Sydney University Cricket Club opener Nick Larkin and off-spinner Will Somerville have been named in the 12-man NSW Sheffield Shield squad to take on Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, starting on Friday.
They will join Sydney University team-mates Scott Henry and Ryan Carters in the side, the first time in 101 years that SUCC has had four players in the NSW team.
Larkin started the 2014-15 Sydney grade season with 157 not out in Sydney University’s Round 2 win over Eastern Suburbs, while Henry cracked 105 in the Round 3 match against Bankstown that started last Saturday.
It is likely Larkin and Carters will open the batting for NSW, with Henry slotting in at No.3.
Larkin, 24, has spent the past two winters in Ireland pushing for a World Cup berth – he has an Irish passport courtesy of his grandfather, although he grew up in Taree on the NSW mid-north coast, where he played under-age representative cricket for Country NSW before joining Sydney University.
He and Somerville have also represented the NSW 2nd X1 and Futures League teams.
Somerville, 30, also had a solid start to the grade cricket season, collecting 4-76 in the first round loss to Manly and 5-54 in the second round win over Easts.
SUCC is also represented in the Australian Twenty20 squad by all-rounder Sean Abbott, and in the Australian Under 19 side by leg-spinner Jonte Pattison.
AndNigel Cowell and Tim Leay have been selected in the NSW A side to take on Queensland A, starting on Friday.
Gary Whitaker, the SUCC head coach for the past four seasons, said the development programs at the club are paying dividends with two First Grade premierships in the past three years and three Second Grade titles. “The players are now starting to reap the benefits with selection in NSW and Australian squads and that can only be good for the club,” he said.
The NSW squad, including four debutants, is: Peter Nevill (c), Ryan Carters, Harry Conway, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Henry, Patrick Jackson, Josh Lalor, Nick Larkin, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu and Will Somerville.
