Diamond in rough
Jamieson puts on Bright showing
IT was the marathon spell that turned heads — 23 overs, 12 maidens, 3-25.
Toiling away for the Bright Wanderers in the Wangaratta & District Cricket Association, fast bowler Kieran Jamieson had no idea his name was about to be put up in lights.
“I played well in one of the finals against Benalla and Trevor Saker, the brother of Australia’s assistant coach David Saker, was playing,” said Jamieson, who today will make his Premier cricket debut for Geelong.
“I bowled against Trevor for a lot of the day and he came up to me at the end of the game and said he was impressed with what he saw.
“A couple of weeks later I got a call from a regional talent scout and he invited me to the Diamonds in the Bush. I went to the training day and Andrew McDonald was the coach and I think he liked what he saw as well.
“He asked me where I was playing that year and I said ‘I don’t know’ and he said ‘don’t sign anywhere and I’ll try and get you at a district club’.
“Two weeks later I got a call from ‘ Borra’ (Geelong coach Andre Borovec).”
Jamieson was immediately included in the Cats’ Finch Squad for talented emerging players and later lobbed on the doorstep of Kardinia Park.
“I was already living in Melbourne for uni,” Jamieson revealed
“In the summer I head home to Bright to work and play cricket, but I decided to go into the Finch Squad in September.
“I was meeting with a few subdistrict and VTCA clubs, so I was putting the feelers out in the Melbourne cricket scene.
“I also received a phone call from Footscray and I trained there a couple of times, but I was keen to play at Geelong.
“I messaged Borra a week or two after the initial phone call and said I would come down and train.
“Geelong have been really accommodating with my uni and travel commitments. They’ve made me feel right at home and that swayed my vote. I also thought I’d have better opportunities at Geelong.”
Bending his back for more than two months in the preseason, Jamieson was rewarded on Tuesday night with selection in the Cats’ first XI.
But it came as a complete surprise to the 21-year-old.
“I was thinking of playing thirds, maybe seconds, so I’m stoked, really stoked.”
Jamieson is a strong chance to take the new ball, with quick Jake Reed ruled out through injury. “It’s exciting,” he said.