Jonah's Whale of a Chance

Sheffield Cricket Club’s Jonah Evans will add another couple of lines to his representative cricket resume by touring Victoria in June as part of the Tasmanian Open and Under 18 men’s Indoor Cricket teams.

Already decorated with rep colours as part of the Tasmanian Under 17 team that also toured Victoria in the 2023/24 season, Evans will be the only North West representative in either team.

A talented sportsman with a background in rugby and hockey, Evans is an aspiring keeper/batter who was the second highest run scorer for the Mountaineers last season in his first full First Grade campaign.

Evans will be the keeper for the under 18 side and will be backing up from what he expects to be a tough open competition beforehand where Tasmania is hoping to be very competitive.

“Open is going in pretty hot,” Evans said.

“The under 18s will be a development opportunity for the team and hopefully it will help get indoor back on the map in Tasmania.

“In the opens, I want to gain experience and take that into the 18s tournament and see if I can be a leader in the team and see how far we can go.

“There is a national squad to aim for to, last year the under 16s went to Dubai.”

Currently the only indoor cricket facility in Tasmania is The Cricket Hub in Kingston meaning Evans is on the road every weekend for an extensive training program.

“The training schedule is big,” Evans said.

“Every Sunday at The Cricket Hub for two hours per squad followed by a Super League game straight after.”

Despite a massive drop in popularity from its heyday when there were courts in most centres along the NW Coast, Evans came to indoor cricket through a come and try session hosted by former Launceston centre owner Dean Hawkins instead of via competition.

“Dean did a come and try day at Devonport and I got asked to go to Launceston and play that,” Evans said.

“From there I played state titles, now I’m playing for the state in my fourth or fifth year of playing indoor.

“I find it challenging transitioning from outdoor to indoor but if I don’t touch outdoor or bat before I play, I’m OK then preseason get back into the swing of outdoor.

“I’ve worked on technique, set up and that’s a key.

“Working with Simmo (Marc Simonds) has helped big time going through gameplay and coaching through the Cricket Tasmania Development program.”

CT Pathways - High Performance Coach Marc Simonds said it is fantastic to have Evans included in both squads with a hope it will inspire others to consider indoor cricket.

“Jonah’s work ethic, desire to improve and his general preparation, no matter the time of year, game or tournament is always very particular and has purpose behind it,” Simonds said.

“I have no doubt Jonah will go into the tournament(s) with confidence that he is ready to go.

“So long as Jonah walks away with yet another valuable cricketing experience, and takes away learnings – whether that be from other players, individual performance or coaches, it adds another string to his growing bow within the cricketing world.”