A highly talented group of youngsters are taking up the challenge to be the next generation of Maitland indoor cricketers to excel at national level.
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Maitland is sending it’s biggest contingent of juniors to the national indoor cricket titles with players in the NSW Country Cyclones and NSW Blues sides for this year’s senior and junior championships at Toowoomba in Queensland over the next two weeks.
Shannon Threlfo and Logan Smith return for their third championships with the Cyclones 17s teams at the junior titles from July 7-14.
Before that, however, they will be on opposing sides with Threlfo lining up for the Cyclones 21s and Smith in the Blues 21s at the senior titles starting on the weekend.
Smith will be joined in the Blues teams by Cessnock’s Nathan Holz, who is attending his first national titles.
Maitland has two other first timers in 15-year-old Ben Crebert and the youngest member of the contingent 12-year-old Alex Scott.
Crebert, a Maitland representative player in the outdoor game, has been playing indoor cricket for the past three years and trialled for the Cyclones 15s team for the first time this year.
It’s been a big few months for the teenager with selection for the Cyclones and earning a spot with Randwick in the prestigious Green Shield under-16 outdoor cricket competition for the 2018-19 season.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity. It’s a great honour to represent your state,” Crebert said.
Scott, plays his indoor cricket at Maitland, but now lives in Newcastle and attends Newcastle Sports High.
He started playing the indoor game as an eight-year-old when living at Pokolbin.
“I was really surprised when I was selected. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m the only player from the Hunter in the team but we all get on really well,” he said.
On the experienced side of the equation, Jaclyn Vickery is again part of the NSW open women’s team and Australian and NSW representative Barry Richards is coach of the NSW 22s team and Matt Holwell, who took a year off playing at rep level, is coaching the Cyclones 17s.
Earlier this month, Richards came agonisingly close to claiming an Australian title with the NSW over-35s team which went down to Queensland in an extra over after the two teams were tied at the end of their allotted overs.
Richards said the big contingent of youngsters was particularly exciting for the future of the sport in Maitland.
“Indoor cricket is growing all the time in Maitland and the success of all the players chosen to represent their state is recognition of the quality of the competition and the coaching they receive,” he said. “To have so many players going to nationals is fantastic.”