James, who brought up his 50 in 50 balls as he looked in excellent touch.
He lifted the run rate and moved into the 80s as a score of close to 300 beckoned. However when he top edged a pull shot to mid-off to be dismissed for an excellent 82 from 71 balls, it triggered a collapse, as Blake Noorbergen (30) and Yash Deshmukh (2) were dismissed in quick succession.
And while some late hitting from tailenders Manraj Singh Kahlon (16), William Hardy (19 not out) and Aarush Soni (11 not out) got the team to 9-273 from its 50 overs, there was a sense that the team left some runs in the shed as they were restricted to just 4-49 in the final 10 overs.
In reply, Victoria Metro’s innings somewhat mirrored the NSW side’s dig, with the top order showing plenty of intent but losing early wickets as quicks Lewis Keenan and Hardy dismissed the openers to leave the Victorians at 2-30 in the seventh over.
In very much a similar vein to the first innings of the match, a string of Victorian players made starts before leg-spinners Soni and McCarthy made key breakthroughs to dismiss Archie Flynn for 35 and Jack Czosnek for 27, respectively, to keep their side on top.
Just like James did for NSW Metro, Cooper Rojko anchored Vic Metro’s innings with an excellent knock.
The number three belted 11 boundaries and was orchestrating the chase nicely before he went chasing a short, wide ball from off-spinner Noorbergen and got a fine edge through to Metro keeper Lee-Young to be dismissed for an excellent 89 from 101 balls in the 40th over.
While Rojko’s innings kept Vic Metro in the game, they remained slightly behind in the contest, requiring 69 to win from the final 10 overs.
This equation got harder two overs later when Jesse van Rooyen miscued a shot and was caught on the deep cover boundary for 27, while the team looked in serious trouble when Aryan Sharma was caught behind for three after top edging a slog sweep.
Enter Lachlan Quinn. The number seven was seeing them like watermelons as he kept finding the gaps to score at much more than a run a ball to keep the chase on track.
The left-hander, well supported by number nine James Rosham, turned the game on its head as Vic Metro suddenly only needed 25 from the last five overs.
In what was an expert display of late-innings batting and running between the wickets, the pair belted 45 from four and a half overs to get their side home relatively comfortably in the end, with three wickets in hand and 15 balls remaining.
Fitting, Quinn hit the winning runs with a sweep shot to the boundary to finish unbeaten in 42 from 25 balls to cap off a brilliant run chase.
As for Metro, the loss would have been a tough one to swallow considering the position the team was in during its batting innings and the due to the fact that it appeared to be ahead in the contest for much of Vic Metro’s chase.
NSW Metro 9-273 (James 82, Adlam 34; Paddington 4-38, Nadeem 2-29) lost to Victoria Metro 7-275 (Rojko 89, Quinn 42*; Noorbergen 2-24, McCarthy 1-28) by three wickets
DAY ONE WRAP
It was an afternoon of mixed fortunes for NSW at the Cricket Australia Under-17 Male National Championships in Ballarat.
While it was all gold nuggets for Metro, the state’s Country talent will be eager to move on after a tough opening day in the Victorian mining town.
There were violent twists and turns, plenty of quality bowling and several knocks that in the end proved to be decisive.
Here’s how all the day one action unfolded.
METRO’S DEPTH TESTED
NSW Metro got the chocolates on day one, but it was anything but plain sailing against a skilful and determined Northern Territory outfit.
Opting to bat, Metro openers Hayden McCarthy and Alex Lee-Young were immediately challenged by the Territory’s pinpoint accuracy and sideways movement.
On a moist Eastern Oval deck, McCarthy (11) was the first wicket to fall with the score on 43 after Mithuru Perera found the outside edge, presenting keeper Cadell McMahon with the first of his six dismissals.
Lee-Young was joined by Will Adlam and the Mosman pair advanced the score to 89 in the 26th over, before Adlam propped forward to the leg-spin of Rehaan Shyamsundar and was caught behind for 28.
It was the start of a rough trot for the Blues, who with the quick departures of skipper Kobey Freer (3), Lee-Young (53 off 86 balls) and Nitesh Samuel (2) were left treading water at 5-119.
Despite some lusty blows by John James (30 off 33), Metro for the most part struggled against Shyamsundar’s sharp turn.
James was eventually stumped trying to force the pace, and at 6-152 with 11 overs remaining Metro were no certainty to pass 200.
From there, Parramatta’s Blake Noorbergen (31 off 27) and Advith Boreddy (49* off 53) showcased the side’s depth, quickly pushing the total to 195 in just seven overs.
And with Manraj Kahlon’s (15 off 13) late cameo, Metro had recovered to post a respectable 9-239.
In the field, James (1-6) took the new ball alongside Lewis Keenan (0-22, eight overs), and the bustling paceman struck the first blow when Freer snared McMahon at first slip.
After laying the foundation with the bat, Lee-Young quickly returned to the action, this time with the gloves, pouching the first of Kahlon’s (4-38) four wickets to leave NT teetering at 2-19.
With the run rate rising, Noorbergen (1-3) and leg-spinner Yash Deshmukh (1-21) chipped in with a further two wickets before McCarthy (3-13) picked up the crucial scalp of Nicholas Fleming for 45.
NT were eventually dismissed 97 shy of the target in the 46th over.
Now with day one done and dusted, Metro can look forward to Friday’s important clash with Victoria Metro.
NSW Metro 9-239, 50 overs (Lee-Young 53, Boreddy 49*; Perera 4-44, Shyamsundar 3-45) defeated Northern Territory 10-142, 46 overs (Fleming 45, McCormick 20; Kahlon 4-38, McCarthy 3-13) by 97 runs
COUNTRY CRUMBLE, DAY TO FORGET
At Alfredton Recreation Reserve, it was an afternoon NSW Country will be happy to forget.
After fighting back in the field to contain a strong Western Australian outfit to 197, the bush boys crumbled, rolled for 46 inside 19 overs.
Opening bowler Wyatt Wilson (3-13) ran red hot for WA.
In his first over, the tall right-arm quick had Country reeling at 2-5 after nicking off Shaun Smith and Newcastle’s Lachlan Williams.
And when Harry Roscarel slashed Wilson to slip in the eighth over, at 4-28, Country’s day was officially cooked.
On a card featuring three ducks and just two scores of 10, there was to be no fight back, just concerns. Primarily surrounding the limited time available to regroup before Friday’s vital clash against the ACT.
For Country, it was a horror finish to a day that began with so much promise.
With WA racing to 1-84 inside the first 18 overs, the Country attack led by spinners Jaylen Johnston (1-6) and Blake Mackrell (3-39) pegged back the run rate amid a constant fall of wickets.
Apart from Adam Solomons 57 at the top of the order, there was no other score better than 22 as the boys from the West were bowled out in the 49th over.
Western Australia 10-197, 48.3 overs (Solomons 57, Malajczuk 22; Mackrell 3-39, Curry 2-35) defeated NSW Country 10-46, 18.4 overs (Hiskens 10, Roscarel 10; Hobbs 3-12, Wilson 3-13) by 151 runs
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