Tara Murray
Hours of batting practice has paid off for Caroline Springs’ Farzan Chowna who has been named in the Victorian metro team for the under-19 national championships.
Having not made a state team since under-12s, the young batter has been putting hours of work in behind the scenes.
It has paid off, with Chowna to travel to Adelaide in December to play at the nationals.
Chowna said it was pretty good to get that recognition.
“It’s a good achievement and I get a lot of support wherever I go which is nice,” he said.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I bat for a couple of hours a day and I have good support with my family, they support me a lot.”
Chowna started his cricket at Caroline Springs and played with the club through to under-17s, before moving to Essendon to play Victorian Premier Cricket.
Despite having moved on from the Falcons, the club remains close to his heart.
“It’s hard to leave the local club that helped you in the early stages,” he said.
“I’m still in contact with Caroline Springs and they have given me a lot of support. I can call on them for anything.”
The move to Essendon proved to be the right one as he looked to take his cricket to the next level.
After making his premier debut in the 2018-19 season, Chowna made his first XI debut last season playing in 10 games.
He said they had really backed him in with the bat and gave him opportunities to get plenty of time at the crease.
“The last two to three years they’ve given me a lot of opportunities, I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me.
“They’ve looked after me and batted me in the top three or four most of the time there.
“James Seymour has given me a lot of support too.”
As well as Seymour, Harshad Dixit is another that has allowed Chowna to develop his skills.
He admits to batting for three to four hours a day and had a really strong pre-season heading into the premier cricket season.
“If you want to get to a higher level, you have to train at the level the players higher do.”
Chowna said he was looking forward to the national championships and said it would be a good learning experience.
He said he doesn’t take any expectations into the event.
“I want to bat well and help them win.”
