THE popularity of cricket is on the rise among girls in the Warrnambool area.
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That was the verdict after the success of a Cricket Victoria junior girls' clinic at Reid Oval on Wednesday.
Vic Spirit player Megan Pauwels was on hand to help the girls hone their skills.
Over 30 girls, aged from 9-15, took part in the clinic which was an initiative of Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA).
The big turnout has WDCA vice-president and director of junior cricket Gordon McLeod looking forward with great anticipation.
“We are thrilled with the amount of girls that came along, it is very encouraging,” McLeod said.
“The girls got to have some time in the nets and some fielding and also used the hard ball which they did well with. It was terrific to have Megan Pauwels there, not only did she pass on her knowledge of the game but she also talked about her cricket journey.”
Also in attendance and helping with the skills session at the clinic was Port Fairy’s Rosie Wynd.
The all-rounder has been named in the Victorian under-15s squad while Georgia Wareham, who plays for Port Fairy and Mortlake, is in the under-18s team.
“The great thing about having Rosie there was the girls were able to see that our locals can reach a high level,” McLeod said.
“Megan pointed that out and it certainly is a strong message to get out there.”
McLeod said the WDCA will now work with the clubs to ensure the girls who attended the clinic stay involved in the sport.
“We want the clubs to encourage these girls to come along and join programs like Milo cricket and also junior training,” McLeod said.
“The big thing is to get the girls to continue to learn the basic skills of the game and to be supported to stay with cricket.”
McLeod said the WDCA will be holding more clinics in the future and is looking at options for girls to play competitive cricket.
Those options include the possible formation of a girls only competition or more integration with the existing junior leagues.
“There are some girls like Rosie and Georgia who have come through playing with the boys and proved they are more than capable,” McLeod said.
“There would be other girls who may chose to follow that path but there will be others who would prefer to play in an all-girls competition.
“We have to make sure we can cater for the needs of all girls who want to play the game. There is no doubt with Twenty20 cricket on the television that the game is being promoted to a wider audience than it once was and the girls are a big part of that.”
