Whispers!

Whispers!
Volume 6
January 2014
Girls excel at Country Cricket Carnival
What’s covered?

Breaking News

Editorial Letter

Girls Country Cricket

High Performance

What’s on?

Nicole Bolton

Female Umpires

January in Pictures
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Game
Development
Did you know?
The first Australian
cricket team to tour
England was in 1867 and
consisted of Australian
Indigenous players . The
first match was played at
The Oval and attracted
over 20,000 spectators.
The team played 47
matches on the tour.
The 2014 Girls Country Cricket
Carnival welcomed over sixty
participants from January 8-10.
For the first time, an under 18’s
side from both city and country
joined the carnival alongside the
under 15’s. Teams from the
Goldfields, South-West, Great
Southern, Peel, Wheatbelt and
Mid-West regions took part in
the annual event and stayed at
Ern Halliday in Hillarys. The girls
played three formats of the
game: indoor cricket at Seamer
Sports in Balcatta and Super 8’s
and 20/20 at Brittania Reserve
in Leederville.
The Mid-West Flames were undefeated in all formats of the
game prior to the final, an outstanding achievement for their
first time in the competition. The
under 18’s battled to the end
with less than ten runs separating the two teams. City players
Lara Rodin Zimdahl and Emily
Bowden hit the winning runs.
Southern Star players Holly
Fearling, Rene Farrell and Megan
Schutt made a guest appearance
at the indoor centre. Between
playing days, the girls engaged
Southern Stars with Peel girls at Seamer Sports, Balcatta
in a team-building orienteering course at Ern Halliday
and swimming at The Great
Escape in Hillarys. South
West rising star and Girls
Country Cricket All-Stars
player, Lilly Henley, is the
only girl in her regular team
and enjoyed playing with
girls from all over the state,
“It was a great experience to
develop my cricket skills
against my peers.” Consistent performers, Mid-West
and Peel met in the 20/20
grand final. The game was
played in great spirit with
both teams showing their
talent and enthusiasm. See
page 2 for further details.
Letter from the Editor
January has proved an exciting
period for female cricket in
Western Australia. With the
arrival of the Girls Country
Cricket Carnival earlier this
month, which hosted over 60
participants, and the Female
Ashes held at the WACA from
January 10-13, there has been
a surge of enthusiasm from
female cricketers across the
state. Last year Cricket Australia recorded a significant rise in
female cricket participation figures in 2012-2013. Female par-
ticipants increased 18% in the
last 12 months to a staggering 180,000 players. In addition, women and girls now
account for 19% of the total
cricketing participants in the
country—a figure that confirms our place in Australia’s
sparse sporting realm. Our
duty is to promote and devise
a legitimate cricketing pathway featuring grassroots,
club, elite and many other
forms of cricket. With this in
mind, the need for volunteers,
coaches and resources for
female cricket has become
more critical than ever. With
the continual success of our
National
Female
Cricket
Team, the Commonwealth
Bank Southern Stars, female
cricket is determined to take
bold steps towards the future. I look forward to the
continual growth and prosperity of female cricket in
2014 and hope to welcome
you inspired for the year
ahead. AP
Page 2
WHAT'S ON?
Girls Under 15’s
Competition
Play on premier venues
under lights—New
players welcome!
Venue South Comp:
Curtin Hockey WA
Venue North Comp:
UWA Sports Park
Starting Date: Monday,
February 17
Game Times: 6pm or
7.30pm
For more: Email here
“Twilight 6ers”
Social Cricket
6 week competition
under lights - Enter a
team now!
For who? Females 18+
Format: 6 players per
team, modified rules
Where: College Park,
Nedlands
When: Wednesday nights
starting March 5 and
ending April 9
Time: 6.30pm-7.30pm
Cost: $180 per team
Equipment: All provided
Winning Prize: 6x Gold
Class Movie Tickets!
To Enter: Email here
WACA in2Cricket
Centre
First ever in2Cricket
centre at the World
Famous WACA Ground!
For who? Girls aged
between 5-8
Where: WACA Ground,
Nelson Crs
Starting date: Tuesday,
25th Feb
Program: 7 weeks
Time: 4.30-5.30pm
Cost: $90
For more: Email here
Success for Peel girls!
Brigit Wall—Peel Coach
Nine under 15 girls from the
Peel region attended the 2014
Girls Country Cricket Carnival.
It was the first time this group
of girls had come together to
play as a team—and they sure
did that! Our team finished
second on the ladder after the
first day of play which meant
we had the play off to make
the grand final. We made only
47 from our 20 overs and had
to work tirelessly to defend a
small total. The girls maintained a positive attitude and
never gave up. We managed to
bowl the other team out for 41
off 13 overs without bowling a
single wide or no ball! There
were no stands outs, everyone
assumed a role in the win.
This win put us into the grand
final against the only undefeated team in the competition—the Mid-West. Once
again we batted first and
made 76 runs. This was a
better total to defend but
with a strong Mid-West batting side we had to work hard
to defend our total. Eventually we won the game, 7/52
having completed the allotted
overs. The girls showed determination and bonded well
together throughout the carnival. Three of our girls were
also selected in the Girls
Country Cricket All Stars. We
look forward to next year.
Girls Country
Cricket All-Stars
Allee Bartlett—Mid-West
Samantha
Mid-West
Biddiscombe—
Breanna Bonney—Mid-West
Gemma Cassidy—Wheatbelt
Molly Dickson— Goldfields
Lilly Henley—South West
Courtney Holt—Goldfields
Emily Kopke—Goldfields
Georgie Middleton—Wheatbelt
Rebecca Nairn—Great Southern
Melanie Saunders—Peel
Chloe Wain—South West
Under 18’s on track in Ballarat
Sixteen year old Samara Williams (pictured) represented
WA earlier this month in the
State Under 18 Female National Championships in Ballarat.
Williams was named in the thirteen player squad which featured Fury regulars Megan
Banting, Piepa Cleary and
Heather Graham. Currently
residing in Albany, Williams is
moving to Perth in February to
continue her cricketing dream
and will finish her education at
Aranmore Catholic College. The
talented all-rounder only started playing cricket competitively
in 2013 and was excited to
have an opportunity to play for
Western Australia. A fine allround performance by South
Perth’s Piepa Cleary saw WA
clinch fifth spot in the State
Under 18 National Championships with a 16 run win over
ACT. Cleary bowled an excellent 4/32 and showed prowess
with the bat making an unbeaten 53. A 64 run partnership
between ACT’s Zoe Cooke and
Jodie Hicks threatened WA’s
hopes of victory. Albany’s Samara Williams made the breakthrough bowling Hicks for 12,
before Heather Graham (3/13)
and Mel Cameron (2/16)
joined the attack. WA finished
the campaign well, having
recorded back-to-back victories in Sunday’s T20 matches
against ACT and Tasmania.
WA suffered a heavy defeat to
NSW in the 50-over game,
although Cameron impressed
with 3/40. Subiaco Marist’s
Heather Graham finished the
tournament as WA’s top run
scorer and fourth overall,
with 177 runs at 29.5 as well
as taking eight wickets. Her
outstanding performances
lead to her selection in the
Team of the Championships.
Graham played 14 games for
the Alcohol. Think Again
Western Fury this season
and has been touted as a
future Australian player.
For more read here
Page 3
Girls Country Cricket Carnival
Ignites Passion
By Jamie Lamont
What a great three days of cricket!
This year, the under 18 girls joined
the competition and played some
spirited cricket in all formats. The
Under 18 girls provided great leadership for the under 15’s - particularly
on day three of the carnival. Directors of Seamer Sports, David Hankin
and Shaun Deckert welcomed us into
their stadium with open arms. What
made the experience extra special
was the visit by Southern Stars Holly
Fearling, Rene Farrell and Megan
Schutt. Congratulations to the overall
winners Peel Thunder and to coach
Brigit Wall and Regional Cricket Officer Aimee White. Special mention to
the Mid West Flames who were undefeated going into the Grand Final.
Terrific effort by Anthony Johnston
and his Great Southern side and
Melinda Lucas coaching a young
Wheatbelt team. The South West
Shredders narrowly missed out on
their fourth consecutive grand final
appearance. State Under 15 captain
Chloe Wain was again dominant for
the South West team. For the second
year in a row the Goldfields finished
third showing their talent over the
three days. Under 15 and under 18
players of the tournament, presented
by David Natt, went to Mid-West
player Samantha Biddiscombe and
Under 18 star Emily Bowden who
received signed Meg Lanning Shirts. I
hope that all girls who participated enjoyed the experience and continue to
work on their skills for next year.
“What made the
experience extra
special was the visit
by Southern Stars
players.”
Wheatbelt, Mid-West among the best!
Both the Wheatbelt and Mid-West
regions travelled to Perth with young,
excited teams. Wheatbelt coach,
Melinda Lucas, was impressed by the
sporting enthusiasm and talent the
girls showed, “They all enjoyed the
atmosphere of the carnival and played
with great spirit on the Thursday and
Friday.” Wheatbelt all-rounders Gemma Cassidy and Georgie Middleton
received Girls Country Cricket Allstars selection. The Mid-West girls
went through to the final undefeated
but were outgunned by a wellprepared and courageous Peel outfit.
Allee Bartlett, Breanna Bonney and
Sam Biddiscome (pictured at left)
were selected in the All Star team
with Sam receiving the player of the
carnival accolade with an outstanding
display over the carnival. Regional
Cricket Officer Steve Broberg was
excited that the girls rose to the challenge, “They really gave the rest of
the state a run for their money, especially when you consider that most of
the girls haven’t played competitive
cricket before.” The girls enjoyed a
tour of the WACA and also met several members of the Australian Women’s National Team, the Southern
Stars. The girls described the carnival
as a “fun sporting holiday” and look
forward to improving their cricket
skills and continuing their success
next year.
Page 4
Dream Debut for WA’s Nicole
Bolton
Nicole Bolton’s moment of truth has
arrived. Overlooked for the Southern
Stars in their opening Ashes Test
match at the WACA, Bolton showed
her worth with a sublime debut at the
MCG. In front of fans and her parents, Bolton wrote her name in the
history books with a century on her
first call-up to the Australian ODI
team, an achievement no other Australian woman has achieved. The left
handed batter opened for the Southern Stars, making 124 from 152 deliveries, hitting 12 boundaries. England fell 26 runs short despite half
centuries between England duo
Heather Knight (55) and Sarah Taylor
(63). "It’s something you dream
about as a kid,” Bolton said afterwards. "To make my debut at the
MCG was pretty special, but with the
hundred and a win, it couldn’t have
made for a better day.” Bolton’s day
got even better with a crucial run-out
of Sarah Taylor. Fielding at backward
square-leg, Bolton showed fielding
prowess with a direct hit on the
stumps. “It’s something that we
practice a lot at training, hitting the
stumps, and to do it in a game with
Sarah Taylor who was actually going
well it was pretty special,” said Bolton. The Southern Stars must win
their remaining games in the series
to win back the Ashes. The final
phase of the series will be played as
double-headers alongside the Australian
and England men’s T20 series.
Follow @SouthernStars on
Twitter
“To make my debut
at the MCG is pretty
special, but with the
hundred and the
win I couldn’t ask
for a better day.”
Female Umpires make history in Ballarat
New South Wales’ Claire Polosak and
Western Australian Ashlee Kovalevs
have made history by being the first
female umpires to officiate in a Cricket Australia National Championship
fixture. Both young females are role
models for other females in their respective states. Polosak (at left), followed cricket growing up but due to
limited playing opportunities in the
Goulburn area took up umpiring at
age 15. Polosak encourages other
females to take up umpiring as it is
not only “the best seat in the house”
but helps develop skills transferable to
daily life such as decision making and
confidence. At just 20 years of age,
Western Australia’s Kovalevs (at right)
officiates in the Women’s A Grade
competition in Perth. Her goal is to
one day officiate in the Men’s First
Grade. Kovalevs balances her studies,
part-time work and volunteer work.
She is studying politics and public
relations at university and is also Secretary of the Western Australian
Cricket Umpires Association. Kovalevs
credits the support of Umpiring Manager Barry Rennie to her success. Her
advice to females who are considering
becoming a cricket umpire is simple.
“Don’t be scared. Females might be
limited in numbers in terms of gender, but not in support.”
Click here for more.
Page 5
Pictures of the Month
Clockwise from top: WA’s Nicole Bolton vs England,
Under 18’s Heather Graham, Wheatbelt team,
Southern Stars with the Mid-West, Fan Day winners , Lilly Henley receiving Girls Country Cricket AllStar shirt from Regional Cricket Officer Matt Cowie.