South Coast’s junior representative cricket teams have trailed slightly behind regional benchmarks in recent years, with Illawarra sides often dominating competitions. But South Coast Cricket’s General Development Officer (GDO), Trent Glover, is determined to change that.Glover has been involved with the South Coast District Cricket Association (DCA) for five years and stepped into the GDO role last year. He says there's plenty of potential to build on.“Since I’ve been involved, we’ve generally been a bit behind the benchmark for rep cricket,” Glover said. “That’s something myself and the other coaches are working hard to change. Our results haven’t been terrible, but there's definitely room for improvement.”In 2024, South Coast’s Under 18s won their inter-association competition, the Under 16s reached the final, the Under 14s struggled, and the Under 12s were winless. But Glover says recent signs are promising.“Just this past January, our Under 12s team won three out of five carnival games, so we’re seeing improvement. There’s momentum building, but we know we can do better.”To help raise the level of performance, Glover introduced a new head coach, Jack McDonald, a South Coast junior who also plays second grade for St George in the Sydney Premier Cricket competition - and rugby league for the Kiama Knights.“Jack’s young, enthusiastic, and the kids really relate to him,” said Glover. “He’s leading our winter development program. We’ve selected 20-player squads for the Under 12s, 14s, and 16s, and he’s already run two sessions. We’ve got three more to go before the season starts in mid-September.”South Coast representative teams in action. Source: Trent Glover“The goal is to expose more kids to the standards of rep cricket. We’ve got mixed ability levels - some are first-timers, some have been playing for years - but the idea is that everyone takes something away to improve their game and help lift the standard of both rep and club cricket.”The representative season begins in October, following the school holidays. The Under 12s, 14s, and 16s will compete against the five major cricketing associations across October and November, with the season concluding in January.Glover believes building more competitive rep teams will help retain young players in the sport.“I’ve seen participation numbers drop over the years - not just here, but across the country,” he said. “Exposure to rep cricket can help maintain kids' interest and excitement.”“If they have some success, it fuels their passion. They bring that energy back to their clubs, and that helps strengthen local competitions too. Cricket’s a tough sport - you fail more than you succeed - so if we can give them the tools and opportunities to grow, they’re more likely to stick with it.”In a significant development for 2025, South Coast has also entered Under 12 and Under 17 teams into the Sydney Youth Championships for the first time. Those competitions will run during October and November, offering another high-level platform for junior talent to test themselves.
