Casey-South Melbourne spinner Clive Rose has been selected to represent Australia at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.By Paul Pickering
CASEY-South Melbourne tweaker Clive Rose will spearhead Australia’s spin attack at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia next month.
The left-arm orthodox bowler was named in the 15-man touring party upon the completion of the National Under-19 Championship in Hobart last month.
Rose, 18, took 13 wickets as the Victorians progressed unbeaten through their seven-game schedule to seize the national title.
The Narre Warren South teenager claimed a scalp in six of the seven matches, including figures of 4/42 against Tasmania and 3/64 in the Vics’ dramatic draw with New South Wales.
Rose, a versatile spinner who is as comfortable flighting the ball as he is darting it through, even opened the bowling for the baby Bushrangers in their nail-biting nine-run win over Queensland in round four.
Gripping the new ball with aplomb, Rose (1/14 from 10 overs) strangled Queensland’s top order to doom Bulls’ pursuit of a modest total of 212.
Having cut his teeth on the international scene during Australia’s winless five-game series against the Pakistani under-19 side last September and October, Rose will be better equipped to ply his intricate trade in Malaysia.
Australia – seeded number three for the tournament behind India and Pakistan – will play its first game against Namibia on 17 February, before facing Nepal and Sri Lanka in the remaining group matches.
Win or lose, Clive’s parents Errol and Angela will be there cheering on their son in the green and gold.
“We’re very excited and very proud,” Errol Rose said this week, confirming that they would be travelling to Kuala Lumpur to absorb the atmosphere of the carnival.
“We’re going to see the whole competition. It’s a chance in a million.”
While Rose was himself a handy club cricketer, he wasn’t willing to accept any responsibility for his son’s prodigious talent.
“He certainly didn’t get it from me, I never reached his standard,” Rose laughed.
But before taking to the world stage, Rose junior will return to Casey-South Melbourne to help the Swans build on a mid-season resurgence in the Premier Cricket competition.
