Fixtures released for Victorian cricket’s next generation of talent

The new fixtures include Premier Cricket representative competitions: the Under 15 Marg Jennings Cup and Under 16 Dowling Shield, and the brand-new Premier Cricket Under 18s competition.

The Premier Cricket Men’s Under 18 competition will begin in October while the Women’s Under 18 competition, the Marg Jennings Cup and the Dowling Shield will begin in January.

The new Premier Under 18s competition will allow some of Victoria’s best and brightest young talent to play regularly for Premier Cricket Clubs.

Each of the 18 men’s Premier Cricket clubs and 10 women’s clubs have established their own academies, resulting in more than 800 additional representation opportunities for the state’s best talent.

Among those to feature in the new Premier Cricket Under 18s competition is Geelong CC talent Oliver Peake and Footscray CC’s Aiman Nadeem.

Peake was a standout for Victoria Country in last season’s Under 17 National Championships where he played six games, scoring 238 runs at an average of 119.

Nadeem was also a standout at the same event for Victoria Metro scoring 244 runs in six matches, including a highest score of 113 against Victoria Country.

In the Women’s Under 18s competition, those to watch include Ira Aery from Essendon Maribyrnong Park and Ringwood’s Tegan Rule.

Aery represented Vic Metro at the Under 16 National Championships last season, taking a best 6/38 against NSW Country.

Fellow Vic Metro teammate Rule also played at the National Championships scoring 150 runs in seven matches.

Cricket Victoria General Manager – Premier Cricket Liam Murphy welcomed the evolution of the underage Premier Cricket competitions.

“To have our next generation of cricketers playing at Premier Cricket clubs is fantastic for the players, for the clubs and also for cricket development in Victoria,” said Murphy.

“As a key pillar in our pathway, these talented younger players will be exposed to Premier Cricket coaches, facilities and opponents, only strengthening the already talented next generation of players in the state.”

The full Kookaburra Premier U18s, Marg Jennings Cup and Dowling Shield fixtures can be viewed here.