Family cricket leads youngster to rep selection

READY: Cricketer Liam Burling, 15, of Masterton, has been selected for the Central Districts under-17 team. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA.

Summers of backyard cricket with brother Caleb and father Warren paid off for young Masterton sports star Liam Burling when he was selected for the Central Districts under-17 team.

Burling, 15, has played cricket since he was 9, initially because it was an activity he could enjoy with all his mates.

Since then he has taken to the game and worked hard at it, making the Rathkeale College 1st XI in Year 9, working his way through the Wairarapa rep teams before his selection for Central Districts.

A batter at heart, Burling enjoys the longer format of the game and grinding out an innings behind the crease, although he also practices hard at fielding in the slips.

As captain of the Wairarapa under-17 rep side, Burling has had the added pressure of setting an example for his team.

"You have always got to be thinking, always got to be in the game and dealing with the pressure. I like to lead by my actions," Burling said.

Leading up to the tournament in Wellington for the Central Districts team, which includes three two-day matches and two one-day games, Burling has been training up to five times a week including two sessions of batting in the nets when he isn't training for club or reps.

"I have been working really hard and I'm feeling prepared," Burling said.

The player he would most like to emulate is New Zealand's Ross Taylor, whose hometown is Masterton.

"I really like his batting style, he plays freely," Burling said.

Plans for the future include aiming for a cricket scholarship at the University of Canterbury where he wants to do a Physical Education degree.

Being involved in cricket is where his passion lies.

"I want to go somewhere in cricket. I would love to make a career out of playing but I want to be involved somehow. I could see myself coaching."

He thanked coaches Sammy Curtis and Steve Coleman, uncle Mark Childs and his father for their help in his development.