The next generation of Western female cricketers got the opportunity to continue their journey on Sunday at Lady Cutler Ovals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Over the weekend, the first Girls Inter-Town Stage 1 cricket day was held at the facility to bring together cricket lovers from Mudgee, Orange and Dubbo.
The Cricket NSW-run program was the first time some of the girls experienced playing with a hard cricket ball and some special guests were even in attendance.
Current Sydney Sixers and NSW Breakers star Emma Hughes made an appearance at the session as did junior representative star Aimee Longhurst.
Cricket NSW Area Manager Angus Norton believes the inaugural event was a big success and hopes the session only gets bigger next season.
"It was great to inspire young girls to play cricket across the region and bring them all together with special thanks to Rob Dimmick and Emma Hughes," he said.
"The success of today (Sunday) is a testament to the volunteers we have running girls cricket in Western NSW.
"We have more days like this in planning and are very excited for the future of girls cricket across Western NSW."
READ ALSO:
The session was held following the competition of three successful cricket blast centres in the Central West over term one earlier this year and it is hoped the program can inspire more girls to get involved in the sport.
The eager group also got to make use of Hotspot Cricket's technology, a sticker which allows the batter to see where they hit the ball clearly on the bat.
While Hughes and Longhurst were down at the ovals, Western Zone coach Rob Dimmick also made an appearance to pass on some wisdom to the next generation of female cricketers, with some perhaps a chance of playing cricket for him in the future.
According to Cricket Australia's statistics, participation in girls cricket has grown exponentially over the past four years, with 5000 all-female teams now taking playing across the country.
Approximately 13,200 girls are registered for junior club cricket around Australia, while women's cricket continued to grow by 12,000 people per season.
The likes of Hughes and Longhurst both came through the junior club system in Dubbo when the pathways weren't as good as they are now but the pair still have managed to excel.
Having already debuted for the Sixers and NSW, Hughes is continuing her comeback from a leg injury suffered while playing in England during the Australian winter.
While the Women's National Cricket League season has once again commenced, there is no return date set for Hughes as of yet.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News