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Sydney grade cricket's got talent

Roar Rookie
18th February, 2013
9

I was at Chatswood Oval Saturday with cardboard cut-outs of ‘The Hoff’ and Sharon Osborne to find the next Ashton Agar.

Most of the prodigies in Australian cricket skip seasons of first-class cricket and get thrust into stardom too early.

If you have enough people banging down doors for you, a lack of consistent form and development is no problem.

Rain delayed my mission so instead I was forced to eat a nice custard treat and mosey around the local Chinese New Year festival. There was plenty of exotic talent on show there as well.

The sun eventually came out and I swear I saw the maroon parts of the Gordon DCC cap start to turn a shade of baggy green.

Gordon have a group of good young players with a few starting to get opportunities at state second XI cricket. I am wondering if there are any administrators about to open doors for them as well.

Sydney grade cricket is Australia’s version of the minor baseball leagues in America. Every other state in Australia rightfully pillages from the talent pool.

There are at least 20 NSW-developed former Sydney grade players in the other five state systems.

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It is great for them personally that they get a chance to play state level cricket at earlier stages of their careers. NSW has too much talent to choose from, and providing all of them enough opportunity is a challenge.

In regards to Ashton Agar he obviously has some skill, and I am not saying he won’t take wickets in the India A tour game, but does he actually deserve the chance of a Test debut?

To have only played two first-class games takes the mickey out of all the long-term state-level spinners who are almost there.

For him to be sharing newspaper column space with Peter Siddle, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke is amusing and I am sure is a novelty for him as well.

If you have seen the next Ashton Agar in Sydney grade cricket or out in country Australia, let your fellow Roarers know and we can spruik their cause.

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