Burren Junction young gun Clay Hoffman itching for cricket season to arrive

The cricketing off season is tough enough for Burren Junction teenager Clay Hoffman, but throw in the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the past four months have seemed like an eternity for the youngster.

Unable to play the sport he loves at school or even go to the nets with teammates to practise, the 13-year-old Wee Waa High School Year 7 student is champing at the bit to get back on the park.

The 2020-21 Narrabri District Cricket Association is unlikely to face the same challenges presented to winter sports and will more than likely begin the Saturday following the October long weekend.

Clay, the son of Robert and Trina Hoffman, said that he could not wait for October to arrive so he could start playing cricket again.

“It’s a bit hard, I’ve been trying to play out in the backyard with my brother and my dad but it’s nothing like a net session,” he said.

“Always in the off season I train with dad at the Wee Waa nets or the Burren nets, or come down and have a hit with the boys.

“We’ve talked about meeting up at the nets but it doesn’t seem like it’ll happen yet especially if a second wave comes.

“School sport is all cancelled too and there’s no sports that I’m really into going at the moment.

“We’d also be normally doing trials for Northern Inland and I’d be going on Sundays to Tamworth to training so we are missing out on that too.

“It’s frustrating.

“I’m very keen [for October]. I can’t wait to be honest.”

Clay has been a cricket fan from an early age and began playing as a junior.

Like many youngsters his goal in the game is to play for the Australian cricket team.

At just 10-years-old Clay played his first senior game when he took the field for his hometown club Burren Junction Bushrangers and he was a member of the 2017-18 Pilliga District Cricket Association grand finalist team.

In the last round of that season, aged 11, he starred with his first five-wicket haul when he picked up 5-8 from 3.2 overs against minor premiers and eventual champions Wee Waa.

In both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons Clay has been a member of Wee Waa-based NDCA club Western Imperial Razorbacks, which formed after the 2017-18 season when the PDCA comp disbanded.

In the 2019-20 season he made his NDCA first grade debut and took his first wicket in that competition.

He also reached his highest representative honour which saw him play at the NSW Cricket State Challenge in January.

That same season Clay entered the Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog T20 competition auction and was picked up by Priag Marketing for just $1000 in the fake money bidding process.

Putting that into perspective, the four clubs were each allocated $10 million to spend and just nine players were bought for less or passed in.

However, despite that as well as being the youngest of the 58 players, Clay finished the six-game competition as the leading wicket taker with 10 wickets at an average of 11.8.

Impressively he took six of those in one game against eventual champions Specialised Civil Services on opening night in a 3.3-over spell of 6-15 which was the best spell of the season by any bowler.

Clay said that he enjoyed playing in the Namoi Super Slog T20 competition and the six-wicket haul was his best cricketing memory.