By David Nagel
It’s a first-class window seat to the future viewing of Australian cricket.
The U19 National Championships are currently being held in Albury, New South Wales, and three players with close ties to either the DDCA or Casey South-Melbourne Cricket Club are representing their state.
Vic Country is captained by former Narre South junior Harkirat Bajwa, a right-arm off-spinner with enormous potential who has already represented Australia as an underage product at last year’s U19 World Cup.
Bajwa has played first XI cricket this season for the powerful Melbourne Cricket Club.
Harry Hoekstra is a tall left-arm opening bowler from Koonwarra-Leongatha RSL, who is currently developing his talent on the prosperous turf of Casey Fields.
And Liam O’Connor is a big-spinning leggie from Berwick who has played most of his cricket this season alongside Hoekstra in the second XI at Casey.
He is no stranger to cricket at the elite level, having been in the system for five years.
“I’ve been playing for Victoria since I was 14, in the under-15 carnival, and if you do well enough your name just hangs around the system,” he said.
“I did 17s, and now this is my second year doing 19s.
“I’m a leg-spinner, and do a bit of pinch-hitting down the order.
“I’d say I’m a pretty big turner of the ball, and pretty consistent, I guess they’re my main two strengths I rely on.”
Like most young leggies of his age, O’Connor was inspired to learn the craft after watching videos of the late-great Shane Warne, while Warne-understudy Stuart MacGill is another to provide inspiration.
O’Connor has a full arsenal to call on, apart from one remaining trick to add to his kit-bag.
“I’ve got the leggie, the wrong-un, the top-spinner that goes straight, and I’m working on the flipper, but that’s a work in progress,” he said.
“I have a spin coach, Brian Keogh, he bowled the flipper a little bit when he played at Casey, so I’ve got some advice from him, but yeah, nobody else really bowls it.
“I just watch YouTube clips of Warney, watching what he did, and pretty much just try to copy that.”
While he has been in the system for five years, O’Connor acknowledges that the challenges have increased through the age groups.
He is now playing with and against young men that are almost out of their teens.
“It’s very competitive now, because there are a few boys across the carnival that have played for Australia Under 19s and now starting to play Sheffield Shield and various comps for their state,” he explained.
“It’s always been challenging, 15s through to 19s, but definitely the last two years have been the toughest due to the development of everyone.
“There are some very good cricketers floating around; it’s a different beast now we’re in the 19s.”
One of those increased challenges is handling the express pace of opposition attacks.
“In 15s, I think the quickest someone was bowling was 132 clicks, and now you’ve got opening bowlers that are reaching mid 140’s; they’re quick, very quick…lucky I don’t have to face them,” he says with a chuckle.
“The conditions have been pretty good; they’ve done a bit early, but flattened out, and the team batting second has had pretty good decks to bat on.”
Vic Country had lost three of its four matches at time of going to press, with a victory over Vic Metro in round two the only success after an early loss to New South Wales Metro, and subsequent defeats at the hands of Tasmania and South Australia.
O’Connor and his teammates face New South Wales Country in the first round of finals on Wednesday (December 6), with the carnival to conclude a day later.
The Berwick youngster said it was impossible to ignore the other leg-spinners at the carnival.
“Henry Edwards from Bendigo is in our team, and Vic Metro has three leggies, so I guess there’s five of us from Victoria all competing; all of us want to be the best,” he said.
“When you’re playing other states it’s hard not to notice the other leggies, I just try to learn from them, and I guess they’re doing the same with me.
“It’s a challenging environment…but that’s cricket at this level.
“I’m loving it; I’m not as nervous as I once was, but the nerves are still there taking on the best.
“In five years’, time, I can say I bowled to ‘so-and-so’, and now he’s playing for Australia, so it’s pretty cool.
“The dream is there myself…I’ll keep working hard, see where the journey takes me, and go as far as I can.”
O’Connor thanked his spin-coach Keogh, and best-mate and Casey South Melbourne star Harrish Kannan, for having the biggest impact on his burgeoning cricket career.
Cricket Australia will select a national squad at the end of the carnival, with a final team to then be selected to play at the U19 World Cup in South Africa in February 2024.
