Only 44% of junior cricketers make it into WACA senior cricket. After tracking four seasons of data at a WA district club — that number stopped me cold.
After tracking four seasons of data at a WA district club — that number stopped me cold. It forced a bigger question: what are we actually building if more than half of our players disappear at the point it matters most? I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the community cricket model — limiting balls faced, enforced retirements, equal bowling opportunities. I understand why it exists: to engage young players. But at some point, the game has to transition back to real cricket. Without that shift, we risk developing players who are unprepared for what comes next. A few years ago, I started noticing the same pattern across Australia and the UK. Talented juniors would finish their age-group cricket and step straight into men’s cricket with no preparation, no transition, and no bridge between environments. Many simply walked away. Through a partnership with a local sub-district club — one with an ageing list but an openness to youth — we created a structured junior-to-senior pat...