THEY have proven themselves to be amongst the best junior cricketers in the region, but now those selected for the Mitchell Cricket Council under 13s face a much sterner challenge.
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From next Monday the Mitchell side will put their skills to the test in the 18-team Western NSW Junior Cricket Carnival in Orange.
The four-day carnival has not only drawn teams from Dubbo, Lachlan and Orange, but other strong regional NSW districts, Sydney and the ACT.
It means the Mitchell side, which includes Orange’s D'Arcy Hamling, Jeron Sijo, Charlie Tink and Dan Hunter, will need to be at their best to find success.
“The really impressive thing about this competition is that it’s not just them pitting themselves against teams from the Western area, but there’s some really strong teams from the ACT, from Sydney including Parramatta and Blacktown and Penrith, so it’s a really good chance to compare themselves to the city boys,” Mitchell manager Shaun Seldon said.
“It is really good for the boys, it will give them more experience playing against really good quality opposition in a carnival, which is something they haven’t experienced as well.
“The Mitchell cricket is just every second Sunday type thing, so to have to back it up four days in a row is going to be a real challenge for the boys.”
Though the opposition will be stiff, the Mitchell players are not strangers to representative cricket.
Most of them can do a job with both bat and ball, Mac Hutchings shaping as one of the keys given he has claimed six wickets at an average of five for the Bathurst under 12s so far this season.
“The majority of the kids played in the under 12s Mitchell team last year, we are only really missing one kid who is playing in the Kookaburra Cup – Gus Cornish,” Seldon said.
This gives them some more quality cricket.
- Shaun Seldon
“The team has got kids from all the different zones, so Blue Mountains, Orange, Bathurst, Mudgee. It’s good for them to get to know each other better and playing with the best kids from each zone really brings out the best.
“This carnival is to provide an opportunity for kids who can’t play in the under 14 comp – the Kookaburra Cup.
“This gives them some more quality cricket.”
Mitchell has been drawn to play ACT Yellow on the opening day of the competition at Jack Brabham before taking on Penrith at the Country Club on Tuesday.
Results from those two days will determine the draw for second half of the competition.
MITCHELL UNDER 13s: Ned McCarney (Mudgee), Tom Seldon (Blue Mountains), Dan Hunter (Orange), Jacob Lamb (Bathurst), Riley Hoad (Bathurst), Blade Burke (Bathurst), D'Arcy Hamling (Orange), Ruben Newton (Bathurst), Liam Deegan (Bathurst), Jeron Sijo (Orange), Charlie Tink (Orange), Mac Hutchings (Bathurst). Coach Justin McCarney (Mudgee), manager Sean Seldon (Blue Mountains).
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