Talented teen proves a hit at national champs

Fifteen-year-old Geraldton softball player Kingsley Dawson has a bright future ahead of him.

The quietly spoken teenager recently represented WA for the first time at the under-17 national championships in Perth, helping his side reach the semifinals before being knocked out by the ACT.

What makes his achievement all the more impressive is the fact that he was the only player in the squad selected from outside the Perth metropolitan area.

Kingsley mixed his time between catcher and centre field, and was also a strong contributor with bat in hand — best demonstrated by his strong play during WA’s 11-5 thrashing of Victoria on day two.

He scored three runs from four “at-bats” and was singled out for praise after the performance.

It was an inconsistent campaign for WA as a whole, who mixed imposing victories with heavy losses, but Kingsley said he was just grateful for the opportunity to represent his State.

“It was a good experience, you play a different ball down in Perth, ” he said after the tournament.

“It was a faster (style of) ball; you had to be awake all the time.”

WA lost their knockout semifinal 13-5 against a strong ACT line- up they had struggled against earlier on in the week, however Dawson said there wasn’t too much between the two sides.

“Some of our errors in the field just let us down a bit, that’s why we missed out on the grand final, ” he said.

He is also confident the team will do better next year if they maintain a similar squad.

But for now, he will go back to Geraldton to keep working hard on his game with local side Rams, who he said along with the Geraldton Softball Association were a vital part of his development as a player.

“Without them I wouldn’t be able to get here, ” he said.