As the Cricket season enters December, it signals the arrival of the annual Green Shield Competition, which will elicit many happy memories for a large number of the current Stags grade players. It is a very high quality U16 competition played across the 20 Premier clubs, with the very best local boys joined by 40 outstanding players from the country. The Stags squad, listed below, has been training together since the preseason, along with honing their skills in grade, school and junior representative matches.
This year’s squad, coached again by Nick Miller and Matt Wright, is a blend of returning and experienced players, complemented by some young and talented boys experiencing their debut season. Captain Zack Winslow, Will Sutton and Ben Hocking will provide the leadership and experience as third year players in the competition.
Players selected for the Stags are:
- Jaeden Douglas
- Tom Fuzes
- Vivaan Gandhi
- Aryan Gupta
- Ben Hocking
- Jaylen Johnston (Central Coast)
- Lucas Medford
- Rory McLean (North Coast)
- Justin Nielsen
- Finn O’Farrell
- Oscar Patterson
- Toby Robinson
- Campbell Smith
- Will Sutton
- Zack Winslow (c)
We welcome our two country players to the squad, who are both widely experienced in local and zone representative cricket. Rory McLean from Lismore on the North Coast is a wicketkeeper and high order batsman, while Jaylen Johnston from the Central Coast is also a high order batsman and left arm orthodox bowler. Welcome boys!
The squad will join the grade players at training over the next two weeks, before playing two games before Christmas, followed by a further five matches in January. They will also receive their playing shirts in a presentation by President Michael Cant at training on Thursday 15 December.
The club wishes them every success in their endeavour, and it is to be hoped they will again be as competitive as recent Stags Greenies teams.
Go the Stags!
Bob Thomas
