By ADEM SARICAOGLU
THE Victorian under-17 cricket team, led by Melton’s Patrick McKenna, completed a clean sweep to claim the honours at the recent under-17 national championships in Hobart.
The Victorians claimed their first title in nine years after demolishing Western Australia in the final round by nearly 200 runs.
Coach Graeme Rummans was full of praise of his side’s efforts in Hobart.
“As far as the entire championship goes, the boys always stood up when we needed them to,” Rummans said.
“Whether it was a fantastic catch or a key run-out, the guys had a knack of making the big plays under pressure.
“I think our bowlers were the strongest of all the teams.
“Their ability to build pressure and take wickets really gave us a head start.”
The pick of those bowlers was emerging Footscray-Edgewater all-rounder and tournament standout Guy Walker, who claimed 11 wickets at a stunning average of 7.09.
Ironically, Walker’s best performance arguably came against WA, despite finishing wicketless on the day.
From five overs Walker managed four maidens and conceded just four runs off his bowling to halt WA’s run chase in exquisite fashion.
Meanwhile former Spotswood junior Kieran Elliott also performed well with the ball throughout the tournament, claiming four wickets at an average of 15.25 while averaging 21 with the bat.
McKenna showed glimpses of his talents with the bat, but struggled for consistency throughout the championships.
Two knocks of 47 and 43 got his tournament off to a good start, but after moving from number four to three in the batting order, he struggled to get into double figures until the final match, where he recovered to make 56.
