By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG West all-rounder Jackson Collard traded Greaves Reserve for Dubai last month as part of Kevin Pietersen’s Cricket Academy.
Collard, 15, from North Dandenong, was one of 12 Victorian Indigenous cricketers selected to head overseas to aid their progress with the Noogal Development Squad (Victorian Indigenous Development Squad).
The KP24 Foundation was started by the cult hero cricketer and his camp was held at the ICC Academy in Dubai where Collard – of Noongar tribal heritage – honed his Twenty20 skills.
The 10-day training camp was the first piece of the puzzle as at the end of the camp, Collard and his team mates represented an Australian side in a Twenty20 tournament against the likes of India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Pakistan.
“I was stoked when dad got the email,” Collard said.
“They trained us mostly in the Twenty20 format so they were making sure that we knew what shots to play so we could have the game on our hands if we were batting or bowling.”
Getting to meet Pietersen was a great thrill for the young sporting dynamo as Collard’s best lesson was to enjoy the experience and not just focus on results.
“He had all the people who work in the foundation helping us out first and he then came to help us with our training and with the games at the end,” Collard said.
“He (Pietersen) was saying it wasn’t all about winning, it’s about meeting new blokes from other countries and we met a few great blokes from Kenya.”
He played his first Dandenong West senior game in Turf 5 and charged in to take a wicket with his first ball.
Collard also loves smashing the short ball as he has a junior half-century to his name as his Bulls look towards finals this season and he personally hopes to represent Victoria at the Imparja Cup.
“Used to be a batsman but the last few years I’ve turned myself into a fast bowler,” Collard said.
“I’d hope to get to the finals in under-15s and can, hopefully, work my way into the Imparja Cup squad.”
Collard comes from great sporting heritage as his grandfather Cyril Collard was the first Indigenous footballer to play for Hawthorn in the former VFL competition.
The Bulls’ all-rounder wanted to thank his dad Murray, Alex Kerr and his mentor Ben Abbatangelo their support of his cricket.
