Teague Wyllie is part of a long cricketing legacy for Rockingham-Mandurah district, with his father, uncle and sister all being central fixtures in the scene.
At just 17, Wyllie's cricketing career has seen him play for a number of State teams and soar to victory with his home club - now, he has been named as one of 37 players selected to be part of the Under-19 training squad ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2022.
"I got into cricket at a very early age because my father was highly involved in it," Wyllie said.
"He played A-grade cricket 30 years ago - my uncle played too. I really look up to my family and look up to my dad."
Wyllie first started at Mandurah Cricket club at just seven years old.
"I started out playing MILO cricket at Mandurah Cricket Club. Cricket has always been something I've wanted to pursue since I was a young pup.
"It started to become more of a reality when I started getting into state squads at 13 and 14 - I started to think 'if I put my head down and train here my dream could really become a reality'."
Scouts for the Under-19 squad had been keeping a close eye on players across Australia for the training squad, which will eventually be narrowed down for the team headed to the West Indies.
"They chose 37 players with the potential to go over and I'm thankful enough to have been picked in that.
"The touring squad hasn't been picked yet - they will announce that in a couple of weeks."
Wyllie's sister Georgia is a part of the WACA women's squad, and has paved a professional career for herself, a pathway Wyllie is headed down now.
A highlight for Wyllie this season was scoring 80 in the first innings and 110 innings at the Western Australia second XI.
"It still wasn't enough to win the game," Wyllie laughed.
"But that was a pretty great experience to have that."
Wyllie's selection for the training squad came alongside Corey Wasley, who attended Frederick Irwin Anglican School with him, and who Wyllie said is one of his best friends.
"Corey and I played MILO cricket together since we were eight - then we played juniors, went to the same school, played on the same premier team - and we only lived like ten minutes away from each other.
"He's a good friend of mine."
Wyllie and Wasley will have the opportunity to impress over the next few weeks, with their eye firmly set on the prize of making it onto the World Cup team.
"My advice to young people wanting to play cricket is - do it.
"From my perspective it's the best sport - you get to play with ten of your best mates on the weekend.
"It's more than just cricket - it's camaraderie, it's spending breaks having fun with your friends. It's a great sport to be involved with."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
