Having represented Victoria at the under-13 national cricket championships, Bacchus Marsh’s Jack Lalor has had to wait a while to get a second crack.
The now 17-year-old will get his second chance, representing Victoria Country at the under-19 national championships starting next week in Adelaide.
Lalor is thrilled about getting another opportunity to represent his state at a national level. He said his return to the representative side coincided with a fortuitous growth spurt.
“I reckon I’ve grown a bit,” he said. “I was a late grower.”
He said that until recently, most of the opponents he was facing were bigger and he couldn’t hit the ball as hard.
“Now I’ve caught up, I’m performing better with the bat and the ball,” he said.
He said he was expecting to bat at No.6, while doing some bowling when required.
Lalor will be joined in the side by some familiar faces, as he is one of five Central Highlands cricketers selected.
The others are Blake Thomson, Matthew Underwood, Tom Rogers and Matthew Milne. All five were part of the Central Highlands team that finished runner-up at the under-18 state championships earlier this year.
Lalor was last week named in the Central Highlands team to compete at the state championships in January.
“I’ve played with them since I was 14,” he said. “It’s awesome. Everyone knows each others’ game and you have that trust on and off the field.”
Lalor has just started his second season playing with Victorian Premier Cricket side Northcote, having made the move from playing with Bacchus Marsh in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association. He started with the Bulls in under-10s before working his way up to play in the first XI at the age of 15, playing along side his dad, Peter.
The extra training load and playing against the best players in the state at premier level is something in which Lalor is revelling.
“I’m a bit more of a batsman at Northcote,” he said. “It’s been good and the training has been a lot more intense. If you want to be a better player, you need to take that step.
“This season, I started in the ones before I hurt my ankle. It was pretty surreal to play against state players like Travis Dean and Ian Holland. I aspire to be like them.”
Lalor said that in the longer term, he would love to play cricket for a living, but for now he would be focusing on performing at the national championships.
“To play well there is the first step and then I’ll set goals following that,” he said.
