Thirteen boys from Catholic College Sale will descend upon Bendigo’s cricket grounds next week to compete in the 48th Australasian Marist Cricket Carnival.
Catholic College Sale has been a long-standing participant in the Australasian Marist Cricket Carnival, joining the fold in the second official carnival in 1975, and taking home its first championship in 1989.
After a two-year hiatus, 13 boys join the list of 357 Catholic College Sale Marist Cricket representatives since the carnival’s inception, as they compete for the championship in the 48th Australasian Marist Cricket Carnival in Bendigo from December 4 to 9.
Catholic College Sale will play four 50-over games across the week, facing the likes of Notre Dame College Shepperton, Marcellin College Bulleen, Lavalla Catholic College, Traralgon, St Joseph’s Hunter’s Hill and Marist College Bendigo.
Captaining Catholic College Sale is Year 11 student Jay Diamond, supported by Year 10 students Hayden Wrigglesworth and Ashton Wright as vice-captains.
Head coach Chris Smart, assistant coach Danny Butcher, and team manager Jamie Murphy, comprise Catholic College Sale’s coaching team.
“It’s definitely very exciting, especially for these boys who have missed the last couple of years,” Smart said.
“Just the work they have been putting in, with our training sessions, it’s not really about developing. They already have the skill level. It’s building the team environment, getting everyone a bit closer, working on their skills as a team and trying to develop that team role.”
Despite rain impacting training in the lead-up to the carnival, team captain Diamond says his side and coaches have actively adjusted plans to ensure training goes ahead.
“We’ve had a lot of rain on nights we were meant to come down to the ovals, which restricted us a little bit, but we had the stadium and that available, so we were able to be still training together as a team,” he said.
“Which was good because Smarty (Chirs Smart) and Butch (Danny Butcher) say a lot of other teams would have just called it that night and not had anything, but we still kept together.”
Catholic College Sale will pay close attention to St Joseph’s in Hunter’s Hill, New South Wales and Marcellin College in Bulleen, Melbourne, with Sale’s leadership team pinpointing the teams as strong contenders.
In the last Marist Cricket Carnival, held in Woodlawn, New South Wales, in 2019, Catholic College Sale placed third.
With Sale’s most recent championship won in Lismore in 2006, this year’s team is determined to exercise their strengths and bring home the school’s seventh championship title.
“Being a smaller school, amongst a lot of bigger area schools, we probably know each other a lot more and play against each other a lot more on the weekends and stuff, so we really know each other’s strengths and weaknesses on the field,” Diamond said.
As Catholic College Sale warmed up for their practice match against Lavalla Catholic College last Monday, their on-field and off-field collaboration and communication was undeniable.
Will it be enough to set Sale above the rest and claim the championship?
