A big off season for Jordan Kight has paid off, with the Footscray cricketer selected for the Victoria Metro under-19 team for the National Championships.
Kight, who has been playing for the Bulldogs second XI, decided that it was either now or never to take his cricket to the next level.
A talented batsman, he knew that there was a lot more that he could show.
With that in mind, he set two targets for the 2017-18 cricket season. The first was to make the Victoria Metro team this year.
The hard work paid off with the Melton resident named for the championships which starts next week.
“I’ve done a few extra little sessions by myself and I’ve worked hard at training,” he said.
“I’ve done a bit of extra work and it’s pretty overwhelming.
“It’s good to see all the hard work pay off.”
It’s the first time the 19-year-old has earned selection in a Victoria under-age representative team.
He said he would sit down and set a goal for the national championships.
“I want to come out with a decent average,” he said. “I’ll set a goal soon of how many runs I want to make.”
Kight is the second member of his family to play for Victoria at the national championships.
Older brother Dylan, who is Footscray’s wicketkeeper, also played at under-19 level and Victoria’s future XI team.
Jordan got into the sport because of his older brothers.
“When I was five I started playing under-12s,” he said. “Both my brothers were playing and they needed fill-ins.”
Having achieved one of his pre-season goals, Kight is now focused on achieving his second, a Victoria Premier Cricket first IX debut.
Heading into last weekend’s matches, Kight was averaging just over 31 with the bat in the one-dayers and T20s.
“I want to play first XI cricket in the two-dayers,” he said.
“Speaking with the Footscray coach, he’s been saying that I’ve been going well.
“I want to cement a spot in the firsts in the near future and then hopefully move onto cricket at a higher level.”
Kight’s Footscray teammate Thomas Ewing has been selected in the Victoria Country side for the same championships.
Former Bacchus Marsh star Jack Lalor is also part of the Victoria Country team for the second straight year.
