Western Australia have announced a 14-player squad for the upcoming Cricket Australia Under 19 National Male Championships to be held between 1-8 December in Perth.
MALAJCZUK TO LEAD WA IN UNDER 19 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The squad includes Simon Budge, Will Malajczuk and Zed Hollick fresh from representing the Australian Under 19s in the recently completed series against India.
WA won last year’s Championships in Adelaide, defeating Victoria Metro in a thrilling final. The title was WA’s first since 2016-17, a side which featured the likes of Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie.
Jordan Quiggin and Albert Esterhuysen, who played starring roles in last year’s title winning side, joined Budge in earning a contract for season 2025-26.
Five players from last year’s squad return for this year’s tournament, including Budge, Hollick and Malajczuk, as well as Adam Solomons and Wyatt Wilson.
Malajczuk, who was named in WA’s One-Day Cup squad for its first two matches earlier this season, will captain the Under 19 side in this year’s edition of the tournament.
The Subiaco-Floreat all-rounder is no stranger to leading a WA side, having captained the Under 17s last season.
Several squad members have also produced strong performances in WA Premier Cricket this season.
WA starts its campaign against New South Wales Metro at Cresswell Park on Monday 1 December.
WA Pathways Coach - Male Programs Brian Shields said he was excited about the squad assembled for this year's tournament.
“We believe we have plenty of talent to defend the title we won last year in Adelaide. The National Championships provide a great opportunity for our players to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience against players from other states around Australia.
“We saw the likes of Simon Budge, Albert Esterhuysen and Jordan Quiggin play an important role for the side last year and have gone on to join the WA men’s squad this season.
“We are incredibly excited to have Will lead the side this year. He’s had the invaluable experience already this season of being around the WA One-Day Cup squad and we believe he’s well equipped to be a strong leader of the side.
“Will and Simon also spent time around the Australian Test squad last week, which will be highly beneficial for their development as players and leaders.”