The 17-year-old played all his junior cricket with BLU and participated in a slew of representative competitions such as Country Week, Dowling Shield, Warren Smith Cup, Bradman Cup, Aussie Cricket T20 League, Victorian Elite Cricket League and Colston Schamel Shield.
Holgate is typically a fast bowler, but can hit a long ball, batting higher up the order in shorter formats due to his explosive power.
After his performance in the Warren Smith Cup and captaining the under-19 Kangaroos in the ACL, Holgate was identified by greats Warren Smith, Andrew Walton and Steve Rixon as a diamond in the rough and granted him a place within the MCC under-18 side.
In the 2024-25 season for BLU across A-grade and B-grade, Holgate scored 308 runs at an average of 18.12 with a high score of 61 with the bat and took 14 wickets at an average of 25.14 with his best bowling figures being 3-9.
MCC isn’t the only club with eyes on the youngster, with NSW Premier League clubs Penrith, Sutherland and Manly Warringah also fielding offers to the BLU product.
Holgate had his first training session with MCC on Monday night, July 28 and enjoyed how the players accepted him into the team and the challenge this higher level of cricket brings.
“(His first training with MCC) was different, it was good though, it’s another step up and a bit more of a challenge,” Holgate said.
“There is more atmosphere and the boys down there are pretty good.
“We did a pretty lengthy net session, bat and ball, and then you go off and do some form work with the side-arm and throw downs.
“It was a good challenge, it’s definitely a lot quicker than what I’ve been facing here, you normally only have one quick bowler, get through them and then take on the rest.”
Not only has Holgate captured the imagination of clubs in Victoria and NSW, but he was drafted by the City Pirates of the Century Champions League Brisbane T20 under-18 competition.
Despite new challenges ahead in competitions more challenging than what he is used to in the GMC, Holgate seemed unfazed by the task and emphasised his excitement and determination to make it at the next level.
“It was pretty cool to get picked for the Century cricket competition; it should be a good experience,” he said.
“I’m hoping to play in the twos and make a push for the ones this year with Melbourne, but we’ll see how I go, I’m going to give it a good crack.”
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