2023-24 Warrnambool and District Cricket Association women's preview

Who will come out on top? The Standard takes a look at how each of the sides has prepared for the summer.

LAST SEASON: Runners-up

CAPTAIN: Sarah Richards

INS: Sascha White (Nestles), Victoria McPhee (Nestles)

OUTS: Jacque Dickson (Cobden)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Shannon Johnson. One of the competition's leading batters, Johnson's record speaks for itself. Blasted 277 runs at a remarkable average of 55.40 last season at an imposing strike rate of 135.8.

VERDICT: A powerhouse of the competition, the Gators will be aiming to reverse the result of last year's decider and should be thereabouts again.

PREDICTION: Premiers. The Gators will be motivated by last year's loss and have recruited well.

LAST SEASON: Brierly semi-final; Northern Raiders joining this season

CAPTAIN: Carly Mittermair

INS: Grace Butters (North Warrnambool Eels)

OUTS: Nil

PLAYER TO WATCH: Grace Butters has crossed from North Warrnambool Eels and will bolster the batting.

VERDICT: New coach Matt MacLeod has spent the past two months preparing the squad which will be a combination of Brierly and Northern Raiders' players for the first time. He said it "would strengthen the comp" and was "a really good decision by both clubs to merge". MacLeod said the club wanted to provide a friendly, inclusive environment but emphasised the players' competitive spirit meant they would "be wanting to push for finals". Their pre-season campaign has provided a glimpse of what's to come. "Even in the short eight-week period, the progression from all of the girls has been fantastic," he said. "Even the juniors have made substantial improvement from last year."

PREDICTION: It will be a learning curve for the newly-combined team but expect some decent results.

LAST SEASON: Fifth

CAPTAIN: Ingrid Bellman

INS: Charlotte Meade (Brierly-Christ Church), Jacque Dickson (Allansford-Panmure)

OUTS: Letitia Howat (Mortlake)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ingrid Bellman. The star opening batter showed glimpses of her skill in her first season with the Knights - scoring 107 runs at a healthy average of 17.83 - and undoubtedly poses a significant threat to opposition bowlers.

VERDICT: Two wins in their first season was a promising start for the Knights and they will be looking to build on it in their second campaign. The club is in good hands under skipper Ingrid Bellman, who said the side would be striving for a few more wins. The addition of high-quality Allansford-Panmure all-rounder Jacque Dickson will bolster the side however her availability is limited. Rising all-rounder Jess Walsh is also trying her hand at Victorian Premier Cricket with Geelong, so will be unavailable when selected for the Cats.

PREDICTION: The Knights are a chance to sneak into finals after just missing out in their inaugural campaign. Should win a few more games than last year which would put them in a good position to do so.

LAST SEASON: Semi-final

CAPTAIN: Leadership group

INS: Ashley Brilley (juniors), Lauren Sharrock (Macarthur)

OUTS: Brooke Parsons (North Warrnambool Eels)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Lori Young has impressed co-coach Jason Elliott and is expected to play a key role at the top of the order after "showing glimpses of what she can do" last summer. She's a right-handed bat who is also helping coach the under 17 team.

VERDICT: A settled side with experience and youth. Expect the coaching set-up of Jason Elliott and Nicole Hunt, who will be the on-field leader, to provide guidance needed to vie for finals again and the likes of Jaz Bowater, Melissa Blackberry, Kyme Rowe and the multi-talented Scarlett O'Donnell to feature in the runs.

PREDICTION: Grand final. Has a talented group which has meshed together in recent seasons.

LAST SEASON: New to competition.

CAPTAIN: Shae De Francesco

INS: N/A

OUTS: N/A

PLAYER TO WATCH: Many of the players set to feature in the club's inaugural team have played cricket before and will provide different skill sets but expect Sarah McMaster to cause some issues for opposition teams with the ball after a strong pre-season. Captain-coach Shae De Francesco is also a quality player and played in Simpson's division two premiership last season, where she was named player of the match for her excellent performance.

VERDICT: De Francesco has her group confident ahead of round one against the Eels and expects them to be a real surprise packet. There is a mix of youth and experience, stable leadership and while it may take some time to gel, could push for finals if it can get on a roll.

PREDICTION: It would be an excellent achievement for the Cats to reach finals in their first season but there is plenty of talent in the side so they will be thereabouts.

LAST SEASON: Premiers.

CAPTAIN: Yet to be determined

INS: Charlotte Eldridge, Zarah Timpson, Sophie Brown, Lucy Howland and Sophie Thompson (juniors)

OUTS: Brooke Herbertson (Russells Creek), Sascha White (Allansford-Panmure), Vicki McPhee (Allansford-Panmure), Jorja Couch (Geelong)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Steph Fary is a dangerous all-rounder who has spent the off-season working on her craft. Coach Geoff Williams has been rapt with the premiership player's improvement and is tipping the spin bowler to make an impact for the Factory. "We look forward to her moving up the order with the bat and taking more responsibility with the ball," he said. "Steph won the bowling award the first year (of the competition) and probably had a bit of an off year last year but we'll get her back into form this year. There's not many spin bowlers in the league. We've always had a bit of a point of difference (because of that)."

VERDICT: Lost quality players to rival clubs which opens the door for some of the club's teenage prospects, including some who featured in the under 17 grand final team last summer. Williams said new players had arrived at Reid Oval, eager to try their luck in the sport, which meant numbers were promising. Top-end talent is strong while the club environment will be crucial to helping the first-time players improve throughout the season.

PREDICTION: It will be tough for the reigning premier but write the Factory off at your peril. Expect them to make the finals.

LAST SEASON: Seventh

CAPTAIN: Brooke Parsons

INS: Prudie Clark (new), Brooke Parsons (Hawkesdale)

OUTS: Grace Butters (Brierly Northern Raiders), Lucy Murray (Allansford-Panmure)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Eels mentor Russell Moody is particularly excited about local Woodford player Prudie Clark, who is entering her first ever season of cricket. Moody expects the naturally-gifted player to be a handy pick-up with strong "hand-eye coordination" and while he didn't want to put pressure on her, believes she could make a lot of runs at the top of the order.

VERDICT: The Eels are blessed with some strong numbers and with an influx of under 17 players to take a step up to senior women's cricket and only a few outs expect some steady improvement. A couple of welcome additions and a strong, stable senior core mean the Eels will be looking to climb up the table but the loss of Grace Butters and Lucy Murray does hurt. Brooke Parsons makes her return to the club and will lead the team with her "supportive nature" noted by Moody.

PREDICTION: Going from win-less in 2022-23 to finals this season would be a mighty leap but a few more wins and natural improvement should be expected.

LAST SEASON: New to competition.

CAPTAIN: Brooke Herbertson

INS: N/A

OUTS: N/A

PLAYER TO WATCH: It's difficult to go past the marquee recruit Brooke Herbertson, one of the association's biggest stars, a representative player and a multiple premiership winning captain with Nestles. Not only does the experienced campaigner provide class with the bat but tremendous leadership. The 34-year-old is a player who a young and talented list can lean on throughout the season and will shape the team's fortunes.

VERDICT: While it will inevitably be a learning experience for Creek's inaugural women's team, a strong list, stable leadership at the helm with top-notch facilities make Herbertson's group one to keep an eye on. A focus in the pre-season was on bringing the girls together, some of whom had never played cricket before and learning while establishing a sustainable culture which eventually yielded strong on-field results.

PREDICTION: Unlikely to push for finals but a couple of wins in its first season would be a promising start.

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