Last week saw the best junior country cricketers compete in the statewide Under 16 cricket carnival for boys and girls.
In the past, the best from regional SA have battled it out in the state country championships in the same age group. In this years incarnation, country regions were pooled together, with various city-based competitions also competing in their own pool.
The format for both the boys and girls competitions saw the best country region take on the winner of the city pool in an overall state final. To say the country based regions performed well against their city cousins would be an understatement.
Barossa and Light defeated Adelaide Turf in the final of the girl's competition while the Eyre Peninsula pushed Adelaide Turf down to the final few balls of the boy's final. More on those finals matches later.
The following stats are for COUNTRY BASED PLAYERS ONLY. The top 10 runs scorers and wicket-takers for the boys and top 5 for the girl's competitions.
Under 16 Boy's batting Aggregate
Player Name | Region | Innings (not outs) | Highest score | Runs scored | Average |
Ethan Pugsley | Eyre Peninsula | 5 (0) | 50 | 171 | 32.20 |
Tom Dolling | Yorke Peninsula | 4 (0) | 60 | 156 | 39.00 |
Luke Szabo | North Eastern | 4 (1) | 64 | 155 | 51.67 |
Archie Jones | Mid North | 4 (0) | 83 | 152 | 38.00 |
Ruben Hill | Eyre Peninsula | 5 (0) | 62 | 129 | 25.8 |
Tanner King | Fleurieu & Districts | 4 (1) | 57 | 127 | 42.33 |
Harrison Davies | Barossa and Light | 3 (0) | 95 | 121 | 40.33 |
Angus Clarke | South East | 4 (0) | 54 | 120 | 30.00 |
Tyson Roberts | Fleurieu & Districts | 3 (0) | 79 | 113 | 37.67 |
Nish Patel | North Eastern | 4 (1) | 63* | 110 | 36.67 |
Under 16 Boy's Bowling Aggregate
Player Name | Region | Runs Against | Wickets | Average |
Ethan Franklin | Eyre Peninsula | 86 | 11 | 7.82 |
Archie Aldridge | Eyre Peninsula | 78 | 10 | 7.80 |
Robert Case | South East | 68 | 9 | 7.56 |
Harrison Lawler | North Eastern | 96 | 9 | 10.67 |
Tyson Higgins | Eyre Peninsula | 56 | 8 | 7.00 |
Flynn Andrew | Murray Districts/ Barrier | 63 | 8 | 7.88 |
Levi Heath | Mid North | 64 | 7 | 9.14 |
Hayden Schiller | Barossa and Light | 64 | 7 | 9.14 |
Henry Fogden | Mid North | 80 | 7 | 11.43 |
Noah Matthews | Upper North | 101 | 7 | 14.43 |
Under 16 Girl's Batting Aggregate (Top 5 only)
Player Name | Region | Innings (Not Outs) | Highest Score | Total Runs | Average |
Matilda Maitland | Mid North | 3 (1) | 130 | 237 | 118.50 |
Chloe Rosenzweig | Barossa and Light | 4 (3) | 84* | 222 | 222.00 |
Maggie Clarke | Mid North | 3 (1) | 60 | 102 | 51.00 |
Aliyah Scamoni | Fleurieu & Districts | 3 (2) | 37* | 72 | 72.00 |
Evelyn Todd | Barossa and Light | 5 (0) | 32* | 57 | 14.25 |
Under 16 Girls Bowling Aggregate (top 5 only)
Player Name | Region | Runs Against | Wickets | Average |
Tessie Kennedy | Barossa and Light | 47 | 9 | 5.22 |
Georgia Barrett | South East | 48 | 7 | 6.86 |
Evelyn Todd | Barossa and Light | 49 | 7 | 7.00 |
Zali Kerley | Mid North | 25 | 6 | 4.17 |
Maya Klose | Barossa and Light | 31 | 6 | 5.17 |
Individual Feats of the Carnival (Boys)
Whilst the bat largely dominated the ball during the boy's competition, the highest individual score for the competition was scored by Harrison Davies from Barossa and Light. Davies blasted 95 from just 104 balls against Mid North to help his side chase down the target of 153 in just 32 overs.
Interesting, the second-highest individual score for the carnival came in the same game with Mid North opening batter Archie Jones belting 83 from 100 balls including 13 fours and 1 massive six.
From the bowlers, there were two five-wicket hauls in the competition. Murray District/Barrier's Flynn Andrew came on first change in their clash with Mid North and turned the game on its head.
He skittled the Mid North top order and then returned to clean up the tail finishing with figures of 6.5 overs, 4 maidens, 6 for 12 to record the best individual bowling figures in a match for the competition.
The other five-wicket haul belonged to the comps leading wicket-taker in Ethan Franklin from the Eyre Peninsula. On day three of the competition EP took on the South East with a spot in the semi-final up for grabs. Franklin's leggies snuffed out the South East run chase, taking 5 for 6 from just 4.4 overs.
Individual Feats of the Carnival (Girls)
Mid North batting dynamo Matilda Maitland scored the only century of the competition, against the Eyre Peninsula on day three. Opening the innings, Maitland blasted her way to 130 from just 91 balls in an innings that included 18 fours and 1 six.
Barossa and Light star Chloe Rosenzweig almost reached three figures in their match with the South East the following day. Sadly, she ran out of partners and was left stranded on 83* when Barossa and Light's final wicket fell in the 24th over. Rosenzweig was dismissed only once for the carnival with a ridiculous batting average of 222.
Both girls clearly have big futures ahead of them and are playing games for city-based clubs.
With the ball, Barossa and Light bowler Tessie Kennedy recorded the only 5 wicket haul for the girl's competition. Kennedy was ruthless against the South East, taking 6 for 7 in a 5 over spell that saw the South East bowled out for just 20.
Match of the Carnival (Boys)
The two contenders for the match of the carnival both involve the Eyre Peninsula and were both knockout finals. The EP's semi-final win over Barossa and Light saw them win despite being bowling out for just 88 batting first. Barossa and Light were themselves bowled out for just 65 in reply.
But without question, the match of the carnival was the final at Mount Barker's Summit Sports and Recreation Park. The Eyre Peninsula posted 5 for 141 batting first and Adelaide Turf started their run chase well. But, the stubborn Eyre Peninsula bowling chipped away and kept taking wickets at key times.
In the end, the result was decided in a frantic final over which saw Adelaide Turf hit the winning runs with just two balls and one wicket in hand. Check out a full rundown of the match, including highlights, here.
Match of the carnival (Girls)
On the final day of the competition, Eyre Peninsula took on the South East and took it right up to them. The EP girls were winless and batted first making just 77. The South-East was able to reach the target but not without some jitters. They finished at 5 for 78 with less than 3 overs remaining.
However, the highlight of the girl's carnival was again the final with Barossa and Light taking on Adelaide Turf. This time it would be the country team prevailing with Tanunda's Chloe Rosenzweig starring for the Barossa crew in their run chase.
Adelaide Turf batted first at Karen Rolton Oval and was bowled out for 126. Barossa and Light, lead by a brilliant 57* from Rosenzweig, passed the total in the 22nd over for the loss of just 3 wickets.
The Wash Up
Congratulations to Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula for hosting the competition. Congratulations to all the boys and girls who won selection for their regions.
Finally, well done to the coaches, organisers, and parents for helping these kids compete so close to the holiday period. It's a big commitment and we can all be safe in the knowledge that the future of country cricket is in excellent hands.