Playing for Victoria by James Boyce
Recently, I was able to live my dream of pulling on a baggy blue cap and representing Victoria at the
School Sport Australia 15-and-under Cricket Championships in Darwin.
The process started for me during the under-14 pathways where I played for the Inner East Emus.
The competition was a great experience for me and for many others and although I live in a separate
region to my club region I still knew many of the players through school and was able to meet many
more talented cricketers.
This was a great way to play good quality cricket with mates while making new friends, especially
having played in the competition for the past two years.
After a successful carnival, I was given the chance to trial for the Victorian 15-and-under side. This
was an amazing opportunity. I met and played against more talented Victorian cricketers
throughout the trialling process and as everyone was keen for a spot, the competition was very high.
After about five trial sessions we were informed of the team via email. I can remember finding out
because I was on the bus on the way to cricket training when my dad sent me a text letting me know
that I was selected. It was one of the best training sessions of my life.
I really enjoyed being able to train twice a week at the MCG. I had been there before for net sessions
and trials, but I had never been able to use all of the facilities. These include the gym, the ProBatter
bowling machine and the Merlyn Spin bowling machine.
We played a couple of practice games in preparation for the tournament against Melbourne CC’s
Under-16 Development Squad, the Maribyrnong Sports Academy, and last year’s 15-and-under
team. This was a great opportunity for the team to get to know each other better, however playing
in 10 degrees wasn’t ideal preparation for cricket in Darwin.
A couple of weeks later we were ready to go. The flight felt really long, and adjusting to the humid
30+ degree heat was difficult after the weather we had in Melbourne.
Our team started the tournament very well, smashing Tassie and the ACT in the first two games.
There were some big standouts which was positive, and we were able to win the next game against
WA as well on the back of some good bowling performances. Unfortunately, we lost our last two
games against Queensland and WA which put us in fourth position. We didn’t think this was a very
good reflection of where we should’ve been but it didn’t ruin the experience at all.
Up in Darwin, Victoria is one of the few states/territories that lived together as a group for the whole
week. Being able to share a hotel room with my mates was an amazing experience because it helped
us relax after a loss and celebrate after a win. It also created a better sense of camaraderie in the
group because we were as a team the whole time.
Being selected to represent Victoria in cricket would definitely be the highlight of my career so far,
and one of the highlights of my life.
Having wanted to play cricket for Australia since I was 11 years old, being given the opportunity to
represent my state at such a young age was one of the most incredible experiences I could think of.
One of the most overwhelming aspects of being selected was the unbelievable support from my
friends and family who all congratulated me for earning my spot in the team.
Being able to represent Victoria on the cricket field against other states instead of just wearing gear
at training in the nets was absolutely incredible. It is impossible to describe how it feels walking out
onto a cricket field with a Victorian cap because it’s something I have wanted for so long, and I still
struggled coming to terms with the fact that I was playing at such a high level.
One of the other parts of the experience that I struggled coming to terms with was the fact that I
was playing with and against future Australian players. I kept thinking that if this is as far as I go in
my career (and hopefully it’s not) it’s a pretty good highlight to have because I will be able to watch
cricket in the future and say I played with or against these people as a teenager.
We had four people from Victoria selected to represent the Cricket Australia XI which was incredible.
I didn’t go to Darwin with my goal to make the Australian team, however not being selected has
motivated me to work harder to get to the level I want to be at, and I know this is the same for some
other people in the team as well.
Ultimately, playing for Victoria was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Through the
whole process I was able to make new friends, play with mates, use advanced training methods, and
play with and against some of the best 15-and-under cricketers in the country. Representing my
state has given me so many amazing opportunities and I know I will work harder to get these
opportunities again.
Results
Round 1: Victoria 8/272 (M Harvey 84, S Bhargrave 42, C Rutland 34) Def. TAS 85 (S Elliott 3/7)
Round 2: Victoria 9/212 (N Murphy 80, W Sutherland 33) Def. ACT 125 (D Hendawitharana 4/7)
Round 3: Victoria 9/178 (W Sutherland 39, S Bhargrave 34) Def. WA 155 (S Bhargrave 3/20)
Semi-final: Victoria 7/142 (H Wardlaw 23, N Murphy 18) Def. by QLD 8/143 (Z Evans 2/14)
Final: Victoria 141 (A Poppa 60, S Bhargrave 25) Def. by WA 4/142 (J Boyce 3/36)