Cricket
13 January, 2025
WMCA under-17s enjoy Country Week
Despite not winning a match, the Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association under-17 cricketers had fun at Country Week in Warrnambool from Monday, January 6 to Friday, January 10.
They opened their week against Warrnambool Blue, where they lost by 74 runs. Luca Rice was the star with the ball, claiming 4/29 (6) as Warrnambool made 152.
WMCA finished on 8/78 in reply, with Kybe Bellinger top-scoring with 19.
On Tuesday against the Hamilton Hurricanes, they lost by 18 runs. They bowled the Hurricanes out for 112 after 39 overs, with Austin Dean the pick of the bowlers with 3/20 (8). William Morrison 2/15 (9), Luca Rice 2/23 (7) and Kybe Bellinger 2/12 (4) also took multiple wickets.
Despite Liam Dwyer's 31 and Glenn Pearse's good knock of 18, the WMCA couldn't reach the target and were bowled out for 94 in the 42nd over.
On Wednesday, they played the Horsham Cricket Association and did well to bowl them out for 142 in the 42nd over. Austin Dean, again, was the pick of the bowlers with 3/34 (10). William Morrison 2/20 (10), Kynan Torney 2/25 (7) and Hamish Darby 2/0 (0.4) also stood out.
In reply, they were bowled out for 103, with Leigh Van Boven top scoring with an unbeaten 25, with William Morrison and Hamish Darby scoring 18 and 13, respectively.
On Thursday, against Colac and District, they lost the toss and bowled, bowling them out for 208 in the 50th over.
Austin Dean 3/34 was the pick of the bowlers, and William Morrison 3/36 was also bowling well.
In response, they were bowled out for 93 in the 37th over, with Leigh Van Boven top-scoring with 18. William Morrison, 15 and Liam Dwyer, 11, scored double figures.
They narrowly lost by one wicket in the final match against Warrnambool Blue, a 20/20.
After winning the toss and batting, they were bowled out for 138 in the 18th over. Kynan Torney was the star with the bat, hitting 36 off 21 balls with two sixes.
Warrnambool Blue chased the total down with eight balls to spare, finishing 9/139. Kybe Bellinger was the pick of the bowlers with 3/12 (2).
Kynan Torney scored 55 runs for the week, with Leigh Van Boven and William Morrison scoring 49 and 45, respectively. Liam Dwyer, on loan from Hawkesdale, scored 56.
Austin Dean took 11 wickets at an average of 12.18. William Morrison claimed eight and Luca Rice, seven.
WMCA team manager Jeremy Dean said everyone enjoyed themselves.
"It was good for the boys to connect with a heap of blokes, being able to chat with the opposition and making good connections," Dean said.
"It's a well-organised week, and I was impressed with how well it was run."
Co-captain Austin Dean said it was a fantastic week.
"It wasn't all about cricket this week, and the social side is awesome," Dean said.
"We are all mates through football, and to play with each other is always good. We didn't have the best week in cricket terms, but it's been good fun.
"I found the week pretty good. My batting wasn't up to scratch, but my bowling was really good. I wasn't expecting to get that many wickets."
"Playing back-to-back is also interesting, so I went to the beach to try to recover each day."
"In the first game, I was bowling with the wind using the pace, but then a player we had on loan through Warrnambool [William Morrison] was quicker, so I gave him the ball with the wind, and I bowled against the wind and was able to swing it a bit, so that was my strategy for the rest of the week."
Co-captain Kynan Torney's 36 off 21 in the final game stood out. He said it was an enjoyable week, and in that final game, he wanted to 'swing for the hills'.
"It's been a pretty good week. It's good to get around the boys from the other towns and experience the week," Torney said.
"In that final match, I was just trying to swing the bat, and I tried ramp shots, ridiculous shots and swung at everything, and it paid off."
