Strong performances help Great Southern finish runners-up at WACA Under-14 Regional Development Carnival

The future of cricket in the Great Southern looks bright after a group of promising young players finished runners-up at the recent WACA Under-14 Regional Development Carnival in Bunbury.

Great Southern was among seven teams at the annual Twenty20 tournament on September 23-26, losing just one of five matches.

The carnival consisted of Great Southern, North West, Mid-West, Wheatbelt, Goldfields and two teams from the South West, with players selected after performing well in junior cricket and country week over the past year.

South West Gold were crowned champions, winning four games.

The only match the champions did not win was against Great Southern, with the fixture ending in a tie after Great Southern made 7-145 chasing 146 to win.

Great Southern were emphatic 74-run winners in their opening game against Wheatbelt as Oliver Douglas snared 2-6 and Crawford Bolto smacked 72.

Douglas top-scored with 29 not out in the tie with South West Gold and then Great Southern lost by 31 runs to North West despite a half-century from Dash Germinario.

Great Southern rebounded to make 5-164 from their 20 overs against Goldfields as Regan Christensen made a superb century and Bryce Hinchcliffe took 2-17 to help them win by 47 runs.

In their final game, Great Southern were commanding 41-run winners over South West Black, Jake Schwarzbach taking 2-15 before Bolto (51ret no) and Buddy Robinson (41no) did the damage with the bat.

Katanning’s Bolto, Manypeaks pair Douglas and Christensen and Collingwood Park’s Robinson were all standouts for the region.

Christensen (150 runs at 37.5) and Bolto (144 runs at 72) finished as the competition’s second and third leading run scorers.

Broomehill’s Rhys Holzknecht and Douglas were the leading Great Southern wicket takers with three scalps each.

The team was well-coached by Park’s Darryl Robinson across the long weekend.

This carnival, alongside the players performances in club cricket, will act as a trial for the country under-15s side that will play in Perth in early January.