It is with a blend of sadness and pride that we bid farewell to our young batsman, Josh Carpenter, who is stepping up to the next level with SPL cricket next season.
When Josh first joined us as a 9-year-old, it didn’t take long to see that he was a class act, both with bat and ball. Over the years, he impressed at Colts level, and despite the siren calls from bigger clubs, Josh and his family remained loyal to their village roots.
Still a Colts player, Josh began working his way into the men’s teams, where his composure and talent for building an innings quickly caught the eye of the senior players. The 50s started flowing, and it was only a matter of time before Josh cut, hooked, and drove his way to his first ton for Oakley.
The offers to play higher-level cricket kept coming, but Josh—a quiet lad—began to blossom, building friendships with First XI players and finding real enjoyment in his cricket. Sadly, despite playing some outstanding cricket, the First XI narrowly missed out on promotion to the level where Josh needs to test himself. His departure became inevitable.
What speaks volumes about Josh—and Oakley as a club—is that he wishes to remain a member here and was genuinely reluctant to leave. He’s a good lad from a good village club, surrounded by good people. Yes, it’s with a heavy heart that we see him go, but we would be doing both him and ourselves a disservice if we tried to hold him back. Sport is full of people wondering what might have been, and Oakley should take pride in creating a pathway for young talent like Josh to thrive.
So, farewell Josh, Joshy, Joshua—it’s been an absolute pleasure watching you grow into the fine cricketer you are today. I know the players will miss you, though some are secretly relieved to finally get more time at the crease! We’ll be keeping a close eye on your progress, and of course, we look forward to the day when you’ve achieved your goals and come back to don the famous whites of the mighty Oaks once more.
Go well, mate.