Jordan Wyatt blitzes 75-ball century for Casey South Melbourne
Swans dasher Jordan Wyatt says the death of a friend from cancer last Tuesday weighed heavily on him as he batted his way to his maiden ton in Premier ranks.
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A maiden century for Jordan Wyatt and he made it in spectacular style.
It was always going to be the way for the swashbuckling Swan; few in Premier Cricket hit the ball as hard or long as the dasher from Drouin.
In his 76th match, the Casey South Melbourne right-hander needed only 75 deliveries to reach his first ton.
There were 10 fours and 6 sixes in his innings of 107 against Ringwood at Casey Fields on Saturday.
There was emotion to it, too. Wyatt had had a tough week: on Tuesday a friend, Jake Weeks, died of cancer at the age of 28.
“I actually cried when I got to hundred,’’ he said this morning.
“I was thinking about him the whole time I was batting. I was very emotional. He (Weeks) was one of the nicest blokes you’d ever meet. It was a special moment and sort of in honour of someone who passed away too young. It’s heartbreaking, because he’s such a good person.’’
He said he was “very proud’’ to make a century for Casey South Melbourne.
This season hasn’t been a bowl of cherries for Wyatt, who played his first match for the Swans in 2012-13 after a decorated under-age career that took in selection in the Australian Under 16 team.
In the second match after Christmas he was dropped to the Second XI.
He responded with scores of 43, 4 not out and, last week against Greenvale Kangaroos, 105, enough to regain his place in the top team for this round.
Wyatt, 27, said he saw the demotion more as an opportunity than a disappointment.
“I actually wasn’t too upset. I thought it might happen. I was prepared to cop it on the chin. We’ve got a pretty young seconds side and I was happy to help them,’’ he said.
Unfortunately for Casey South Melbourne, Wyatt’s blistering knock was in a losing cause.
After his century, captain Luke Wells’s 27 was the next best score.
Ringwood hit 3-241 off its 50 overs and dismissed the home team for 190 in 42.4 overs.
Rams openers Tom Rogers (100 off 126 balls) and the great David King (68 off 121) put on 152 for the first wicket.
Swans coach Brian Keogh was thrilled for Wyatt.
“He just hits the ball so cleanly,’’ he said.
“Yesterday it looked like he had a narrow focus, to defend the good ball and hit the bad ball, and he’s got the ability to make balls that land in pretty good areas still be hit hard.
“He hit some big balls. His power off the back foot is unbelievable. It was a class hand. When he’s going like that, he’s as clean a hitter as there is. He’s got strong leavers and when he hits the ball, it absolutely stays hit.’’
As for Wyatt being given a spell in the seconds, Keogh said: “He was getting starts and not going on with it. We felt it would sharpen him up, and we wanted to get him up the order a little bit too. I mean, I don’t want Jordie to become known just as a guy who can come in and hit it. He’s a far better player than that. He can build innings.
“The thing that really stood out for me was, when he got dropped, his attitude was just first-class. He went back to the seconds and led from the front. But, yeah, it was about us getting a little bit frustrated with him not getting the scores we know he’s capable of.’’
Wyatt said No 11 Josh Dowling (3no) did an outstanding job helping him reach his century, which he brought up with a six over mid-on.
“I wasn’t messing around. I didn’t want to get stuck in the 90s for too long,’’ he said.