AS THE days get colder and grass grows longer on the valley’s turf pitches, dreams of summers to come flicker in the mind of lovers of the beautiful sport.
For most of the weary servants of third grade, cricket is restricted to the lighter part of the year. But for those with great skill, drive and commitment, and perhaps youth on their side, cricket is never too far away.
On the Clarence we are lucky to have two young stars who will need to pack their kitbags a good bit earlier than the rest of us: Harwood’s Carly Leeson and Lawrence’s Hayden Ensbey.
Readers of The Daily Examiner will be no stranger to Carly, who has blazed a trail for female cricketers in the valley. A quiet achiever, last season Carly captained the NSW Country Under-15 team to its first title in eight years, then won the national title with the NSW U15s.
On the back of these achievements, she has been selected in the Australian U15 development squad and also as the youngest member of the NSW U18 team.
One of the advantages of a local athlete going onto high honours is that it can lead the way for others to follow.
Hot on the heels is Hayden ‘Bluey’ Ensbey, who this month is packing his kit for the big trip to Darwin, where he will represent NSW in the national U12s. This is a great opportunity for the aspiring cricketer to show off his credentials and go up against the best in his class.
“It will be good to try and make some runs and get some wickets,” Hayden said.
“I’ve never been to Darwin before. It will be a great experience.”
A Lawrence junior, Hayden’s father Mark plays in the Harwood Premier League side which last season regained its crown off Tucabia.
“Yeah, we’re all very proud of him and hope he does well,” Mark said.
“Not sure who’s more nervous, me or him.”
To help these aspiring cricketers on their way, the Harwood Cricket Club is donating the proceeds from its raffle at the Harwood Hilton this Friday, June 6.
Club president Tim McMahon said it was a small token.
“When you think about how many kilometres their parents clock up each year, running them to rep games all over the country, you can see the costs are pretty high,” McMahon said.
“It’s good to see the community get behind our young ones. It will be good to see a good roll-up.”