Greater Shepparton’s best and brightest cricketing prospects will once again suit up for a series of early January hit-outs during Northern Rivers Junior Country Week.
Cricket Shepparton has selected seven squads across six age levels, featuring two under-12 sides, in preparation for clashes with the other associations that fall under the Northern Rivers banner.
Some faces with full-blooded experience in the Haisman Shield competition will lead the charge against top youngsters from Bendigo, Murray Valley, Goulburn Murray and Seymour associations.
While the under-17 squad was yet to formalise its leadership structure, the under-16 team is led by Euroa’s Walter Jackson, with Northerners’ middle batter Zavier Davidson deputising.
Junior Country Week - Cricket Shepparton squads
U12 Blue: Hudson Allen (Karramomus), Hamish Bamford (Karramomus), Braxton Brett (Northerners), Blake Bunfield (Tatura), Aston Campbell (NDCSTB), Hunter Corbo (Tatura), Ty Davidson (Northerners), Carter Lawn (Katandra), Charlie McDonald (Numurkah), LeBron Sidebottom (Northerners), Nash Waters (Pine Lodge), Harrison Whitford (Tatura)
U12 White: Cooper Boddington (Nagambie), Cassin Cook (Tatura), Rhys Cowen (NDCSTB), Hudson Dudgeon (NDCSTB), Harrison Few (NDCSTB), Lenny Gledhill (Numurkah), Phoebe Hawker (Karramomus), Noah Hawker (Karramomus), Bailey Mawson (Northerners), Casey Smith (Karramomus), Olivia White (Karramomus), Gus Willoughby (Karramomus)
U13: Flynn Bush (Nagambie), Jackson Crouch (Karramomus), Zac Gale (Old Students), Billy Harrison (Nagambie), Joel James (Old Students), Nate Malcolm (Pine Lodge), Cooper Malcolm (Katandra), William Mathers (Old Students), Thomas Shelton (Nagambie), Tate Thorn (Northerners), Callum Thornton (Karramomus)
U14: Lloyd Akers (Northerners), Jimmy Blekic (Northerners), Tait Buckland (Northerners), Gus Byrne (NDCSTB), Tyson Glover (Mooroopna), Austen Hogeboom (NDCSTB), Sam Huggard (Mooroopna), Toby Keady (Karramomus), Xavier Waters (Pine Lodge), Dayne Wilson (Katandra), Nate Yze (NDCSTB), Sol Zak (NDCSTB)
U15: Max Bicknell (Karramomus), Kyren Dawson (Waaia), Archy Harrison (Nagambie), Thomas Hudgson (NDCSTB), Bayden Hutchins (Northerners), Flynn O’Brien (Nagambie), Ben O’Brien (Old Students), Ben O’Connell (Tatura), Alexander Robertson (NDCSTB), Baltej Singh (Tatura), Oliver Swain (Euroa), Jayden Thorne (NDCSTB)
U16: Caleb Aitken (Mooroopna), Jake Buckland (Northerners), Jake Davidson (Northerners), Zavier Davidson (Northerners), Kaleb Gilmour (Waaia), Walter Jackson (Euroa), Hayden Kruse (Old Students), Sean Miles (Northerners), Leo Murphy (Euroa), Baxter Plunkett (Tatura), Aden Schreck (Northerners), Faigyn Southwell (NDCSTB)
U17: Ryan Ash (NDCSTB), Zac Bathman (Old Students), Ethan Beck (NDCSTB), Rory Duffy (NDCSTB), Andre Gagliardi (Old Students), Sam Holland (NDCSTB), Max Hooper (NDCSTB), Oscar Lambourn (Old Students), Noah Muir (Old Students), Sam O’Brien (Old Students), Will Trower (Waaia), Harrison Willaton (Old Students), Ashton Young (Old Students)
Jackson and Davidson held the same leadership roles in last year’s under-15 side and will lead a largely similar cohort.
Meanwhile, top prospect Ashton Young makes his way home into the under-17 squad after a stint playing in the reserve grades of Vic Premier Cricket with Melbourne Cricket Club.
Young will have his hands full in January, first taking on Junior Country Week duties before getting his chance to represent Vic Country at the Under-17 Male Championships in Ballarat.
Thankfully, for the likes of Davidson and Old Students' Oscar Lambourn, Haisman Shield fixtures in the first week of January are one-day games.
However, unlike last year, the Cricket Shepparton contingent is without a girls’ team.
Phoebe Hawker is one of two girls nominated and will co-captain the under-12 White team alongside Noah Hawker (both Karramomus) and Harrison Few (NDCSTB).
Ty Davidson (Northerners), Blake Bunfield (Tatura) and Aston Campbell (NDCSTB) will together lead the under-12 Blue team, while Flynn Bush (Nagambie) will skipper the under-13s.
Tony Keady (Karramomus) is the sole appointed under-14 captain and the 15 outfit will be led by Bayden Hutchins (Northerners).