By RUSSELL BENNETT
WHILE Kooweerup has continued its reign atop the WGCA’s senior Premier competition, a group of prodigiously gifted Demons’ youngsters has achieved the remarkable – going through their season undefeated.
The Kooweerup Blue Under-13 Premier side took all before it, bookending its season with a pair of big wins over Upper Beaconsfield.
Young star Mitch Cammarano finished fourth in Kooweerup’s runs tally (including seniors and juniors) with 440 runs at an average of 110. He scored 317 runs in the under-13s, and was not out 10 times from 11 innings – finishing with an average of 317. He also finished in the top seven of the club’s wicket takers with 21 at just 6.71.
But Mitch’s uncle Andrew, the coach of the Demons’ Under-13 Premier side, said the group always played as a team and never a bunch of individuals.
Seven Kooweerup batsmen scored over 100 runs for the Under-13 season. Grand final man of the match Jai Lewis scored 166 runs for the season, with the spinner also taking 15 wickets with best bowling figures of 4/0.
All told, nine Kooweerup bowlers went for under three runs per over for the 2014/15 campaign. Archie Whitta took six wickets, which included a hat-trick against Gembrook in Round 4, while Luke Glassborow took huge strides forward in his debut season of organised cricket.
Andrew admitted to occasionally feeling the pressure as the coach of an undefeated junior side, with a restless night’s sleep after day one of the semi-final against Clyde. But in true team fashion, the Demons advanced the following day to the decider.
Kooweerup Cricket Club had its presentation day on Sunday – celebrating the seasons of both the juniors and the seniors in the one function; a real sign of club unity. Fittingly, the Under-13 Blue players were presented just before their senior Premier grade heroes.
Demons patriarch Ron ‘Pommy’ Bright was made a life member of the club, admitting Sunday’s tribute could well have been the first time he had ever been speechless.
