Blacktown boys share U19s batting spoils

Two Blacktown boys had big smiles on their faces when they walked out to inspect the wicket at the Riverside Ground in Durham on day two of Australia’s Under-19s youth Test against England.

Jordan Gauci and Jake Doran not only both hail from the west of Sydney, they also attended school together at Hills Sports High School – albeit in different years – and on Tuesday, they dominated day one of the ‘young Ashes’ with twin centuries to set up a commanding first innings total of 446.

Australia Under-19s skipper Doran is a senior statesman in the underage team and already a familiar name for Australian cricket aficionados, after playing against the senior England team as a 16-year-old for a Chairman's XI in early 2014 and signing a long-term deal with Tasmania earlier this year.

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But Gauci is very much the new kid on the block – he only turned 17 in late June – and says his selection for the Under-19s tour came as "a very big surprise".

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Doran raises his bat // Getty Images

"I'm the first member of my family to play cricket," Gauci said.

"My dad just signed me up, I gave it a go, and I've enjoyed it ever since.

"I played in the Under-17s National Championships for New South Wales last year and it's a great privilege to be in this squad and get a game like this. It's very exciting.

"It's great to play here at this ground. I was very nervous at the start waiting to bat but once I got out there and started getting into things it was a good experience.

"I haven't had too much overseas experience, just went to Sri Lanka once when I was young. It was a little bit different. I thought the pitch was good for batting though. It was a little bit slow but not too dissimilar."

When it came putting aside the nerves against England Under-19s in Durham on Tuesday, having a familiar face around in the form of Doran helped.

"Playing for Blacktown in district cricket, we did have a bit of a connection,” Gauci said.

"We used to go to school together, the Hill Sports High School. He's always played the age group above me, but we've known each other for a while."

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Jake Doran plays a shot on his way to a century against England // Getty Images

Graeme Hick, the former England batsman who is coaching the Australia squad, revealed Gauci had been understandably nervous in the early stages of the tour, and the young batsman’s form in the nets had been "a bit average, by his own admission”.

"But he went out to the middle and produced where it really matters. I thought he played beautifully," Hick said.

Hick identified Phil Jaques, who recently left the NSW set-up to coach the Queensland Bulls, as an influence on Gauci's development. 

"We're only just getting to know him but he seems a lovely kid," Hick said.

"Phil Jaques had mentioned his name previous to this because he had worked with him in the NSW under-15s coming through, so he was on the radar.

"He was a little bit nervous being new to the group, really quiet which was understandable.

"I'm really pleased for him, to come away like this and score a century in your first knock is great. I spoke to him again this morning and he's got a smile on his face, he feels pretty good."

Scoring runs is not the only task on Gauci’s plate in England.

Like several other members of the Under-19s squad, the batsman is juggling high school with cricket and as such, has brought some homework with him as he prepares for his HSC.

"I've got some big exams coming up later this month, so I've been trying to do some work while I'm over here," he said.

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