Menzies to Lead Under 19 Squad

Menzies (Darwin) will captain the squad, capping a stellar year for highly promising young quick who recently became the first Territorian to be selected in an Australian U19s Squad since Tom Andrews in 2014.

The NT Squad includes 8 local Northern Territory players, selected based on their performances in the local Darwin and Districts Cricket Competition (DDCC) and key NT Pathway tournaments and events such as the CDU Men’s Strike League, CDU Men’s Top End T20 Series, Junior Strike League and Challenge Series.

The NT Squad will also contain 6 Inter-State players from New South Wales and Victoria, a not uncommon consequence of the Territory’s small population but necessary this year to provide adequate squad depth and balance. 

Local top-order bat Zayden Lewis (Tracy Village) will act as vice-captain, while batting all-rounder Charlie Kemp (Darwin) returns for his second U19s Championships. Josh Gawthrope (Southern Districts), Nicholas Fleming (Nightcliff) and Charlie Bignell (Palmerston) will get their first taste of the U19 Championships, having represented the Northern Territory at U17s previously.

Clancy McCormick (Waratah) is the eldest player in the squad and will add some tactical leadership and experience. McCormick has had a bad run of luck with injuries and hasn’t represented the NT at National Championship level since the U15s back in 2020, however with a solid year of cricket under his belt at local and academy level, McCormick is primed to make an impact.    

Left-arm spinner Jayden Chatto (Palmerston) rounds out the local contingent, many of whom are currently playing cricket in the southern states in preparation for the championships.

The Squad will be coached by Udara Weerasinghe (Head Coach), Madura Weerasinghe (Assistant Coach) and Dylan Slater (Assistant Coach).

Udara is an experienced local Level 3 coach who is highly regarded and who has had a bumper 2023. Weerasinghe coached Waratah Cricket Club to the local T20 Title this year in a side that contained Jason Sangha, Jack Wood and Param Uppal, before leading the Senior Men’s NT Strike Team undefeated to the CDU Top End T20 Series Title, twice defeating the Pakistan Shaheens on the road to victory.

NT Cricket’s Head of Cricket Darren Treumer said he was excited about the opportunity the championships present.

“These tournaments are always a great challenge for our best young players. We have some very talented kids and I’m excited to see how they embrace it. 

“I think there is a real opportunity for Tom (Menzies) to showcase his ability and class at this level. I expect him to lead from the front and be a real handful for batters in Albury.

“We’ve also got a number of other guys who performed well during Cricket 365, someone like Zayden (Lewis) can take a lot of confidence out of how he competed with and against some elite players.

Treumer said he was also excited to see the continued development of the youngest member of the squad:

“Young Nicho Fleming has just turned 17. He’s a tall right arm medium fast bowler who can bat at the top of the order so it’s great to be able to give him an opportunity in this older age group before he heads away with the U17s early next year.”

Treumer also explained that while NT Cricket’s aim and intent is always to field a 100% Territory team, the reality is there are years where this is not possible.

“Our largest city in Darwin is the 17^th most populus city in Australia, so it should not be a surprise that the depth and extent of our playing talent in the Northern Territory will vary from year to year.

“To put it into context, much larger cities like Cairns, Geelong or Wollongong would not be able to field a complete home-grown and competitive side every year either.  

“Unfortunately, this year we also had some local players unavailable for selection due to work and study commitments.”

The 6 Inter-State players who just missed selection in their home states have subsequently been selected by NT Cricket in close consultation and collaboration with Cricket NSW, Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia High Performance staff Sonya Thompson (Head of National Development) and Lachlan Stevens (National Development Lead).

SQUAD

FIXTURES

Thursday 30 November V Victoria Metro 8:30am (ACST) Lavington #2 
Friday 1 December v NSW Country 8:30am (ACST) Martin Park 
Sunday 3 December v South Australia 8:30am (ACST) Rowen Park Recreation Reserve 
Monday 4 December v NSW Metro 8:30 am (ACST) Alexandra Park, Ian Barker Fields #1 

The full tournament fixtures can be found here. 

*Streaming details will be shared once available 

NOTES

• The NT U19s Male National Championship Squad was selected by Darren Treumer (NT Head of Cricket), Udara Weerasinghe (U19s NT Head Coach) and Dylan Slater (U17s and U19s NT Assistant Coach).
• Players have been selected based on performances in the Darwin and Districts Cricket Competition (DDCC), CDU Men’s Strike League, CDU Men’s Top T20 Series, Junior Strike League, Challenge Series and participation in the NT Academy Program.