By RUSSELL BENNETT
IT’S ridiculous just how much sporting talent can be in one family. It’s almost impossible to find a footy league or cricket association throughout West Gippsland that the Serong surname doesn’t feature in.
Caleb Serong – cousin of Upper Beaconsfield wicket-keeper batsman Jake – is still just 14-years-old but is showing signs of starring both on the cricket pitch and footy field for years to come.
He belted the winning runs for Victoria against arch enemy New South Wales last year in the School Sports Australia national championships in Bendigo, and has this season backed that up with starring roles in the Gippsland Junior Country Week carnival and the Victorian State Championships.
Caleb captained the under-14 Warragul side in the Region 7 (Gippsland) junior country cricket carnival in Traralgon, and led from the front – he was the competition’s leading run-scorer with 222. He also nearly topped the wicket tally with 10.
After a week’s break, he captained the Gippsland Pride team in the State Championships.
“Over the first three days I got myself out,” he explained.
“On the first day I made nine and I hit a full-toss straight to point.
“On the second day I made 20-something, nine again on the third day and then on the fourth day on a really quick Casey Fields ground I made 80.
“That was a good day – it was our first win for Gippsland. On the last day we lost by about three runs off the last ball and I made 42 – I just had to really dig in.”
Caleb admits that he needs to improve his concentration at the crease at times. He seems to have an uncanny knack of finding ways to get out – like being run out recently off a no ball – a high full toss. But he’s got all the shots and is clearly one hell of a leader.
He’s already playing A Grade for Hallora, and on the club’s turf wicket he gets an amazing grounding in the sport at a young age.
But then there’s his footy as well – he plays for the Warragul Colts and is also part of the Gippsland Power’s under-15 system.
At Hallora, Caleb is mentored by the club’s A-Grade skipper Fraser Duncan and English import Laurence Scott.
And at the under-14 level for the club, there are three other Serongs – Jai, Jonah and Liam – that Caleb skippers.
For the record, he is averaging 42 overall with the willow this season in the WDCA, and 128 at junior level – having retired not out six times. The promising seamer has also taken 29 wickets at 12.
