IT is not easy to play at your best against the top junior talent in the country, but a pair of Limestone Coast cricketing prodigies made their mark on the national stage last week.
Mount Gambier youngsters Hamish Case and Kaidyn Weber represented South Australia at the 2019-20 Under 15 National Cricket Championships in Ballarat and shined brightly.
Case was the state’s leading scorer at the competition with 167 runs, while he also contributed with the ball to take six wickets.
Weber also impressed with bat in hand, compiling 159 runs at an average of 39.8.
Both Limestone Coast players scored half centuries in the six-game carnival, which caught the eye of South Australian coach Steven Tubb.
“I thought they played terrifically well and performed on their given day,” he said.
“They both scored half centuries in games that we won, which was outstanding.
“Both innings gave us an opportunity to defend a score around 200, which in a one-day tournament is really important.
“It is not just about how many runs you score, but when you make runs and both the boys played match-winning performances.”
Tubb said both Case and Weber have strong attributes at their respective roles at number three and five in the order.
“I think they are both different types of players,” he said.
“Weber can come in the middle and score quickly.
“He has the ability to play spin really well and find the boundary in the middle part of the innings.
“Meanwhile, Hamish is more of a top-order player, who has a solid technique and stands up really well to fast bowling.
“He has the ability to bat for long periods of time, which you do not see a lot in young men.”
It is that sort of feedback which inspired Case to perform at the national competition.
Despite describing the tournament as initially “overwhelming”, the youngster said encouraging support from the coaching staff gave him the belief to score 45, 37 and 75 runs in his final three innings.
“In the first two games, both the coaches said back your own game because that was the reason I was picked,” Case said.
“They gave me confidence which helped me to score those runs.”
It was not the first time Case had represented the state, after he played at the Under 12 championships back in 2017-18.
Looking back, Case said his game received a more vigorous test at the Under 15 level.
“It was a lot more competitive than three years ago,” he said.
“You are facing faster bowlers who sharpen your footwork up a lot more, while batsmen would hit your good balls for four, so you had to be on your game no matter what.”
After returning back to his home club Yahl, Case smashed a century in last weekend’s B Grade semi-final against Kalangadoo.
It was not the young talent’s maiden ton, after his first was scored in Adelaide for Tee Tree Gully.
However, Case said his latest milestone was extra special with family and friends surrounding him on and off the field.
“Obviously it was good to score a century playing at home and being with my mates,” Case said.
“I was batting with my uncle for a fair bit of it so that was a great feeling.”
