Orange CYMS player Mac Webster to play at NSW Under 19 State Challenge

The CYMS first grader has been selected in the Country Lions squad which will compete at the NSW Male Under 19 State Challenge.

The team is made up of players from all over NSW, with Webster one of just three Western players selected - along with Bathurst's Cooper Brien and Dubbo's Riley Keen.

"It's very exciting," Webster said.

"I've worked pretty hard for the past couple of years and played pretty well at the level below, so it's nice to get the opportunity to see how I go."

The selection comes off what was a stellar season in the green and gold. The all-rounder finished the 2020/21 Bathurst and Orange Inter District Cricket competition with 336 runs @36.67 and 14 wickets @28.86.

Having grown up and played most of his junior cricket in Cowra, Webster moved to Orange to attend Kinross Wolaroi School.

As a result of playing representative cricket from an early age, Webster has travelled far and wide in pursuit of his cricket dreams, a task that it not lost on him.

"It grows a bit boring, a bit tedious at some points, but with cricket being the team sport that it is, I really enjoy getting the opportunity to play with lots of new people and it's always a fun and interesting time," he said.

"I feel very grateful to my parents and everyone. They've put in a lot of work to help me play my best cricket in a lot of towns.

"It's very exciting too that I can play as well as some of the best cricketers in the state in my age group."

The competition was supposed to take place last week, but was postponed due to the wet weather. With a rescheduled date yet to be decided, Webster is just hoping to savour the chance when it does arrive.

"I look at someone like Daniel Hughes who is also someone from Cowra and he never played at this level while he was a junior. But he went down to Sydney and did very well and he's now obviously playing for New South Wales in most forms of the game," he added.

"It shows that you can do it if you're from the country."

The full Country Lions team is made up of: Zak Keogh, Kobe Ross, Lachlan Dowling, Cooper Brien, Max Farmer, Angus Campbell, Mac Webster, Cooper Patterson, Bailey Lidgard, Mitch Constantinou, Jett Lee, Riley Urquhart and Riley Keen.