Warwick cricket junior Rory Farrell making impact for Nudgee College in Brisbane

For a Warwick teenager, his future aspirations were sealed by the time he was six, after being introduced to one of Australia’s favourite sports. See how far he’s come here.

Cricket is the bread to 14-year-old Rory Farrell’s butter, who holds high hopes of becoming the next Nathan Lyon.

Growing up on the Southern Downs, Farrell played in both Warwick and Toowoomba teams.

His cricket aspirations began at the age of 6, and he is now competing at state levels including GPS, T20 and under-15 championships.

When the Nudgee College cricket clinic visited Warwick in 2022, Farrell’s dreams were ignited and he knew he had found his calling.

In 2023, Farrell transitioned from Scots PGC in Warwick to Nudgee College in Brisbane to evolve his skills and compete in wider state competitions.

Rory Farrell, 14, from Warwick has lived and breathed cricket from a young age, with hopes of becoming the next Nathan Lyon.

“My aspiration is to play test cricket for Australia and is one of my main goals that drives me to play cricket and do well,” he said.

“I think the number one thing about cricket is you’ve just got to have a good attitude and really dedicate yourself to the sport to make a good career out of it.

“The most important thing I’ve learnt is skill doesn’t really matter, skill and technique are just there as a guide to perform better at a young age and the most important thing about cricket is your mindset and attitude.”

Farrell hasn’t forgotten his roots, eager to offer a hand to his former teammates when he’s visiting during school holidays.

The Farrell family are very proud of their rising star and are often stopped by community members interested in Rory’s progress.

Rory Farrell at the Queensland Junior Cricket under-15's competition in Mackay, December 2023.

His mother Kylie never imagined they would be sending him away to boarding school.

“We miss him big time and it’s a big sacrifice to send him there but we know he really deserves our support so we’re happy to support him with his dream,” she said.

“He loves Warwick and he loved playing in Toowoomba, but he just knew he had to go somewhere else to get the opportunity.”

The dominant right-arm off spinner recently completed his second year of GPS cricket in Brisbane, finishing with the second highest wicket taker for the 10A’s, taking 12 wickets in last year’s competition, with an average of 12.9 and economy rate of 3.44.

Also playing in this year’s GPS competition, Farrell recently claimed his first five-wicket haul against Toowoomba Grammar School ending on 5 for 13 for the innings.

The young up and comer has certainly come a long way, coached by well-known Toowoomba-based Kent Reimers.

Southern Downs rising cricket star Rory Farrell and Toowoomba-based coach Kent Reimers.

Reimers said Farrell’s technique has improved drastically in the previous three years, having switched from a dominant right-hand batsman to a left-handed stance.

“His results have been really excellent, I mean his competition scores from GPS and T20 speak for themselves,” Reimers said.

Reimers said at the rate Farrell has been performing he may very well make his dream to become the next Nathan Lyon come true.

Farrell has been attending trials for the Brisbane under-17 Taveners competition with the Redlands team and is feeling confident of making it into the competition.

Originally published as Warwick cricket junior Rory Farrell making impact for Nudgee College in Brisbane