Wests-UC batsman Blake Macdonald has turned his attention to earning a first class berth after returning to the Cricket ACT Douglas Cup.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wests kick started their two-day campaign with a comprehensive win over ANU to round out the calendar year at Jamison Oval on Saturday.
ANU were left to pray for rain after a top order collapse erased any hope of victory in pursuit of Wests' 302, who are eyeing a sixth-straight Douglas Cup grand final.
Macdonald's return followed his selection in the team of the tournament at the under 19 national championships, where he averaged 44.71 with a top score of 155* for ACT/NSW Country.
Greg Chappell headed up the selection panel and says potential first class cricketers were first in line for the team.
"That's definitely a goal of mine, to play first class cricket," Macdonald said.
"There's a lot of hard work and a long way to go before you even consider getting anywhere near playing a Shield game.
"I think that's everyone's goal in the pathway to progress through and get a state contract and play first class cricket, and then see what you can do from there."
The team of the tournament is ceremonial with Australia's next under 19's assignment over four months away - by that stage Macdonald will be too old for that level.
It means Macdonald's main pathway lies in the Futures League with the ACT Comets, where he is averaging 24.67 with a top score of 45 from three games.
Macdonald's journey to the top starts with club cricket as Wests look to defend Cricket ACT's biggest prize.
"For me, scoring runs and winning games at club level and also at Futures League is what lies ahead for the rest of this season and going forward," Macdonald said.
Wests missed the boat for the one-day Gallop Cup grand final, with Tuggeranong and Weston Creek Molonglo set to battle it out in a day-night decider at Manuka Oval on Sunday.
If their Douglas Cup draw was anything to go by, the Gallop Cup grand final will be a battle of the bats.
Tuggeranong narrowly avoided defeat thanks largely to a 201-run stand between captain Shane Devoy (105) and Michael Barrington-Smith (96) for the fourth wicket.
While Tuggeranong forced Creek's bowlers to toil in the field for an entire day en route to 9-314, the hosts were just one wicket away from victory at stumps.
The two sides will meet in the Gallop Cup decider in a day-night clash at Manuka Oval on Sunday, having already met in the Twenty20 final in October.
Meanwhile, North Canberra-Gungahlin's hopes of a fightback against Ginninderra were drowned in 11.4 millimetres of rain that hit the nation's capital on Friday.
Chasing a mammoth 326, Norths were teetering at 2-13 after Ginninderra quick Cam Suidgeest tore through the home side's top order late on day one.
It was a similar story over the border with Queanbeyan young gun Mark Solway's 115 in vain after day two of the Bluebags' clash with Eastlake was washed out.
