The Peel Cricket Association is looking to the future with optimism after holding the first ever match of its women’s Twenty20 league last Friday night.
The opening match saw 24 players take to the turf as the Hillman Hornets took on a combined Secret Harbour and Warnbro side in a showcase of what the future holds for female cricket in the region.
Peel Cricket Association operations manager Rob Wallace said it was an exciting step forward for the league, as it looks to build a grassroots platform for women in the region.
“To be able to open the female competition and get the girls out on the park is a really exciting time for us,” he said.
“I think the main thing is that the women really enjoyed being out there and playing the game, so if we can get more involved and spread the word then that’s how we’ll build the competition.
“We’re hoping to create a base that can find the talent, and then feed it into higher levels to make sure women’s cricket continues to grow.”
Wallace said the competition, which has been in the works for the past 12 months, would look to expand throughout its inaugural season and beyond.
“We’re hoping that in a fortnight we can have four teams in the competition to play at least two games a week,” he said.
“The more clubs we can get on board the better, and hopefully we’ll field a full fixture for each team in the coming years.”
The opening of the competition coincided with the start of the Peel Perth Scorchers under 13s girls league, which officially kicked off its second season over the weekend.
Following on from a successful first season in 2016/17, the junior competition fielded four teams with South Mandurah, Mandurah, Secret Harbour and White Knights Baldivis taking to the crease.
West Australia Cricket Association Peel regional manager Brodie Green said the under 13s league hoped to expand to more age divisions in the future.
“Right now it’s all about flooding the base of girls cricket with as many numbers as we can,” he said.
“Once we have enough players we hope to create an under 15s, and possibly an under 18s league that will feed into the senior comp.”
To find out more about the Peel Cricket Association’s senior women’s T20 league, email peelcricketassociation@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page.
For more information on the Peel Perth Scorchers under 13s girls league, call Brodie Green on 0411 056 578.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
