FAST bowler Ben O’Regan helped end a 31-year drought as WA won the national under-17 cricket championship in Adelaide last month.
WA’s unbeaten campaign included six first innings wins and one outright victory, from a mix of Twenty20, 50-over and two-day games. The 17-year-old Innaloo speedster claimed nine wickets in five matches and said he had not expected such a strong team performance against their more fancied opponents.
“We exceeded everyone’s expectations – Victoria and NSW were the favourites, so third or fourth would have been par,” he said.
His best performance came against the ACT, when battling 45C heat and a dominant batting line-up, the young quick tore through the top order, taking 4-29 in 11 overs.