Panthers pick Quirk for cap 200

By Justin Robertson
FOR Panthers youngster Dylan Quirk, Thursday night cricket training sessions have become routine.
Apart from a couple of games, he’s played the entire season in the second XI as a batsman-keeper, averaging 26.4 – not bad for a 16-year-old.
When the mild-mannered cricketer sat down as the teams were announced last Thursday, he did not expect to hear his name being called among the likes of Panthers’ stalwart and skipper Darren Dempsey and English gun-recruit Alex Hales.
Quirk became the 200th capped player for the Dandenong Panthers last weekend against Footscray-Edgewater, an achievement that took him by surprise.
“I only really found out about it on the night, when the teams were read out,” he said. “It’s an absolute honour.”
Two years ago the club caught the eye of Quirk when he was playing in the under-16 Australian Schoolboys Twenty20 championships in India, where he pummelled 83 (57) and was awarded player of the tournament, for his consistent performances.
He has since made his way through the ranks, making his debut in the third XI last season, securing a spot in the second XI this year and now capped as a one’s middle-lower batsman.
Over the weekend, Quirk made his batting debut and made 13, but batted at a time where a valuable partnership was required. He and Peter Sweeney piled on 37 runs when the Panthers were in trouble at 7/133.
Quirk said dealing with the intensity was nerve-racking.
“They were digging into me when I was out there, saying ‘everything is on the young blokes shoulders now’,” he said. “You just try and ignore that stuff because you can’t really say that much back.”
Skipper Darren Dempsey said he saw an opportunity to pick Quirk, as someone who could play a role in the middle to lower order and someone who could step up at Premier Cricket level.
“I felt he’d be a better suited batsman playing at the highest level,” he said. “We are at the stage we need to find the next rung of decent players and as a 16-year old he probably fits the bill.”
And according to Dempsey, after playing alongside Quirk on the weekend, it’s so far so good.
“He fielded well, spent time in the middle and made a valuable partnership with Sweeney,” he said. “It looks like he’ll cope with the intensity, it’s just a matter now of matching that with his skills to make runs.”