THERE will be plenty of representative cricket ahead in the January school holidays for local Holbrook District Cricket Association junior players.
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Cricket Albury Wodonga Country Week will again be held in and around Albury Wodonga and surrounding towns in five age groups.
Holbrook DCA players will be vying for selection in the Upper Hume teams at three age groups and a likely standalone Under 12 team HDCA team.
The Upper Hume teams are made up of players from the Holbrook, Tumbarumba and Brocklesby associations.
Other teams participating in the carnival include sides from Cricket Albury Wodonga, Wangaratta and Wagga.
Upper Hume teams will participate in under 14, 15 and 16 age groups with local coaches taking the teams through a week of cricket starting on January 8.
The under 12 age group will create a piece of Australian cricket history with the format being the newly adopted Australian Cricket Representative Stage 2 format.
Following on from the successful implementation of the new junior formats at club cricket level, the representative scene is also set for a new format.
The Under 12 Representative Stage 2 format will be played on a shortened pitch length of 18 metres as in local Holbrook DCA Under 12s.
Unlike the club level formats, the representative format will still have 11 players on the field but with fielding restrictions to encourage more scoring.
These positions relate to “impact fielders” that have been implemented to replicate the style of play in club cricket.
For the first five overs of an innings there must be two players on the boundary, while for overs six through to end of innings there must be five impact players.
Five impact players can be three slips and two on the boundary or vice versa – players on the boundary must be within four metres of the boundary on point of release from bowler.
The boundary is set at 50 metres with bowlers in the forty over game being allowed maximum of eight overs.
Batters do not have to retire after certain amount of balls like club cricket.
Holbrook DCA under 12 and 15 competitions at club level have finished for the festive season/holiday break and will resume February 3.
The Holbrook DCA Division One comp will resume January 6, the same date also for the resumption of Division Two cricket.
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MEANWHILE former Holbrook cricketer Steve Taylor continues to have a consistent season in Melbourne Premier cricket.
Taylor who is captain of Northcote has compiled 419 runs for the Dragons leading into the Christmas break at an average of 35.0.
He has done limited bowling due to a preseason foot operation. Northcote look to be out of finals contention with just three wins.
The stylish right handed batsman will be looking for a big second half of the season to keep his name under the eye of state selectors.
Former Northcote teammate of Taylor Marcus Stoinis is well in line for national selection as he continues to perform well for WA and Melbourne Stars.
I would like to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and hope that your 2018 brings you happiness and good health.
