Sport
10 January, 2025
'There's a power of talent'; HCA under-15s round out country week carnival
Coach Jade Clark reviews all of the action from Horsham.
Despite coming away from the Country Week carnival with one win, HCA under-13s coach Jade Clark was pleased with the outcome of the annual event.
Horsham finished with a tight four-run loss on Friday, January 10, after a loss to Mount Gambier on January 9.
They started the week with a win against Wimmera Mallee and defeats to Hamilton District Gold and Warrnambool Gold.
"I think the week has been reasonably successful. We probably just got a little bit lost there in the middle of it," Clark said.
"They've been in it; they just didn't quite know how to win."
However, Clark sees the amount of talent among the squad in the future.
"There's a power of talent in this side. They probably just didn't realise it until today [January 10]," he said.
"We spoke about this morning. They've just got to believe in themselves a little bit more."
Clark complemented the work of Callum Jackson, Chase Kannar and Hugh Miller across the week.
Jackson scored 102 runs across the carnival (with a top score of 46). He also added three wickets.
"I think Callum Jackson's been outstanding. He probably came into this side and was seen as a leg-spin bowler," Clark said.
"He's turned himself into a batsman really quick. The kid appears to have a lot of time when he's batting.
"He's got a bright future. I think he's worked out this week just to keep his head down when he's batting and just wait for the bad balls, and he's pretty good at putting them away."
Meanwhile, Kannar added 84 runs for the carnival with a top score of 36.
"He has been outstanding all week, and his desire and love for the game are second to none," Clark said of Kannar.
While for Miller, he did his damage with the ball in hand.
Miller added four wickets with best figures of 3/24 from eight overs.
He also added 28 runs with a top score of 24.
"His bowling has always been fantastic, and he just proved it again how good he is," Clark said.
"He gives it everything; I think it's a credit to the work that's been put in behind the scenes with his Dad over the years.
"He lives and breathes cricket, and his older brother's pretty successful. I think he's going to follow in his footsteps."