Rhys Cattle bats right-handed. He writes left-handed. He throws with his right hand.
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And his bowling? Well he does that with both arms.
“He’s a bit freaky,” Keira first-grade captain Kyle Connor said. “He bowls both arms, but that’s the youth of today.
“We played a trial game and he bowled the first ball right arm over the wicket, then asked the umpire if he could bowl left arm. Rhys Voysey was facing him and was quite shocked. He’s very consistent with both arms though, he’s definitely one to keep an eye on.”
Faced with the prospect of never bowling in a team stocked with right-handed bowlers, Cattle decided to take things into his own hands and develop his left-arm bowling.
After six months of training in the nets, Cattle eventually felt comfortable pulling his new trick out in a match and he hasn’t looked back.
“It was difficult at the start, took a while to get the confidence to bowl left-handed in a game,” Cattle said. “But I kept working on it, got half decent and it kicked off from there.
“It’s pretty cool being able to bowl with both arms. I can change halfway through and the batsman has no idea. It makes him change how he’s planning on attacking me.”
The talented 14-year-old is more than just an ambidextrous bowler, though.
A batting all-rounder, Cattle made his first-grade debut for Keira earlier this season, has played a key role in the Greater Illawarra Zone under 15s undefeated start to the Weblin Shield and has been selected to represent the Country Thunder at the upcoming State Challenge in Sydney.
Greater Illawarra teammates Hyeon Parsons, Bailey Leadbitter and Andy Magennis will also represent the Country Thunder.
It’s been a busy start to the season for Cattle, but one he has enjoyed.
“It’s been a good start to the year. Playing first grade is pretty good. It’s quite different watching a man run into bowl at you, rather than a kid, but pretty fun.
“I’m looking forward to the State Challenge, hopefully I go alright and have a shot at the NSW Country team.”