HAT-TRICKS to Deepwater’s Perry Stapleton and Inverell’s Tom Scoble highlighted a strong showing from the Central North invitational U14 and U16 sides at Branxton yesterday.
HAT-TRICKS to Deepwater’s Perry Stapleton and Inverell’s Tom Scoble highlighted a strong showing from the Central North invitational U14 and U16 sides at Branxton yesterday.
They and St George split the honours in their trial games, with Central North convincing winners in the U16s fixture and St George just getting home in the U14s.
The two Central North sides were selected following last weekend’s Invitational Carnival in Tamworth and, on the indications yesterday, have the makings of pretty handy Kookaburra and Bradman Cup sides.
Not that yesterday’s sides will necessarily be the final sides but the games were a good chance for players to be noticed.
It was hard not to notice Stapleton after he tore through the St George top order.
He had them 3-2 after he struck with consecutive balls.
The 15-year-old bowled a good line and with some venom. He bowled his first victim, trapped his second in front, and produced a pearler of a third ball to remove the top of off-stump and take the stump out.
He finished with 4-5 from his seven overs.
Inverell’s Mitch Lennon also bowled with good rhythm and swung the ball well to capture 4-8 from his five, while Tamworth’s Matt Dunn claimed 1-8.
Their combined efforts helped Central North dismiss St George for 50.
They did bat on and finished 12-56.
Central North, in reply, reached 2-54 in the 15th over but batted on and was 5-122 after 30.
It was lean pickings for the North West players as far as the bat went though.
Dunn was the best and was unbeaten on 14, with Tamworth team-mates Ryan Hansen and Campbell Baker only making single figures.
Most of the runs came from the Maitland contingent.
“It was a good win,” Hunter Valley regional director of coaching Rod Bryant said.
“With quite a number of our Bradman Cup kids out, this invitational side did well.”
“It means we should be able to pick a good Bradman Cup team.”
Among those missing were James Psarakis and Max Houlahan.
They are about to wing their way to Dubai with the Australian All Schools U16s.
The 14s were only a ball or two off winning.
Defending 90, they had St George eight down when they got the runs, but then took the next two wickets without conceding another run.
Scoble was the star with the ball, nabbing 4-12 from 7.2 overs.
He opened and, after his hat-trick, St George was 3-10.
His first two were bowleds and the hat-trick ball caught by Raymond Terrace’s Aaron Sherritt.
Tamworth’s Lachie Davidson was one of three co-captains with Scoble and also opened with him, and came back in his second spell to take 2-9.
Jye Paterson (Tamworth) also chipped in with 2-13 and Ben Douglas (Quirindi) 1-4 off his four.
There was a little bit in the wicket when they batted earlier and that showed in the scores.
Paterson top-scored at number six with 21.
Muswellbrook’s Bowe Harris was the only other significant scorer with 18.
They’ll next come together in November for the Central North Development Squad Camp in Tamworth.
