BENDIGO is strongly represented in the Victorian Country under-19 squad for a cricket tournament later this month.
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Paceman Xavier Crone (Strathfieldsaye), hard-hitting batsman Brayden Stepien (White Hills) and leg-spinner Liam Bowe (Sandhurst) have all been included in the squad of 12.
Also earning a berth in the squad is Prahran’s Ryan Hartley, who first played senior cricket in the Bendigo District Cricket Association at Huntly-North Epsom.
Victoria Country will play in a tournament against Victoria Metro and an under-19 Academy team and under-20 Academy Invitation team at Barooga from September 21 to 24.
Crone’s spot in the squad follows his recent selection in the inaugural Australian Cricket Pathway Rookie Squad.
Crone – who has aligned himself with Premier Cricket Club Carlton – took 20 wickets for Strathfieldsaye’s first XI team last season.
Stepien is making the move to Carlton this season. The hard-hitting left-handed batsman smacked 463 runs for White Hills last summer and was a key member of the BDCA’s Melbourne Country Week team.
Bowe was Sandhurst’s leading wicket-taker last season with 30, while Hartley played a mix of seconds and thirds for Prahran last summer, where his top score was 59.
Victoria Country under-19 squad: Liam Bowe, Xavier Crone, Ryan Hartley, Nick King, Rhiley Lau, Tom Le Lievre, Jacob McKenzie, Adam McMaster, Jackson Mockett, Brayden Stepien, Blake Thomson, Matthew Underwood.