NSW Metro Clinch U17 National Title

NSW Metropolitan have returned home with some extra baggage, defeating Queensland by 58 runs to claim the title at the U17 Male National Championships in Launceston. 

Batting first, Metro overcame a dramatic top-order collapse, losing four quick wickets to slump to 4-65. The middle order steadied the ship, with Toby Robinson (56), Sumair Sira (27*), Xander Carstens (26), and Yash Deshmukh (24) guiding Metro to a competitive 210 runs after 50 overs. 

Fairfield Liverpool’s Deshmukh produced a dominant all round performance to be named Player of the Final, contributing 24 runs with the bat before dismantling Queensland’s top order with career-best figures of 6-22.  

Xander Carstens delivered a match-defining catch to dismiss QLD’s Blake Armstrong off Deshmukh’s bowling to see the Maroons 5-124 after 33.2 overs.  

Speaking to the Hobart Mercury following the match, Deshmukh said:  

“That’s probably the best figures so far in my whole career, and probably the right moment to take it, I guess.  

“That (Armstrong dismissal) was probably one of the key moments of the game, it was a good catch.”  

This latest victory follows NSW Metro’s title at the U16 Female National Championships in Ballarat and their third consecutive title at the U19 Female National Championships in Perth. 

View the scorecard from the final: HERE 

Julian Osbourne was the competition’s highest wicket-taker, finishing with 13 wickets, including a career-best 7-13 in Metro’s fourth-round clash against Victoria Country. The Manly youngster went on to claim a five-wicket haul in the semifinal against Western Australia. 
 
NSW Country finished their campaign with a 171-run loss to Western Australia in the third-place playoff, with Will Malajczuk’s (WA) devastating 131 off 74 balls proving the difference. 
 
NSW had five players named in the Team of the Tournament: 

• Blake Cattle - NSW Country | 4th highest run scorer
• Daniel Craig (WK) – NSW Country | Leading wicket keeper
• Julian Osbourne – NSW Metro | Highest wicket taker
• Cooper Pullen – NSW Country | 2nd highest wicket taker
• Aarush Soni – NSW Metro | 6th highest wicket taker 

NSW statistics leaders | 2024 U17 Male National Championships: 

NSW Metropolitan leading run-scorers  

1. Athan Maraziotis – 214 runs | 42.8 average | 53 top score
2. Toby Robinson – 183 runs | 91.5 average | 78 top score
3. Myles Kapoor – 175 runs | 29.17 average | 103 top score  

NSW Metropolitan leading wicket-takers 

1. Julian Osbourne – 13 wickets | 7.46 average | 7-13 best bowling
2. Aarush Soni – 11 wickets | 17 average | 5-22 best bowling  
3. Yash Deshmukh – 9 wickets | 16.56 average | 6-22 best bowling 

NSW Country leading run-scorers 

1. Blake Cattle – 243 runs | 60.75 average | 69 top score  
2. Harry Price – 165 runs | 27.5 average | 50 top score
3. Hunter Hall – 105 runs | 17.5 average | 72 top score 

NSW Country leading wicket-takers 

1. Cooper Pullen – 12 wickets | 10.92 average | 4-38 best bowling
2. Hunter Hall – 10 wickets | 16.8 average | 5-36 best bowling
3. Kasey Barton – 7 wickets | 23.43 average | 2-27 best bowling 

Cricket NSW would like to congratulate and thank our high-performance staff for their preparation and dedication to helping our pathways players be at their best for the National Championships.  

NSW Metropolitan Head Coach | Alex Kemp 
NSW Metropolitan Assistant Coach | Anthony Clark 
NSW Metropolitan Physiotherapist | Ryan Farrell 
NSW Country Head Coach | Greg McClay 
NSW Country Assistant Coach | Dean Burke 
NSW Country Physiotherapist | Devlin Malone 

See all the results from the tournament: HERE