By Liam McCullagh ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms).
A freakish batsman who can hit the ball to all parts of the ground, Oliver Peake is a super talented 18-year-old who can bat anywhere in the top 6 and comes from great cricketing pedigree.
Oliver is the son of former Victorian, and Under 19 Australian cricketer Clinton, and by winning the Australian Cricket Society’s Young Cricketer of the Year award he has replicated the feats of his dad, some 28 years later.
“It’s an honour to be awarded with young cricketer of the year in the first place but following in dad’s footsteps has made it extra special,” Oliver said.
A junior at South Barwon Cricket Club, his favourite cricketer growing up was a former Under 19s teammate of his father, and fellow left-hander Michael Hussey.
Oliver has all the tricks, a solid defence, aggressive stroke play through the off-side and all the flicks, scoops and deft touches required to excel in shorter formats of the game.
In the last couple of seasons Oliver has been a regular in Geelong Cricket Club’s top grade premier team and has featured in Vic and Vic Country representative sides.
More recently he has been celebrated for his heroics in the 2023/24 Under 19s World Cup where he went from being picked as a reserve batsman to a key contributor in the finals.
Oliver was “disappointed” he had missed out on the initial squad, and earning a late call-up, he became the youngest member of the squad at 17-years-of-age.
“I was still quite happy to be recognised in the best 20 players in Australia being named reserve, which pushed me to keep training and stay ready by the odd chance there was an injury, and I would get to step in,” Oliver said.
“Heading over I didn’t have a lot of time to think about how much or how little I would play but I was hopeful to get an opportunity.”
Oliver scored 25 not out and 0, against England and the West Indies, but stepped up when it mattered most producing match-winning knocks in each of the finals.
In each of the finals, he proved he could bat to whatever situation the game threw at him. In the semi-final against Pakistan, Oliver produced the second highest score for the team with 49 off 75 balls chasing the total batting with the tail, and in the final he scored a crucial 46 not out off 43 balls extending the total beyond India’s reach.
“I think it took a couple of months for the win to start to really sink in, I still pinch myself when I look back at photos or videos from the experience as it quite literally was a dream come true,” Oliver said.
“Looking back, I definitely felt prepared and ready to give it my all. For it to work out the way it did, playing in a winning World Cup final, I never dreamt of.”
Oliver said pacemen Mahli Beardman and Callum Vidler were two players he believes the Australian public will enjoy watching in the future.
It capped off a remarkable summer for Oliver, an Under 19 World Cup win was paired with an APS cricket title for Geelong Grammar, again proving his ability to perform in clutch moments scoring 157 and taking 4/10 with his handy off-breaks in the final match against Caulfield.
“I’ve been extremely fortunate to have access to some of the best coaches possible, but I think Nick Speak and Tommy Evans have had the largest impact on my career so far,” Oliver said.
“Playing for Geelong in premier cricket across the last 3 seasons definitely held me in good stead to get the best out of myself.”
A talented footballer, Oliver played first team football for Geelong Grammar this season but has been watching from the sidelines after breaking his leg in June.
“I absolutely loved playing footy for Geelong Grammar, the APS comp is very strong, and it was pretty surreal to play with and against people aspiring to play AFL,” Oliver said.
Cricket remains the main priority for Oliver. “It (the injury) might have put an end to the footy career unfortunately, but I look forward to following my mates’ careers with great interest in the coming years,” he said.
A rare spectacle for most cricketers, Oliver also had the chance to play alongside Clinton for two seasons at South Barwon. It was something Oliver said was an “amazing experience”.
“Having watched him every year growing up he was definitely a bit of an idol for me so to get the chance to bat with him and learn off him in a real time game situation was invaluable.”
Given his dad’s previous experience being in a similar position as a talented junior, Clinton has been a great sounding board full of advice. Clinton’s advice has been for Oliver to enjoy what he does in his spare time outside of school.
“For me that’s cricket. I have never felt any pressure to try and follow what he did in the past,” Oliver said. “I think Dads always been a good dad first and then only looked to coach me if I’m asking questions and eager to learn.
“In terms of cricket, he has taught me a lot about becoming comfortable feeling uncomfortable which I think has held me in good stead as I have progressed through different levels.” It’s hard not to get excited about what the future may hold for this ultra talented bat from Geelong could achieve, but for now completing his Year 12 studies at Geelong Grammar is the highest priority in the pecking order.
Australian Cricket Society’s literary scholar Liam McCullagh is mentored by writer John Harms. His pieces are also published at www.footyalmanac.com.au .