Launceston Cricket Club's Jakeb Morris certainly experienced a rise in his cricketing stocks this season.
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Heading into his second season as a first-grade prospect, the 20-year-old left-arm medium pacer started the year outside the line-up, before barging his way in and slamming the door down, signing a deal with English side Cowling in the process.
But, due to the coronavirus, his dream has been put on hold.
"My flights have been cancelled and the cricket season over there has been temporarily suspended unfortunately," he said.
"I'm pretty shattered to be honest. I've been really looking forward to it and it's been one of my goals since I was about 10 years old, to play cricket overseas, and to have it taken away from me a few weeks before I went was pretty horrible but I'm looking forward to next season if this coronavirus goes away."
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
Taking the steps to realising his dream through a player agent before confirmation of his transfer in November last year, Morris is still able to look at the bigger picture, admitting it's about more than just sport.
"Obviously the health and safety of others comes first and the umpires over there, they are basically over 70 years old and they have to self-isolate.
"It's more for the safety of everyone else and cricket's just a game, so it's not as important as a human life."
Hailing from Cressy, the emerging talent who is still in contact with his English club to play in the 2021 season, played for his home town in the TCL before making the switch to turf cricket, acknowledging his roots as a key aspects of his rapid growth.
"TCL is very different to the NTCA. As a country kid, I didn't know what to expect in town cricket.
"Obviously the calibre of players in the NTCA is so much higher than the TCL but I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today without the Cressy Cricket Club.
"They helped me with my grassroots program and I played A-Grade cricket when I was 15 and helped build my confidence."
Extending that confidence and finding consistency within his bowling helped Morris, who works as a salesperson at Power and Automation Electrical, find his groove.
He was able to drop his bowling average while increasing his wickets from 12 to 15, including his maiden first grade five-wicket haul against South Launceston.
"I felt that last season my consistency wasn't as great and that's why I didn't take as many wickets.
"This year I've been working really hard on that and AT [Alistair Taylor], as the coach, he really helped me and drove me to be better and the bowling coaches there as well like Roger Brown, they all helped me out.
"I just stuck to my craft and knew what I could do and the rewards came to me in the end."
Bowling his side to a miracle semi-final berth with his 5-46 in the final round of the season, the former Cressy District High student said the milestone "was a bonus" but he was intent on putting the team first.
"We were fortunate enough to beat South in the final roster game before falling short in the semi but they [five-wicket hauls] are obviously good incentives and mementos but the big goal really was to make the final."
Putting his bowling talents aside, a game-changing 110-run ninth-wicket stand against Riverside alongside Tom Gray showed Morris' potential with the willow in hand, batting for over 90 minutes to score 34 off 83 balls before being dismissed by Sam Lockett.