STRATHFIELDSAYE teenager Xavier Crone has been named in the inaugural Australian Cricket Pathway Rookie Squad.
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Crone, 17, is one of 52 young cricketers from across Australia to earn selection in the training program.
The players have been divided into gold, silver and bronze levels, with fast bowler Crone in the silver section.
Crone earned selection after impressing with the Victorian under-17 team at last year’s national championships.
“It all came out of the blue and it’s still a bit of a mystery for me,’’ Crone said on Monday.
“I’m still unsure what sort of training it will involve… it’s pretty exciting.”
Crone, a Year 12 student at Catholic College Bendigo, remains undecided about where he’ll play this summer.
He has aligned himself with Carlton in Melbourne Premier Cricket, but has not ruled out playing another first XI season with Strathfieldsaye.
“School is my first focus, so I want to focus on my exams before I concentrate too much on cricket,’’ Crone said.
“I’ve had plenty of cricket training over winter, which has been good... but school is more important for now.”
Crone, who took 20 wickets at an average of 19 for Strathfieldsaye’s first XI team last summer, is in the Victorian under-19 training squad for this year’s national carnival.
Crone’s Victorian under-17 team-mate Damon Egan, who started his junior cricket career in Bendigo with Sandhurst before moving to Melbourne, is also in the Australian Cricket Pathway Rookie Squad.