Sport
23 January, 2023
Under 17 team falls short in Country Week, but make a welcome return to Kirton Shield
For the under 17 Maryborough representative team, 2023 Country Week has been a tough grind, but immaterial to that, the team have just enjoyed being a part of the Kirton Shield again. It’s the first time Maryborough have been represented in the...
For the under 17 Maryborough representative team, 2023 Country Week has been a tough grind, but immaterial to that, the team have just enjoyed being a part of the Kirton Shield again.
It’s the first time Maryborough have been represented in the Shield since 2018, and while there were three tough results for the team, they are determined to show the way for the future talent coming through in the Maryborough District Cricket Association.
Maryborough came agonisingly close to taking victory in their first game last Monday at Hedges Oval against Castlemaine, with a 50 from Joe Lovel, following up from his 3/18 with the ball, as well as 25 from Sam Thomson helping Maryborough to 7/146, just six runs short of their target of 152.
The team had a much tougher time on Tuesday, having been bowled out for 63 in pursuit of Grampians’ 108.
Lovel again shone with the ball, taking 3/8, while Thomson likewise continued to bat well, making 17, with Lachlan Bursill contributing 13 and Beau Govan making 10.
Maryborough played their final game against Gisborne White on Thursday afternoon at Kyneton, with Lovel scoring a gritty 59, while Bursill contributed with 40 as they were bowled out for 147, before Gisborne White proved too strong, scoring 7/178 in response. Lovel again impressed with the ball, taking 3/23 to lead the way.
Irrespective of the results, Lovel, who is captain of the team for the year, says it’s just been great to get back into representative cricket with a team he says is full of “great characters”.
“It’s been amazing. You’re always having a laugh — we could have been all out for 10, and you’d still be able to have a good laugh with one another. They’re great characters, but at the same time, you know you are walking out on the field with people who are going to give it their all. They go out there and try their best to win the game. It’s great to have these kinds of people around the team,” he said.
“A lot of us are still bottom-age and can play in the under 17s again next year. We have identified 2023 would be a year where we would do everything to try and win the game, but also to have it as a learning year, as Maryborough hasn’t had an under 17s team for about four or so years.
“It’s good to be back in the competition, but we’ll learn from everything and use it for next year where we’ll have a red-hot crack. “The week gets to show their character — there’s four teams in the under 16s competition so you can go out and do it there — but this is the next level. There are teams ranging all the way from Gisborne to Castlemaine, and it’s certainly tough.”
As part of the learning curve, Lovel identified what it meant to be a part of Country Week, and why team members are picked to play their role.
“You don’t necessarily have to be the most talented person on the field to make an impact. Games can vary, situations can vary, and one thing that I find with every Country Week is that there is one person who will step up in each game, and they will not roll over,” he said.
“We’ve found that we have had teams that are a lot of wickets down for very low scores, but they’ll have someone who will dig in with the bat and get them to a good enough score to be able to beat us. It’s been tough, but it also gives you the realisation of what Country Week is all about, and that the players have been picked in their teams for a reason, as their coaches have identified their talent.”
Lovel shared his praise for Thomson, who batted well throughout the week and played his role for the team.
“Sam Thomson had a great week, batting for a large majority of time in the first game and kept us in the game, and his partnership with Lachie Bursill against Grampians was important when we were in a bit of trouble,” he said.
“He’s had to bat at difficult times and do some difficult things, but he’s shown how good of a batsman he is.”
Lovel expressed his shock at being picked to lead the side, under the tutelage of the experienced Martin Mark.
“It’s a huge honour. I’m still bottom-age and I was a little surprised when I got asked, but I couldn’t ask for a better coach in Martin Mark, who put a lot of trust in me. I put a lot of trust in him back, and now we have a team that gets along well, but I’m not doing it out on my own, I can always talk to them when I’m stuck, and it’s a great environment to be in,” he said.
Lovel said experiences from his time at Laanecoorie Dunolly, and particularly picking up cues from A graders Samit Gohil and Matt Smith, have played their part in influencing how he has approached the week.
“Coming in from last year, I have learned a lot from both Samit Gohil and Matt Smith — Samit with the technical side of things, and I also implement a lot of what Matt uses in his captaincy when I captain. You don’t win premierships just by luck,” he said.
“Every week, he gives you a certain role, and you just go out and do that role to the best of your ability, and as captain, I ask the same thing. They’re the little things that I try and implement in my game, and I just try to be the best I can be. So having those two has been good forme."