Northern Territory Under 17 Male Development Squad

The annual Cricket Australia Underage Championships (U17s and U19s Boys) provide Northern Territory cricketers with an opportunity to test themselves at the highest level of pathways cricket in Australia, often proving an important national platform for our most talented players to showcase their skills and talent.  

Many of the Northern Territories best male cricketers have represented the NT at U17 level including D’Arcy Short, Jake Weatherald, Tom Andrews, and in more recent years the likes of Michael Kudra, Nicholas Fleming and notably Tom Menzies who went on to earn selection for an U19 Australia Tour of the UK.  

The Development Squad contains a number of exciting young prospects who have been shining in the Darwin and Districts Cricket Competition, including Southern Districts bowling duo Matthew St Clair (16yrs) and Sam Barker (16yrs) who have both had a taste of Premier Grade Cricket this season.  

Also included in the squad, batting prospect Ralph Stephens (15yrs, Darwin Cricket Club) who has been scoring runs in Senior Cricket and exciting Gloveman Cadell McMahon (16yrs, Palmerston Cricket Club) after a successful 2023 Under 17’s National Championships where he took 17 Dismissals. 

The Development Squad will be coached by Greg Turner who has recently moved to the Northern Territory and comes with an education background and wealth of leadership and coaching experience across both Cricket and Australian Rules Football.  

A former WACA Cricket Manager and current Level 2 Representative Coach, Turner played 233 games for Melville Cricket Club (MCC) in WACA Premier Cricket while also undertaking a number of coaching positions including MCC Director of Cricket, Coaching Coordinator and Head Coach of WAs Intellectually Disabled Cricket Team.  

Greg Turner has expressed his excitement to work with the young Territory talent in the Top End. 

"I'm excited about the journey ahead with what looks to be a talented squad. 

"We are looking to build a high-performance program with a dedicated and professional team to give this group the best chance to not only achieve success at the Junior Strike League, Interstate Challenge and Multicultural Cup but ultimately the National Championships". 

The Development Squad will train at DXC Arena over the next 6-weeks before final teams are selected for multiple competitive opportunities including Junior Boys Strike League, Inter-State Challenge and Multicultural Cup which take place in Darwin in July, September and October respectively.  

Looking ahead to the Development Squad coming together in late May, NT Cricket Coach Development Specialist Dylan Slater said:  

"The squad has come together nicely and it's great to see our young players getting the opportunity to play good Senior Cricket and performing.

"The Under 19’s Superclub competition is also proving a great pathway for our cricketers to play the best cricket within their age group, in addition to a number of these boys being involved in the DDCC T20 Competition". 

Northern Territory Under 17 Male Squad 

(R) Denotes Reserve Player 

Note: The 15-Player Development Squad and 4 Reserves were selected by former NT Cricket Head of Cricket Darren Treumer and NT Cricket Coach Development Specialist Dylan Slater. Selection was based on a number of considerations including but not limited to (1) Performances in Darwin and Districts Cricket Competitions; (2) Selection and Performances in Senior Cricket Grades (i.e. A Grade, B-Grade, C-Grade) and Under 19s Superclub Grade.  

There are also a number of highly talented players from Alice Springs vying for selection in the final NT Teams selected for the following competitions and events.  

Northern Territory Under 17 Male Competitive Opportunities 

Junior Strike League 

The Junior Strike League will be held at DXC Arena, Darwin between 1 – 5 July and see an NT U17 Male Team compete against several schools and academies from Victoria and South Australia in a mix of 40 Over and T20 cricket.  

Inter-State Challenge 

Adelaide’s Scotch College will again travel to Darwin to take part in the 4th edition of the Inter-State Challenge Series, competing against an NT U17 Male Team between 28 September – 6 October. The Inter-State Challenge provides NT players an invaluable final competitive hit out in the off-season ‘build-up’ (lead in to wet season) and ahead of the Cricket Australia National Championships.  

Multicultural Cup  

The Northern Territory Cricket Multicultural Cup, which promotes and celebrates unity through cricket, will be played across three weekends in October (4-6, 11-13 and 18-20) at several locations around Darwin. An U17 Male Team will compete against 11 local teams representing nations across the globe and showcasing NT’s rich tapestry of multicultural communities.  

Cricket Australia Under 17 Male National Championships  

Further announcements and information will be communicated by Cricket Australia in due course, but the event is expected to take place in January 2025.