Rep spot for Jonty
CRICKETING young gun Jonty Furnell has proven his all-round potential with bat, ball and gloves to be named in the Australian All-stars indoor cricket line-up.
He was joined in the representative ranks by teammates Riley Fryer and Elijah Smith, as the Townsville Wildcatz under-10s outfit came within an inch of claiming back-to-back state titles.
It was the loss of Furnell in the final, due to a concussion suffered in a collision with an opposition batsman, which turned the tide as rivals Strathpine secured a 15-run win in the decider. The rising star, named after South African cricketing legend Jonty Rhodes, finished on top of the rankings in the under-10 division scoring 157 runs in eight innings and taking eight wickets.
But it was his work behind the stumps that caught the attention of All-stars selectors after he showed a slick pair of hands across the three-day tournament at Townsville’s Wildcatz Indoor Sports.
Teammate Megan Borresen also earned a representative call-up, joining the Queensland Indoor Cricket under-14 girls development squad. It will be a chance for Borrenson to continue her development by learning from some of the best coaches in Australia at several development camps.
“She is a star in the making,” Townsville White coach Dylan Furnell said. “Her fielding just went to another level. She played most of the carnival in a position she had not trained in before but it didn’t stop her. She got some runouts and some catches.”
The under-10s were the only Townsville side to reach the grand finals of the tournament, and while they missed the ultimate goal of going back-to-back, Furnell could not hide his pride.
“They are a really good side filled with really good kids,” he said. “The kids were congratulated for the spirit in which they played the game and they presented themselves well.
“It is still a good result and a lot of these boys are still eligible for under-10s next year so they will be keen to avenge themselves and tackle the tournament again.”
The Townsville under-12s came within a whisker of reaching their grand final going down by six runs in the semi-final.