Former Marist Brothers cricketer Lachie Ford has become the fifth player who learned how to play cricket in the local competitions playing Premier First Grade cricket.

Ford, who last played for Marist Brothers in the Far North Coast Cricket Council's LJ Hooker League in 2016/2017, was presented with his 1st XI cap by Western Suburbs legend Peter Burkhart, the highest run scorer in the history of Western Suburbs District Cricket Club and highly regarded as the greatest fielder in Sydney Grade Cricket.

Ford, a quick bowler, took 1/49 off 10 overs in a victory over Blacktown Mounties in the opening 50-over match. He followed that up on Saturday with 1- 76 off 17 overs as UNSW amassed 4/368 declared off 90 overs in a two day match.

Ford, a former pupil at St John's College Woodlawn, joins Lachlan Barnsley, Caelan Maladay and Jacob Wood playing in Sydney First Grade.

Lachlan Barnsley receives his Sydney Premier League First Grade cap in November 2018. Photo: Gordon Cricket Club / Facebook

Barnsley hit a maiden Sydney First Grade century, an unbeaten 106, for Gordon against St George last season, when he averaged 35.8 runs an innings. He made his First Grade debut for Gordon in November 2018 after being a prolific runs scorer for Marist Brothers, where he played the Far North Coast Cricket Council's LJ Hooker League and the Lismore District Cricket Association.

Barnsley, a former pupil at Trinity Catholic College, scored 15 in the opening round loss to Hawkesbury and is yet to bat in the

Barnsley began playing in Clunes Junior Cricket. He hit a six and a boundary in an innings of 15 as Gordon lost to Hawkesbury in a 50 overs match by seven wickets. He is yet to bat as Gordon bowled Sydney University out for 286 on Saturday and 0/13 in reply.

Jacob Wood, another former Marist Brothers young cricketer, has been joined by Caelan Maladay, who has been awarded a prestigious Basil Sellers scholarship from Cricket NSW, at Randwick Petersham Cricket Club.

Maladay, a fast bowler, was still a student at St John's College, Woodlawn, when he was selected in October 2018 to play for a Cricket Australia XI in the Under-19 national championships. He played for Lennox Head in the Far North Coast Cricket Council's LJ Hooker League. His older brother lewis is wicketkeeper for Gold Coast Dolphins in the Brisbane First Grade competition.

Caelan Maladay took 2/27 off 9.1 overs as Randwick-Petersham beat Fairfield-Liverpool in the opening 50 over match. He is yet to feature in the match against Blacktown Mounties as his team-mates amassed 6/362 on Saturday.

Wood, another former student at St John's College Woodlawn, made his First Grade debut for Randwick Petersham in January 2018. He played for Royal High Corstorphine Cricket Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the summer of 2019.

Jack Cooper, 19, is already opening the batting for Gold Coast Dolphins.

Jack Cooper captained St John's College Woodlawn and top-scored as the school won the Downie Shield for the first time by winning the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges title in Sydney in February last year. Now Jack, who graduated from St John's College Woodlawn, is opening the batting for Gold Coast Dolphins in the Brisbane Grade Cricket League. The younger brother of Tom Cooper, who plays for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, Cooper has been playing for the Dolphins since 2106. He made his First Grade debut in 2018/2019 and has been played the first five matches this season.