Since beginning his senior career some five seasons ago Ryan Noon’s forged a reputation as one of the most-threatening swing bowlers in Orange District Cricket Association’s lower grades, oft seeming to have the ball on a string.
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But there was always a ‘what if’ surrounding Noon, with Waratahs not fielding a first grade side he wasn’t able to test himself in the top flight.
He can now though.
With the demise of Waratahs’ second grade side Noon has linked with Cavaliers for the remainder of the season.
After debuting for his new club in reserves last weekend, the 18-year-old’s been named to take on Kinross over the next fortnight, in the fifth round of the first grade season.
He’s excited to get a chance in first grade, but did admit playing for Waratahs was still his first choice this summer, especially after the club spruiked the chance of fielding a first grade side.
“As long as Waratahs were pushing for a first grade side I wanted to stick with them to help the club, show a bit of loyalty because they did a lot for me,” Noon said.
“I did have a feeling in the back of my head it wasn’t going to happen, we didn’t quite have the numbers, and then with the second grade side [folding] … it’s a bonus Cavaliers have a first grade side available, and it’s nice to be able to get a run.
“There’s certainly no hard feelings, (Waratahs president) Scott McLean was happy for me to go and I think he was grateful a lot of us had stayed initially to try and help the club.”
Noon also admitted he’s not sure of what his role in the maroons’ first XI will be, but considering his record there’s little doubt skipper Matt Corben will throw him the ball at some point.
“In seconds my biggest weapons were pace and swing, I could sort of get through a few bats. I think everyone in first grade is probably quicker than me and with four-piece balls it won’t swing as much, both my strengths have been neutralised,” Noon laughed.
“I’ll just try and get it moving a bit both ways and keep it night and tight, hopefully pull a few bats into some bad shots out of frustration.
“I was always sort of [the strike bowler] in second grade for Waratahs, so it’ll be nice to probably sit back a bit and play more of a supporting role.”
Noon said he’d love to stay in Cavaliers’ top side for the remainder of the season and will return each week to play after he moves to Newcastle in February to study chemical engineering at university.
But, he added, he’s just happy playing full stop.
“I haven’t had the chance to chat to [Cavaliers skipper Matt Corben] so I’m not sure what the plans are, whether they’re just short this week or he wants to keep me up there,” Noon said.
“When I was younger playing first grade was always the goal, but now I’m a bit older and I’m going to university next year I just want to enjoy my cricket.
“If that’s in first grade, great. If it’s in seconds, that’s cool too.”
The first-placed Cavaliers take on Kinross from 1pm on Saturday at Kinross Main Oval, while in the other game Orange City will take on CYMS at the Country Club, also from 1pm.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
