By Lee Gaskin
Like father, like son.
Promising opening batsman Blake MacDonald is following in the footsteps of his dad Darryle, a former Canberra Comets all-rounder and life member of Wests/UC.
Wests cricketer, Blake MacDonald, with his father, former district cricket all rounder, Darryle MacDonald, at Manuka Oval.Credit: Graham Tidy
Darryle presented Blake with his Wests/UC cap before his first-grade debut earlier this season where the 16-year-old made a half-century against Tuggeranong.
The pair also played in a second-grade hockey premiership together last season with Wests.
Blake is coming off a tremendous performance at the recent under-17 national cricket championships in Hobart, captaining the ACT/NSW Country team to second overall and being named in the team of the carnival.
He has also been selected for next month's under-19 nationals in Adelaide.
"It's been a good couple of weeks away in Tasmania and playing for Wests/UC is a really good opportunity playing with the men out of school cricket," Blake said.
"There's a bit more pressure in first grade wanting to perform and the overall standard is a bit more consistent, which is great when you go away for national championships.
"Wests is a big part of dad's life, so making my first-grade debut for Wests was pretty special for both of us."
Darryle MacDonald played 15 seasons for Wests after starting in the 1985-86 summer, and played his last full season of cricket with the Comets in the Mercantile Mutual Cup in 1999-00.
He spent eight years as the director of coaching and development manager at Cricket ACT and coached NSW batsman Ryan Carters at Radford College.
"Blake puts a fair bit of work into it and definitely deserves it," Darryle said.
"He'd be in the gym three times a week and does his own individual training with a mate.
"To see him have some success is good because it teaches them that when you put the effort in the rewards will come."
ACT/NSW Country under-17 coach Kyle Piper said it was important Blake be given the chance to create his own path.
"The main thing we've been saying is it's about him and he has to play the way he wants to play," Piper said.
"The last 12 months he's really developed into understanding what he is as a cricketer and playing the way that suits him."
This weekend's round of the Douglas Cup will be played on both Saturday and Sunday.
DOUGLAS CUP: Two-day games: Wests/UC v ANU at Jamison Oval. Queanbeyan v North Canberra Gungahlin at Freebody Oval. Eastlake v Weston Creek Molonglo at Kingston Oval. Tuggeranong v Ginninderra at Chisholm. Play starts at 11am on Saturday and Sunday.