Cricket: Proud moment for Cornwall Cricket Club as six youngsters from one team make Hawke's Bay Under-14 boys' squad

The future of Cornwall Cricket Club in Hastings is in good hands; seven schoolboys have been selected to represent their province in one team this summer.

However, it's highly unlikely the Hawke's Bay under-14 boys' representative cricket team will play against their Manawatu counterparts at Ongley Park, Palmerston North, tomorrow because of rain.

Cornwall age-group coach Brent Greville says it's a proud moment for the club after Pritpal Singh, Rogan Ross, Josh Fairbrother, Jed Greville, Ryan Miller and Joban Bath made the cut to the Bay squad of 14 as members of his year 8-9 colts outfit.
Hamish James is a year 8 Cornwall club grade player.

"I'm just really pleased for the club, really, because it's a sign of strength for the junior club," Greville says.

"They have the attitude to go with a bit of patience during practice and they play well."

For the schoolboys, all the little things go a long way to making them tick.

"We're just all encouraging each other and training is really hard," Miller says, when asked why they seem to be thriving as a team.

Coach Greville, he says, gives everyone a go.

Miller, 13, who is in his first year at Havelock North High School, is a No 3/No 4 left-handed batsman who can bowl and was in the Bay under-13s last season.

Singh is a swing merchant, Bath and Ross are allrounders, Fairbrother is an opening batsman, Greville is a new-ball bowler and James is a legspinner who will offer Bay U14s skipper James Rawnsley, of Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB), myriad options to eke out wins.

Big Barrel NTOB premier men's club cricketer, Indika Senarathne, is the Bay U14 coach.
Miller says having fun under Cornwall captain Brendon Roberts, is an integral part of their rapport and success on the park.

"I started playing in year 5 with Milo cricket in school. I just loved smashing the ball," says the former Te Mata School pupil.

Jed Greville, a right-arm fast/medium bowler, says his Cornwall teammates often keep other on their toes.

"We have more of a competition on who can bowl each other out at training," says the 14-year-old Hastings Boys' High School First XI cricketer.

That familiarity also means they feed off each other's strengths and weaknesses on the park as a unit come game time.

The Cornwall boys also know fellow Bay U14 teammates as rival club players in the age-group Superleague competition on Sundays as well as schools.

Like Miller, Greville's love for the game began as a Milo cricketer at Clive School.

For the teenager, there's the fantasy goal and a realistic one.

"My dream is to probably play in the IPL," he says. "My realistic dream is to make CD [Stags]."

His father coaching is a "good and bad thing".

"The good part is you get to bat first at training and stuff like that.

"The bad part will probably be when you're bowling lbws they're not given as usual," he says.

After his first training session with Senarathne on Wednesday, Greville is excited.

"He seems to know what he's talking about," he says, revealing the Sri Lankan employs aggressive batting and bowling tactics.

Dale Smidt and Dave Castle were his Bay rep coaches last season.