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Pucovski breaks U19 Champs runs record

The Vic Metro opener kept his stellar tournament going, following up his four straight tons with a half-century to smash a 22-year record

Victoria Metro captain Will Pucovski has broken a 22-year record and eclipsed the likes of Ricky Ponting after he continued his remarkable run-scoring rampage at the Under-19 National Championships in Adelaide.

Pucovski went into Vic Metro's quarter-final against rivals Victoria Country having peeled off four consecutive centuries.

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And while he couldn't reach an extraordinary five tons on the trot, the 18-year-old managed 69 off 87 balls to bring his tournament tally to 609 runs at 203.

The knock saw Pucovksi surpass Queenslander Jerry Cassell's 568 run-mark from the 1993-94 Under 19 National Championships, the previous most runs totalled at the junior carnival.

Incredibly, Pucovski still has two more games to play and looks on track to set a long-standing national record.

The right-hander made it four successive triple-figure totals on Sunday after crafting an unbeaten 120 against the Northern Territory.

It followed on from his three previous knocks of 139 not out against Queensland, 160 not out against South Australia and an even 100 against the Cricket Australia XI.

His lowest score of the carnival to-date was his 21 in Vic Metro's tournament-opener against Tasmania.

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Former Test skipper Ponting's highest tally at the tournament was 350 runs in 1992, while more recently, Australia one-day international batsman Travis Head managed 442 runs in the 2011-12 tournament.

The previous highest tally for Victoria in an U19 carnival was Dale Tormey's 424 runs in 2008-09, and current Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade holds the Tasmanian record, having struck 436 runs in 06-07 for his native state.

Former Western Australia and South Australia batsman Theo Doropolous holds WA's record with his 433 runs in 2002-03 while ex-Redback Mark Cosgrove has set the highest mark for SA, having notched 451 runs also in the 02-03 tournament.

After admitting on Sunday that only in his "wildest dreams" did he imagine his tournament playing out this way, Pucovski insisted his focus was chiefly on leading his side to the title.

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"It has been nice to get out in the middle and get amongst them," he said on Monday.

"I wasn't thinking about (the record) too much to be honest while I was (batting) out there."

"But obviously it's a huge honour to have broken the record."

"(Hopefully we can) get through to the final on Thursday if everything works out."

"If we play positive, good cricket, then I think we should be able to get there."

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