It was women first during the first round of the Northern Inland Sixers Girls’ Cricket League Under 17 series on Sunday in Inverell at Cameron Park.
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Central North Girls’ Academy assistant cricket coach Peter Graham said they had good participation for the day to build the female teams.
“It’s run through cricket NSW and we have two sides; under 15 and under 18 sides, and so I’ve been involved with that for a few years now, and as part of that, I give Kath (Barber) a hand to organise some of the girls to get teams together,” he said.
Peter said he helped organise the Inverell 20/20 tournament with 24 players aged 12-17 to help get the league off the ground.
“And a lot of those girls are different girls last year,” he said. “Certainly happy with the girls that turned up.
“We were a bit short but we had to reorganise the sides a bit and ended up playing six girls a side, and a couple of the batting girls went out to help field, but it gave all the girls a bat, gave them a ll a bowl,” Peter said.
The series will advance next to Narrabri on February 5, and Tamworth on March 5.
“It’s a competition for girls only, which helps with their cricket. Some girls don’t like to play with boys, and certainly when they get a bit older, the boys get a bit stronger,” Peter said. “So if we can get it up and running each year, eventually we’ll end up with a competition to go over – could be a full eight weeks of cricket spread out over the seven months.”
“You don’t have to be on a team, just turn up as an individual and we’ll just place you.”
He said the league could be a stepping stone to the academy for some players, and unless they organise the chance, many girls might not have the chance to try.
“Most of the girls love to play cricket, and while they love it they also listen and take on board any direction and coaching that’s given to them, and it’s really an (opportunity) for them to show their skills, and a lot of the girls are quite handy; play some nice shots and score good runs and bowl well.”
“Look, it’s really no different to any male side, really.” Peter said many of the girls have a background playing backyard cricket with friends and siblings, so the league is a stepping stone.
For more information on the Northern Inland Sixers Girls’ Cricket League, contact area NSW cricket development officer Kath Barber on 0425 297 722.