BATHURST will have a huge say in the fortunes of the Mitchell Cricket Council junior teams who clash with Lachlan in Young this Sunday as part of the Western Zone titles.
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The under 12s and under 14s sides are coached by Bathurst personnel while the 16s are managed by Mark Waldren and all three sides boast a large contingent of local players.
In the under 12s, Bathurst’s Ryan Peacock will lead the side while he is joined by Kieren Lindsay and Mark Day.
The side suffered to a degree during the selection trials as only 13 players chose to put their hand up, but with Tony Wells and Damian Hanrahan in charge they should still be competitive.
The under 14s are captained by Jeremy Judge, who has impressed at senior level already this season in presidents cup and second grade with ORC.
The left-arm quick is joined by Alex Johnston, Tyler Horton and Kyle Aubin while the Blue Mountains also boast a large presence in the line-up.
Orange’s Liam Gough will lead the under 16s, who’s ranks include Rugby Union duo Bill Hurley, and Max Hope as well as ORC batsmen Wayne Sellers and Michael Waldren.
Hope, Sellers and Waldren boast oodles of representative experience while Hurley comes into the side on the back of a number of consistent seasons with the Bathurst junior teams.
Mark Waldren has high hopes for the 16s and thinks that they can get off to a strong start in Young before taking on Macquarie in Bathurst next week.
“Last season the under 14s beat Lachlan and were pipped by Macquarie and a lot of those players have graduated to the under 16s this time around,” he said.
“I think we have a pretty strong side, it is basically the same side that played for the Mitchell under 15s back in January with the exception of Bill Hurley who comes into the team.
“Max, Wayne and Michael have all played Mitchell and Western cricket for a number of years now and should be pretty important for the team. Bill has played a lot for Bathurst and done really well, so he’s earned his spot in the side.”
Mark Waldren says the strength of the side lies in the batting department but an abundance of left-arm quicks should also stand them in good stead.
“Liam Gough, James Ryan and Tom Farnell are all pretty impressive left-arm quicks, Sam Mostyn from Lithgow is pretty quick himself and then there are the likes of Max Hope to bowl his spinners after them,” he explained.
“I think the fact that Wayne and Michael have played a bit of first grade lately will be good for them too, the Lachlan side has a very good quick bowler in Brent Tucker and I think that first grade experience will do them the world of good when they face bowlers like him.”
