Upper Great Southern Cricket Association will send away four strong teams to junior country week in Perth next month.

This will be the first year the teams go away as a whole association, with Pingelly last year taking their own side away in the under-14s division where they won the B-section.

UGSCA junior country week organiser Pete Baker said it was a strong representation of cricket in the region with four teams heading to the week-long tournament.

“This is a great decision to put together a couple of sides because we do have a lot of talent in our junior cricket,” Baker said.

“I love the idea to go away as an association, it gives the kids a chance to meet other kids from around the area they wouldn’t usually interact with.

“Next season all the kids can come back and when they are playing against each other they can reflect on their time playing with each other and make new friends.

“We are taking away four strong teams and I’m confident we can come home with a couple of titles.

“I think our two under-16 teams should be pretty hard to beat in B and C-grade.”

Games begin on Monday, January 6, with the under-16 boys kick-starting their campaign against Esperance in B-section while C-section will face East Avon in their first fixture.

There will be two under-14s teams, one in A-section and the other in C-section.

The under-14 teams will face Busselton-Margaret River and East Avon respectively in their opening matches.

Hundreds of junior cricketers converge on Perth to play during country week across a number of different divisions in early January each year.