HORSHAM and Wimmera-Mallee Cricket Association teams have impressed with their performances at the under-13 Portland country week carnival this week.
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The Horsham side won two of its three pool games before struggling with the bat against Warrnambool Gold in a qualifying final on Wednesday which saw it finish sixth overall.
Coach Chris Hopper said he could see the side improve throughout the week.
“The team bonded throughout the carnival and the players certainly learnt how to play in different situations as well – they are the two things you really want them to get out of it,” he said.
“I was impressed with all the kids and the way they came together showed in how they played.”
Hopper said the final score sheet might have looked ugly on Wednesday but he felt his side was still competitive.
“We bowled really well and had them 7-40 at one stage but we just had a bad four-over period,” he said.
Hopper said that taking all the country week cricket played over the past fortnight indicated the Horsham association was much better placed than it was a decade ago.
“It has been a magnificent turnaround to be as competitive as we were in both the under-15s and under-13s,” he said.
“When they go away to carnivals and they can see they are right in it that helps keep them in the game of cricket as well.”
The Wimmera-Mallee side made it all the way to the semi-final after winning all three of its pool games but it was a difficult loss against Warrnambool Blue on Wednesday.
The side made 67 from its 25 overs before being overrun in the 18th over.
Coach Marc Adams said it was a great week.
“We said to them all week that we wanted them to step up a bit,” he said.
“We were having team meetings, had game plans and were implementing different tactics for different games and different bowlers.
“From here we hope they go back to club level where they will pass on what they have learnt to the next group.”
The new experiences throughout the week included many players playing on turf for the first time.
“At the start of the week they were all saying they didn’t like the turf,” he said.
“Then we played on a hard wicket on Tuesday morning and by that stage they thought that was the pits.”
It was also Adams’ first experience away with a country week side.
He said he had enjoyed it much more than he had anticipated.
“All the kids just responded so well to any instructions,” he said.
