Kinross young gun George Cumming has been labelled a key figure for Western Zone at this summer’s Kookaburra Cup, but coach Garth Dean has no doubt the finger-spinner can handle the pressure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cumming is the only Orange-based player in the 13-man squad, which will contest the Country Cricket NSW under-14 tournament at Armidale from January 8-11.
Cumming has been consistent across all levels so far this summer, taking 23 wickets and knocking up 228 runs – he’s averaging a tick over 16 with bat and ball – and Dean said he’s particularly excited to see what the up-and-coming tweaker can do at the next level.
“He’s a left-arm orthodox bowler and it’s rare to see one of those good enough to come through and make the side,” Dean said.
“He’s a smart cricketer as well so I think he’ll go well.”
While Cumming is among the squad’s headliners, Dean certainly has no shortage of options at his disposal.
“I expect [Dubbo’s Tom Coady] to go well, he’s a well-credentialed cricketer,” Dean said.
“I’m not putting any pressure on him but he doesn’t seem to be affected by pressure anywhere. You give him a role and he’ll respond to it.
“I like the team. There’s a lot of variety with the bowling and the batting looks strong.
“Mac Webster from Lachlan is a good bowling all-rounder, (Jacob Ryan is) another different type of bowler. He's medium pace but is really tall and hits the seam.
“I don’t think anyone will be scoring a lot of runs against us but if there was one weakness you had to pick, I normally like to go in with two dominant batsmen but at the moment there’s really only Tom.”
According to Dean, this is the first time in roughly a decade a Western Zone Kookaburra Cup side has not featured anyone in the under-13 bracket.
“They’re all top-age players. That’s not to say the under 13s aren’t good enough, it's just a very strong 14s group,” he said.
While impressed with the side he’s got, Dean wasn’t getting too carried away when discussing Western’s chances at Armidale.
The Zone side has been around the mark in recent times, finishing as runner-up four times in the past seven seasons, but due to player development around the age of 14 and how much sides can change in one season, the coach stated it always difficult to predict who is the team to beat.
“When you do all the coaching through winter and then watch all the preliminary games, it all leads up to this and I’m really looking forward to it,” Dean added.
Teams for the State Challenge, which will be contested at Dubbo from January 22, will be selected at the Kookaburra Cup.
- WESTERN ZONE: Tom Coady, Koda Sissian, Hugh Ridley, Patrick Nelson (Macquarie Valley), Mikey McNamara, Harrison Bayliss, Sam Austin, Mac Webster (Lachlan), Cooper Brien, Declan Fawkner, Tom Lynch, George Cumming, Jacob Ryan (Mitchell)