MERBEIN South cricketer Ethan Walder says he is focusing on sustaining longer bowling stints following an impressive display with the ball in junior cricket.
Walder picked up five wickets for Merbein South in their round seven Under-16s clash with Irymple at Henshilwood Oval.
While Irymple were able to take first innings points, the Merbein South medium-pacer displayed a good line bowling three batsmen on his way to figures of 5/22.
It was a performance which earned him the Junior player of the round nomination.
The 15-year-old said he wasn’t sure how he had picked up his five-wicket haul, but that it had just “happened”.
He said a delivery that had “gone through the gate” and bowled the batsman was the most memorable.
The young cricketers said his focus has been on “getting wickets” and he continued his form with the ball, taking 2/22 while playing for Merbein South’s Sunraysia Cricket Association (SCA) 2nd Division against Mildura Settlers.
Walder said it had been a “pretty good experience” being able to play in second and third division cricket. He said his six-wicket haul in November while playing against Coomealla Wentworth in the SCA 3rd Division was still his highlight from the current cricket season.
He was focused on extending his bowling stints as he looked toward the close of the season.
“I probably bowl 15 (overs in an innings) at the moment and 20 is what I would like to get,” Walder said.
Merbein South’s Under-16 side sits third on the ladder, tied on 25 points with three other sides, but Walder said he thought the team was “going well”.
But Merbein face stern tests in the coming weeks as they face an Irymple side keen to push into the top four, followed by a meeting with undefeated Nichols Point.
As the Junior Player of the Round, Walder receives a $50 voucher from Sportspower Mildura.
