The Limestone Coast’s next generation of cricketing talent continues to make its mark on the big stage, with another strong week for the South East Junior Cricket Representative program.
Four local sides packed their bags and headed to Adelaide to take part in the 2026 SACA Representative Carnival, going head-to-head with the state’s best and showcasing the depth of talent coming through the region’s junior ranks.
The South East sent up an Under 12 and 14 side, as well as Under 16 Boys and Girls teams, who went up against other country zones including Fleurieu and Districts, Yorke Peninsula, Upper North and Mid North.
The Under 12s mixed their fortunes, winning one game and losing two to have them finish third in their pool.
The youngsters played a grand final against the other pool’s third placed team Upper North, making 98 with the bat first.
Raff Lawlor led the side in runs, scoring 29 off 26 balls while Angus McGregor made 21 off 29 balls.
With the ball, South East was able to shut down Upper North, having them all out for 88.
Lawlor took three wickets with Harry Goose and Zach Smart both claiming two.
Under 12 coach Ben Mules thought his side played well during the week with everyone doing their part.
“I think the team performed extremely well, it was a pretty even spread of contributors,” he said.
“Everyone had their moments, we came up against some good opposition but the boys more than held their own.”
Mules said captain Raff Lawlor led by example, which encouraged his teammates to play well.
“Everyone had their moments with the bat, ball and in the field but the obvious standout from our team was the captain Raff Lawlor,” he said.
“He topped the competition in runs, he kept well all week and then when we needed to win the final game we gave him the ball and he picked up the last three wickets to win us the final.”
The Under 14 Boys had a similar week to the Under 12s as they too finished third in their pool, winning one game and recording two defeats.
They played Yorke Peninsula in their third versus third grand final.
Yorke Peninsula won the toss and batted first, making a big score of 200 in 40 overs.
Parker Lamont and Tait Kidman both took two wickets in the innings.
Pacey Duldig also had a solid innings despite not getting a wicket as he bowled five overs, finishing with two maiden overs and an economy of 2.60.
The boys gave it their all with the bat but came up short in chasing the 200 run total as Yorke Peninsula got the side all out for 149.
Cooper Mott and Hugo Smart both made 28 runs with Pacey Duldig scoring 22 off 30.
Under 14 coach Mark Vandeleur was pleased with how his side competed.
“I was happy with how the lads went,” he said.
“We just needed to make a few more runs to be a bit more competitive in the other games that we lost, but I was overall pretty happy.”
Vandeleur thought all players did their part across the week with their performances consistent across the board.
“I thought it was reasonably consistent from most people,” he said.
“All the boys contributed and everyone in the side was very capable of batting and bowling and that’s why they were in the team.
“It was a good experience for them coming up against some pretty fast bowling and accurate bowling.
“Sometimes in their Saturday cricket, you get a few more loose balls but you just do not get many loose balls in that type of competition, which is a good test for them.”
The Under 16 Boys also finished third in their pool, notching up one win and two losses.
In their third versus third grand final, they played Yorke Peninsula with the South East bowling first.
Yorke Peninsula had a solid innings, making 115.
Thomas Richards had a great day with the ball, taking 3/9 in seven overs, along with bowling three maiden overs. Kobi Maxwell also had a nice day, taking 2/5 from three overs.
When it came time to bat, the side struggled to chase down Yorke Peninsula’s total, making only 80 runs.
Charlie Vandeleur led the side with 16 runs.
Heading into the week, Under 16 coach Matt Haase thought the side came together well despite being light on training.
“The boys gelled really well, the team was put together a bit quick and we did not get any lead up training due to players being away,” he said.
“So from where we were I was pretty happy with how they performed.”
Haase thought several players performed well across the week.
“Tom Richards was solid for us with the ball and bat in hand, Kobi Maxwell was pretty solid as an all rounder,” he said.
“Charlie Vandeleur, his bowling was very good for us, and probably the two keepers Harrison Tink and Sam Haase were clean behind the stumps.”
The Under 16 Girls had a successful week, finishing second in the carnival, with two wins and one loss.
The side was unlucky not to play all their games as their match with Barossa and Light was abandoned half way through, halting their chance of securing top spot.
The girls finished the carnival strong, winning their last match against Mid North.
The side batted first and made 107, with Anna Bald and Elise Hann both scoring 30 runs.
They kept the momentum going with the ball, holding Mid North to just 93 runs in 20 overs.
Anna Bald backed up her batting with another solid performance with ball in hand, taking two wickets.