Young star pads up for state

By Marc McGowan
DEVON Meadows sporting sensation Jason Pongracic is at it again.
The multi-talented schoolboy added to his glittering junior sport resume when he was selected in the Victorian 15-and-under cricket side last week.
Pongracic, 14, will pad up for the state team in the School Sport Australia 15-and-under Championship in Cobram-Barooga from 28 February to 7 March.
The Kooweerup Secondary College student is the only member of the squad to survive from the state 13-and-under side that competed at the national championships two years ago.
Pongracic cracked an unbeaten century at those championships – only the second player to ever achieve the feat – and has similarly high expectations this time around.
“I’m very happy – this would have to be my biggest highlight,” he said. “I’m just hoping to do my bit for the team and make sure I contribute. I think a bit is expected of me (because of last time), but we have a pretty highly talented group.”
The teenager has also twice represented Victoria in football at underage level and is part of the Dandenong Stingrays’ development program.
And, just to round off Pongracic’s achievements, he is also in the SEAL program at school for accelerated learners.
Pongracic has scored 269 runs at an average of 38.4 for Merinda Park in the A-grade competition of the West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) this summer. The right-hander is also the wicketkeeper for the side and even bowled a couple of overs of medium pace – claiming 1/13 – against Kilcunda-Bass on Saturday.
“I’m more of a batsman who can keep a bit and I also bowl – it just depends on what I need to do for the team,” he said.
His 17-year-old brother, Matt, also plays in Merinda Park’s youthful A-grade team, which includes teenagers Daniel McCalman and Jarrod Armitage.
This season will be Pongracic’s last in the WGCA before he takes on the best cricketers in the state full-time in the Premier Cricket competition.
Melbourne Cricket Club officials snapped him up two years ago – much to the chagrin of the coaches at Casey-South Melbourne, Dandenong and Frankston-Peninsula.
Pongracic played three games for Melbourne’s fourth XI team last season and managed 56 in one of those matches.
“I think I’ll start in the fourths next season because they’re a pretty strong club and hopefully I’ll perform,” he said. “The coach of the Victorian under-13s is a scout down there and put me into their junior development group. They’ve been really good to me and have been really supportive with whatever I want to do.”
Pongracic is hoping to play both cricket and football for as long as he can, but admits it is a difficult juggling act. “It is a bit tough because you can’t do a pre-season for either because you’re at the business end of each season when the other is starting,” he said. “But it’s pretty manageable and cricket keeps me fit over the summer.”