Young players get together

THE Young Cricketer’s Development Program played host to a visiting school cricket team from Villanova College, Queensland on Friday.
The Young Cricketers team was comprised of a squad of 15 boys from various DDCA clubs from which the DDCA Under-16’s Jim Beitzel squad will be selected, while the visiting Queensland team hailed from Villanova College – currently in Melbourne to compete in the Oblate Cricket Carnival held at Mazenod College.
The DDCA boys opted to bat first at Coomoora, reaching a score of 5/120 in their allotted 40 overs, with Z. Sheik top-scoring with 22 for the home side.
In reply, the visiting Queenslanders reached the target score in relative ease, registering a score of 167 for five with B. Hopan top-scoring with 45.
For the home team, their best bowler was T. Pandithrathne who claimed commendable figures of two for three, whilst for the visitors it was D. Valetic leading the way with three for 26.
The game was organised by the Young Cricketers team of Peter Mathison, Vernon Tissera and Johann Jayasinha in conjunction with Vilanova coach Craig Stariha. Adrian Jones, the South Eastern Regional Manager and St Kilda coach was also in attendance.
The Young Cricketers will head over to Malaysia this April for the fourth occasion to defend their Twenty20 title. The tour will take place during the April school holidays. The Young Cricketers are also looking to take their first ever Boy’s and Girl’s Under-23s tour to Sri Lanka and Malaysia during the July 2014 holidays.
Anyone interested in either tour, should get in contact with either Peter Mathison on 0437 981 782 or Vernon Tissera on 0403 298 626.