Emerging Geelong cricketer Bailey Sykes on his breakout carnival at Aus country cricket champs

Bailey Sykes announced himself on the national stage and claimed a stunning haul. He opens up on being part of the winning Victorian side and his hopes for the future.

North Geelong teammates Dale Kerr and Bailey Sykes with the country championships shield. Picture: Supplied

Three cricketers from the Geelong region were part of Victoria’s rousing Australian Country Cricket Championships win, and one in particular announced himself on the national stage.

North Geelong cricketer Bailey Sykes, 22, had been a consistent wicket-taker throughout the tournament but turned heads in Victoria’s final game of their undefeated tournament in the Barossa Valley last week.

The left arm spinner returned stunning figures of 5-11 as Western Australia was rolled for 65, combining nicely with North Geelong teammate Dale Kerr (3-24), who was flown in as a late replacement for Victoria’s last two matches.

Sykes, who made the move from Grovedale to North Geelong ahead of this season, feels it was one of his best bowling performances he has ever produced.

Bailey Sykes took five wickets in his final game for Victoria Country. Picture: Supplied

“It was definitely up there. Obviously later in the week the wicket started to do a bit more and the ball started to spin, started turning and obviously it made it a lot harder to play. So taking five for not many is always pretty cool when that happens,” Sykes said.

Sykes had a breakout carnival, finishing with the eighth-most wickets with 12 at an average of 16.7, while Kerr took six poles in just two outings at 11.3.

Newtown & Chillwell batter Lachie Sperling, a former Premier Cricket player with Casey South Melbourne who joined the Two Blues this season, was also part of the Victorian set-up, playing five games across the tournament.

The championships was the first time Sykes had played state cricket, with mentor Brad Hauenstein – who had coached him during his stellar Country Week campaign last season – inviting him to try out.

Sykes, also a handy footballer during the winter for Drysdale, relished the challenge of coming up against the best country cricketers from around Australia.

Geelong cricket association players Bailey Sykes, Dale Kerr and Lachie Sperling were all part of the winning Victoria Country side. Picture: Supplied

“It was an unbelievable experience and something that I’m always going to remember,” Sykes said.

“Played rep for a while but this Vic Country state stuff is probably the highest cricket I’ve played. And even some of the competition that the other states had, some of them were just pure class.

“Probably one of the biggest things you learn is that with the standard of cricket, if you’re five per cent off, you get punished.

“You learn real quick where you’ve got to bowl and you’ve got to be on for 50 overs. You can’t just rock up and hope you’re going to do well, you just need to make sure that the whole time you’re switched on, bowling the right spots.

While Sykes shone on the field, it was the team success and camaraderie with his Victorian teammates – the women bringing up the title double – that was the highlight.

He said the tight bond they formed was central to their win.

Victoria with the shield after their country champs win. Picture: Supplied

“That was the one thing that we took over the whole week, a few of the boys that had played said the team that gels the best normally are the team that goes the whole way,” Sykes said.

“And after two days there it nearly felt like we were a team that had played 10 seasons together. So the way we gelled really set the standard, like anything we did we did as a team. Whether it was dinner or going out, going to play golf, whatever it is, we’re all doing that together. So yeah, it was really good.

“(Kerr) got called up because we had a few injuries and he just got the next flight over to the Barossa and winning that with obviously a teammate right now was a pretty cool experience as well. So, there was a couple of Geelong boys there.”

Drinks flowed freely during their celebrations but Sykes was reluctant to sample some of the Barossa Valley’s renowned produce.

“I’m not a wine man but I gave a few of the South Australian beers a crack,” Sykes said.

“West End is a bit rough to go down but they’re very big on their craft beers over there.”

Sykes certainly isn’t carried away with his cricket, though.

He would love to compete at even higher levels into the future, including representing his state, but knows there is plenty of hard work to come.

“I think with that, you’re never going to rule out an opportunity like that. I think it’s anyone’s boyhood dream if that ever pops up,” Sykes said.

“But it’s something that would be a pretty cool opportunity and you wouldn’t rule it out, but I’ll just keep ticking the boxes down whenever I get the opportunity and hopefully I tick the right ones.”

Originally published as Emerging Geelong cricketer Bailey Sykes on his breakout carnival at Aus country cricket champs