Gunnedah players are vying for positions in the Central North under 16 team girls’ cricket representative team after pleasing performances in the Summer Youth Country Championships in the Hunter Valley over the long weekend.
The next step for these girls is the NSW Country under 16 championships in December so the pathways and opportunities are strong for the girls to play at a national championship for this particular age group, according to team spokesperson Eddie McGuirk.
Xanthe Hewitt recently represented Central North under 19 girls’ cricket team in the NSW Country Championship in Raymond Terrace and last week captained the Northern Inland under 15 cricket team at the NSW Youth Championships in Singleton.
Mr McGuirk said Xanthe displays great leadership and tactical awareness, backed by the invaluable support of fellow Gunnedah representative players Marnee Walters, Charlette Keeler, Millee Small and Kate Gander.
“Their success indicates the incredible work of Gunnedah Junior Cricket in promoting girls’ cricket,” he said.
The Northern Inland Bolters finished third on the ladder behind Greater Illawarra and Western.
In round one of the championships, the team went down by nine wickets to Western, with Xanthe Hewitt top scoring for her team before she was caught and bowled on 16 runs.
The Bolters made better inroads in round two when the side defeated Newcastle by seven wickets. After restricting Newcastle to just 34 runs, Hewitt starred in the bowling stakes and took two wickets for the loss of just nine runs (2-9) from four overs bowled. It was all Hewitt again in round three when she led an unbeaten 28 runs for her Bolters side against Lake Macquarie and bowled 2-4 from four overs.
Gunnedah team-mate Marnee Walters was unlucky with figures of 0-7 from two overs bowled.
But it was not enough to stave off the Lake Macquarie outfit which won by seven wickets.
Walters opened the batting in the next match against Hunter Valley and scored four runs while team-mate Kate Gander scored five.
Gunnedah bowler Charlette Keeler chimed in with two wickets from her four overs bowled.
One of the final matches of the tournament, this time against Greater Illawarra, the Bolters posted 107 runs in the opening batting innings.
The match was defined by a run-a-ball 17 runs by Walters and improved supporting efforts by Gunnedah’s Mille Small.
Small, batting at number three, scored two from eight balls faced and bagged her side’s only wicket, with figures of 1-7 from two overs.
The Illawarra batswomen, however, held out and reached the Bolters’ team total with eight wickets to spare.
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