The 17-year-old, who has been hampered by a back injury all season, put on the batting performance of his career to date to set the South West Cricket division one ladder leaders up for a tight 17-run win over Bookaar on Saturday.

He smashed 130 runs at Camperdown Showgrounds, guiding Mortlake from a slightly shaky 3-45 to 5-269, before his wicket fell in the final over of the day.

The stirring performance was just reward for Wareham, who has only bowled in three matches this season, and will not bowl again this summer.

The talented teenager had a hot spot in his back following the Under 17 National Championships in September and October last year, but a scan last Tuesday revealed the injury had developed into a stress fracture.

“I haven’t really even felt it that much – I thought I would get the all-clear, but but obviously there’s something there,” Wareham said.

“So I can bat, but they don’t want me to bowl.

“If it was only early in the season, I wouldn’t be able to play, but because it’s so close to finals, (I’ll push through).”

Wareham said he was still hopeful of playing football this year, despite the stress fracture, and would be doing core exercises to help him.

This summer, he is averaging 28.25 with the bat, and has taken five wickets – including a haul of 3-15 – from his limited bowling time.

Although he has typically been in the Cats’ division one side because of his bowling, Wareham has shown glimpses with the bat, but the weekend’s effort far surpassed any innings he had produced to date.

He had made half-centuries at colts level, with the enforced retirements preventing him from going on, and made scores of 66, 39 and 38 at the under 17 country week last month, but had never scored a half-century playing in division one before.

But when he brought up the first milestone on the weekend, Wareham said he put his head down and had moved on to his first ton before he knew it.

“It was just quick in the outfield,” he said.

“What normally would be ones or twos quickly became boundaries.

“I tried to focus on soft hands because I was just going too hard at the ball.

“I’ve always been handy with the bat, but I’ve never really strung it together.”

Wareham and Shane Slater put on 111 runs for the fourth wicket, with Mortlake finishing on 6-269 before bowling Bookaar out for 252.

Mortlake captain Todd Lamont praised Wareham.

“He batted well throughout his whole innings, just struck the ball really well, hit a lot of fours and sixes, struck the gaps,” Lamont said.

“We were rapt for him.”