Twenty-year-old Wests bowler Tom Allen will make his Bush Blues debut at the Australian Country Championships in Wollongong in January.
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Allen was one of four Newcastle players named in the 14-person NSW Country squad on Monday, joining incumbents Nick Foster (Stockton) and Joe Price (Wests) as well as recalled Pat Darwen (Merewether).
Allen and Riverina’s Jarryd Hatton were the two under-23 players selected, which this season became a Cricket Australia requirement for all states.
Central North skipper Tom Groth is again the wicketkeeper while former Merewether, Cardiff and Wyong all-rounder Kaine Harmsworth also made it.
Tamworth’s Jeff Cook, who played at Cardiff last summer, will coach the side
The team announcement was made after the weekend’s NSW Country Championship final with Western easily accounting for Central Coast by seven wickets at Ourimbah.
Newcastle were unable to defend their crown after finishing fractionally behind Central Coast on the overall standings in the group stage at Narrabri a fortnight ago.
The nine-day national carnival starts on January 3.
NSW COUNTRY: Peter Gallichan (Central Coast), Tom Allen (Newc), Djali Bloomfield (Sth ACT), Pat Darwen (Newc), Nick Foster (Newc), Keiran Gray (Sth ACT), Tom Groth (Central North), Kaine Harmsworth (Central Coast), Jarryd Hatton (Riverina), Ben Mitchell (Sth ACT), Jordan Moran (Western), Jonathan Nicoll (Riverina), Joe Price (Newc), Cameron Suidgeest (Sth ACT).
