2024/25 Scholars Tier 1 BAILEY ABELA Club: Campbelltown Camden Cricket Club| Greater Illawarra Zone Playing Style: Right-arm off spin & left-hand bat Bailey is a very well organised left-handed opening bat hailing from Wollongong. He displays an excellent technique and temperament which allows him to bat for long periods of time and show off his fine array of shots off both feet. He also bowls some more than handy off spin. Bailey enjoyed a very successful 2023/24 season at both Youth cricket and senior level. His 266 runs at 44.33 for NSW Country at the National Under 19 Championships in Albury saw him in the top four leading run scorers for the carnival. Bailey’s consistent run scoring ability was again on display for NSW at the Australian Country Championships, averaging in the mid 30’s for the carnival against some quality opposition. Bailey performed strongly for Campbelltown-Camden in the U21 Poidevin Gray Shield competition, scoring 201 runs at 40.20, including a stylish 107 vs Blacktown. Bailey’s performances have been recognised with his inclusion in a 24 man Australian Under 19 Preliminary squad that attended the preseason camp in Brisbane in July 2024. CALLEE BLACK Club: Penrith Cricket Club | Western Zone Playing Style: Left-arm fast bowler & bat Callee Black is a talented allrounder from Western NSW and is a member of the U19 NSW Country State Squad for season 2024/25. Residing in Bathurst, the 17-year-old is an exciting left-arm fast bowler and top-order batter. Callee’s game sense is impressive for a young cricketer, and she is an excellent team person. Callee is a proud Wiradjuri woman and has represented NSW at the National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC). In 2023, her performances at the NICC were rewarded with being selected in the Australian Women’s Indigenous team where she toured Vanuatu. Off the field, Callee is a year 12 student and is completing her HSC this year. CAOIMHE BRAY Club: Greater Hunter Coast Cricket Club | Central Northern and Newcastle Zone Playing Style: Right-arm fast bowler & bat Caoimhe Bray is one of the most exciting young cricketers in NSW and is a member of the U19 NSW Country State Squad for season 2024/25. Residing in Newcastle, she has already excelled in various cricket competitions at just 15 years of age. She is a right-arm fast bowler with exciting ball speed for someone her age. Caoimhe is not only highly skilled with the ball, she's a destructive top-order batter. Her most impressive achievement last season was scoring 202 in the Brewer Shield Grand Final, where she led the Greater Hunter Coast team to their very first Brewer Shield premiership. Caoimhe scored a total of 955 runs with an average of 68.21 and took 30 wickets at an average of 4.87 in the competition last season. As leading run scorer and wicket taker, she was awarded Brewer Shield Player of the Year. Caoimhe is a natural athlete with a strong desire to improve in all areas of the game, who made her WBBL debut for the Sydney Sixers in October, making her the youngest ever player in the competition. ANGUS CAMPBELL Club: Bankstown Cricket Club | Greater Illawarra Zone Playing Style: Right-arm medium-fast & right-hand bat Angus is a highly skilled all-round cricketer also hailing from Wollongong. An energetic and innovative middle order batter who is always looking to move the game forward, Angus has the ability to change the momentum of the game and is an excellent player of spin. A stress fracture in his back severely limited his bowling in 2023/24, but when fit Angus is a lively medium-fast bowler with very good variety and genuine wicket taking ability. He is an excellent fielder in any position, with a safe pair of hands and a bullet arm. Angus enjoyed a solid debut season in 1st grade Premier Cricket with Bankstown, scoring 278 runs at 25.27, including scores of 79 vs North Sydney and 55 vs Parramatta. He was also a strong contributor for NSW Country at the National Under 19 Championships in Albury, scoring 187 runs at 37.40 Angus was a Tier 2 Scholar in 2023/24, and we look forward to a productive 2024/25 season once he returns to full fitness. LUCY FINN Club: St George-Sutherland Cricket Club Playing Style: Right-hand bat & right-arm fast bowler Lucy Finn is a tall, hard-hitting allrounder. She plays her grade cricket for St George-Sutherland and helped them qualify for both the T20 and 50 over finals in 2023/24. Her best figures were 5-16 against Penrith and would later show her all-round talent when she top scored for NSW Metro at the National championships with 73 off just 53 balls against Queensland, including four big sixes. Her strong performances culminated in selection for the U19 Australian side that toured Sri Lanka in April. TARA FRENCH Club: Northern District Cricket Club | Central Cost Zone Playing Style: Right-arm fast bowler Hailing from Forresters Beach on the Central Coast, Tara is a right-arm fast bowler with notable pace and bounce. Tara took the new ball for the U19’s NSW Country team at the National Championships and rushed even the best players in her age group. Tara took 9 wickets @ 23 for Northern District in Premier Cricket before injury saw her miss the back end of the season. Tara is a natural athlete who moves well in the field with a strong arm. JOHN JAMES Club: Northern District Cricket Club Playing Style: Right-arm medium-fast & right-hand bat John is a very gifted all-round cricketer who offers equal value with both bat and ball. He can generate excellent ball speed with what appears to be minimum effort, whist also creating consistent shape away from right hand batters. He is a right-hand middle order batter with a simple technique but can hit with great power and timing through a lovely bat swing. John is also an excellent fielder with a rocket arm. Unfortunately, injuries curtailed the second half of John’s last season, limiting his bowling. Before that, John was able to put together some strong performances for the NSW Metro Under 17 team at the National Championships in Adeliade. His 82 off only 72 balls v Victoria gave an indicator of his ball striking ability. His 9 wickets at 14.89 for Northern District in the U21 Poidevin Gray Shield again displayed his all-round value. John’s talents were recognised with his inclusion in a 24 man Australian Under 19 Preliminary squad that attended the preseason camp in Brisbane in July 2024. As a bottom age Under 19 player, we are excited to see John continue to develop into a very exciting all-round package. RILEY KINGSELL Club: Bankstown Cricket Club Playing Style: Right-hand bat Riley is a very talented right hand opening batter who is prepared to take the game on from the first ball. An excellent player of fast bowling off both feet, Riley enjoyed a very successful 2023/24 season at both grade and Youth level, his performances improving the higher level he played. He is also a good mover in the field with a strong arm. Riley scored 595 runs at 39.67 for Bankstown’s’ premiership winning 2nd grade side, which included a brilliant 111 off only 102 balls vs Mosman, 82 of which came in boundaries (10 x 4s, 7 x 6s). He made the step up to1st grade with apparent ease, scoring 41 and 67no in his 1st grade debut vs Gordon. Riley also made several valuable contributions for the title winning NSW Metro team at the National Under 19 Championships in Albury, scoring 179 runs at 35.8. His 31 in the final against a very strong Queensland fast bowling attack set the tone for the successful run chase. Riley’s performances have been recognised with his inclusion in a 24 man Australian Under 19 Preliminary squad that attended the preseason camp in Brisbane in July 2024. JULIETTE MORTON Club: St George-Sutherland Cricket Club Playing Style: Leg-spin Juliette Morton is a crafty leg spinner from St George-Sutherland. She played a key role of helping St George-Sutherland get to both 1st grade finals in 2023/24. She took 4 wickets for 11 runs against Campbelltown and bettered this when she took 4 wickets for 6 runs for NSW Metro against Papua New Guinea at the National Championships. Juliette was recently called up to the Australia U19 team that toured Sri Lanka. OLLIE PATERSON Club: Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club Playing Style: Left-arm fast & right-hand bat Ollie is a very athletically gifted left arm fast bowler who regularly takes early wickets with his ability to swing the new ball into the right-handed batter at a lively pace. He also possesses good skills in white ball cricket, with a sneaky yorker and clever change ups. He is also a more than handy lower order batter and a lovely mover in the field. After a successful Under 17 Championships for NSW Metro in 2022/23, in which he took 10 wickets at 11.22, including 4-8 in the semi-final vs WA, Ollie has had a very disrupted past 18 months with a back injury severely limiting his appearances. After working diligently to get back to full fitness, Ollie returned to cricket in the back half of 2023/24, and after a couple of lower grade appearances, showed his undoubted class taking 4/38 in his 1st grade debut vs University of NSW. Ollie is another NSW player to have been recognised nationally with his inclusion in a 24 man Australian Under 19 Preliminary Squad that attended the preseason camp in Brisbane in July 2024. ADDISON SHERRIFF Club: North Sydney Cricket Club Playing Style: Right-hand bat & right-arm medium pace Addison is another talented allrounder to have come through our NSW pathway. A tall, elegant stroke player who can bat anywhere in the top 6, Addison is also a very reliable medium pace with a repeatable action who hits high on the bat. An excellent slip catcher and a great competitor, Addison has performed consistently across all levels with both bat and ball. After being awarded Player of the Carnival at the National Under 17 Championships in 2022/23, Addison’s all-round game continued to mature in 2023/24. A maiden 1st grade century, 115 vs Sydney, along with the highly impressive figures of 7-32 vs Randwick Petersham are testament to his all-round ability. All this achieved at 17 years old. Addison was the third leading run scorer in the U21 Poidevin Gray Shield competition with 310 runs at 77.4, and also an integral member of the successful NSW Metro Under 19 team in 2023/24. Although not getting many opportunities with the bat, his 8 wickets at 14.75 further highlighted his value. Addison is another NSW player to have been recognised nationally with his inclusion in a 24 man Australian Under 19 Preliminary Squad that attended the preseason camp in Brisbane in July 2024. HAYLEY ZAUCH Club: Sydney Cricket Club Playing Style: Right-hand bat & Wicket Keeper Hayley is a talented young wicket keeper from the Sydney Cricket Club. Her fast hands up to the stumps and tidy footwork back, sees her standout from other keepers in her age group. Hayley was selected in the U19 NSW Metropolitan team for the National Championships, where she was going to gain experience at the next level of competition after dominating the U16 National Championships the season previously. Despite being the back-up keeper for the tournament, Hayley kept wicket for every round match due to an injury to another keeper, and Hayley herself played through a broken a thumb sustained on the second day of competition. Hayley performed admirably finishing with 7 dismissals and in the top four wicket keepers. Hayley also performed well during the Women’s Premier Cricket competition finishing in the top 20 run scorers in Second grade and was in the top five wicket keepers across the competition. She is an exciting young top order batter to go with her wicket keeping and is one to watch for the future.
