By RUSSELL BENNETT
SOME people carry themselves with an air of false modesty. They know how talented they are; they just refuse to acknowledge it.
But often prodigiously talented youngsters just don’t seem to know how good they could be. They’re too busy constantly trying to improve on their performances, to go that one-step better each and every time they take to the field.
Pakenham Cricket Club teenage star Zac Chaplin belongs to the second category – it describes him perfectly.
This year, at just 16-years-of-age, could prove to be a defining one in his cricketing journey – a journey that saw him play his first Premier game in the 2011/12 season.
His build-up to the new season included a series of tryouts for the Victorian under-17 pathway program at the MCG – four sessions held over eight weeks forensically examining batting, bowling and fielding but also involving sports psychologists and nutritionists.
“It was a great experience just learning from all those coaches,” Chaplin said on Sunday from Jubilee Park in Frankston, where he was captaining the West Gippsland under-18 side against the best of the Mornington Peninsula.
He took a lot away from batting sessions in the nets, in which he was told to bat in tempos – tempo one, tempo two, and tempo three.
“They had three stages – batting against the new ball, the old ball and the really old ball,” he said.
“Tempo one at the start was all about leaving balls and blocking them.
“Two was looking to score, and three was getting along with it and finding the boundary.
“It was all about building an innings.”
But it’s with the ball in particular that Chaplin has really shone so far this season – recently taking a hat-trick against Beaconsfield in Round 3 of the West Gippsland Cricket Association’s (WGCA) Premier season.
At his age, he’s still growing and getting stronger week by week. Off-season gym work and footy commitments also helped add some extra speed and bounce to his seam bowling.
“We’ve got a new bloke to the club this season, Nathan Goodes, and he’s helped me out with actually how to bowl,” Chaplin said.
“In Premier I’ve got an off-side field so it’s just about keeping it outside off-stump and drawing batsmen into a bad shot and trying to be consistent.
“He’s helped a lot over the pre-season.”
Chaplin says he just concentrates on trying to hit the same spot ball after ball with just subtle variations.
“The first wicket I took (in the hat-trick) was bowled – it was just a straight yorker on off-stump and he missed it,” he said simply.
“The next one was leg-before and it just came back in – that was plumb.
“It was the end of the over then and at the start of the next one I bowled another yorker on the stumps and he played and missed at it too.”
Chaplin estimates he’d been on “five or six” hat-tricks in the past but never taken one.
“It was a weird feeling,” he explained.
“The boys got around me and they were more excited than I was.”
In addition to experienced recruit Goodes, Chaplin also looks up to the likes of vice-captain Jack Anning, Sean Gramc and skipper Jason Williams.
“It’s a young team and we all have similar interests so we all get along pretty easy,” Chaplin said.
“Jack has really stepped up with Dom injured and he started really young too.”
Chaplin relished the chance to lead the WGCA representative side on Sunday and it likely won’t be the last time.
“It’s good they all respect you,” he said of his team mates.
“I know most of them through things like interleague training and playing against them the past couple of years.
“We’re all mates.”
Back at club land, he’s still focussing on the little things.
“Opening the bowling the past couple of weeks has really got my confidence up, knowing the boys back your ability in things like that,” he said, with each Saturday starting with junior cricket and finishing with representing the Premier side.
“It’s a long day but you’ve just got to focus on your action and not being lazy – just trying to hit that spot.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m down on speed but it’s got to be in the right spot.”
