Ben Parrot and Zac Chaplin from the Pakenham junior cricket club survived the cut and will now represent the region in the U14 State Cricket Championships in January. 74019 Picture: Kim Cartmell
By David Nagel
THREE cricketers from the Pakenham Junior Cricket Club have made it to a 13-man squad which will represent the region at the upcoming State Junior Championships.
Zac Chaplin, Ben Parrot and James Vella all survived the cut after the initial squad of 60 selected in September was cut back. They will now represent the Southern Sharks at the Championships which start in January.
Chaplin and Parrot will play together in the under 14 team, while Vella will battle it out with the state’s best in the under 16s. All three players have enormous talent but a level head according to Pakenham Cricket Club president Phil Anning.
“We’re just very proud of all three boys, they play great cricket, but they’re really good kids as well,” Anning said.
“They’re the future of our club; they fit in well and we’re just really proud of the way they conduct themselves.
“They’ve all got very supportive parents; they’re always up here watching the boys run around and that’s a great thing to see.”
Chaplin is a talented batsman who won the under 13 league batting average last year with a Bradmanesque average of 171. He’s currently averaging 93 in his first season in the under 15s.
“Zac just loves his cricket; he trains with the seniors now and is always up here watching the seniors play on a Saturday,” Anning said.
Parrot is an opening batsman/wicket keeper who plays with a very straight bat; he is also coming off a stellar last season where he made 204 runs at an average of 25.50. His batting complements his wicket keeping which is improving all the time.
Vella tops off a three-prong Lions’ attack on the Championships, and also had a brilliant 2010/2011. He topped the league averages in the under 15s with 325 runs at 54.17. He played his first game of A Grade cricket at 15 last year in a premiership season for the Lions.
It’s fair to say the future looks rosy for the Pakenham Cricket Club.
