Forest Lake State High School year 7 student Taran Judge has been selected to play for the Brisbane Premier League’s Southern Rockets Under 13s cricket team.
Taran was one of 13 players selected to play for Southern Rockets out of 196 others during a live auction held earlier this year.
The Brisbane Premier league is being run this year by private franchises for the second time with the aim to showcase cricketers from all around Queensland.
“I went to the Southern Rockets talent clinic, and they thought I had good skill and a little bit of talent,” he said.
“I think they selected me because of how I performed, my teamwork and my stats.”
The 12-year-old cricket player, who also plays for the Brisbane Super Kings in Heathwood, has been playing cricket since he was four years old.
He was first inspired to play cricket because of his older brother Praj, who also used to play for Brisbane Super Kings.
“My brother was really into cricket and I really looked up to him, and I started playing cricket because of him,” Taran said.
Taran’s mother Amy Judge said Praj was also a great cricket player, but had to stop playing cricket because of a chronic heart condition.
“Taran also partly plays for him, so he can be proud of his little brother who can do it,” she said.
Taran first started playing cricket in Melbourne with the Milo in2 Cricket program. He then progressed to T20 Blasters before joining the team at the Wolston Park Cricket Club in 2017.
He is now in his third year playing cricket on Saturdays for the Brisbane Super Kings in Heathwood.
The talented all-rounder has been recognised for several club and regional achievements in cricket over the years, including Best Bowler, Best Batter, and two President’s Awards for under 10’s and 11’s.
In January, he was also selected to play for the Metropolitan South West’s Under 12 development team, where he was recognised for an outstanding individual bowling performance during the Ian Healy Cup Development Carnival after taking 4 wickets in an inning.
Taran has big goals for the future in cricket.
“I would really like to play for Australia and verse other countries,” he said.
