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Surgery just days before grand final glory

Days out from the A grade Twenty20 final, this Southern District youngster was in hospital - but that didn’t stop her from helping the Stingrays to a title.

Southern District women's cricketer Gemma Kennedy after helping the Stingrays to the A grade Twenty20 title. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette
Southern District women's cricketer Gemma Kennedy after helping the Stingrays to the A grade Twenty20 title. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette

Gemma Kennedy was never going to let anything stop her from playing in her first grand final – not even going under the knife.

Days out from Southern District’s Twenty20 title decider against Kensington the Stingrays’ right-arm medium-pacer had surgery to repair a broke nose – sustained two weeks earlier.

But after being given an ‘all clear’ from doctors, she took to the field, helped Southern beat the Browns – and snared a gutsy outfield catch.

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Southern District women's cricketer Gemma Kennedy, now 15, helped the Stingrays win the A grade Twenty20 title at just 14 years. Two weeks prior to the final against Kensington, Kennedy broke her nose. Picture: AAP/ Morgan Sette
Southern District women's cricketer Gemma Kennedy, now 15, helped the Stingrays win the A grade Twenty20 title at just 14 years. Two weeks prior to the final against Kensington, Kennedy broke her nose. Picture: AAP/ Morgan Sette

Gemma, who turned 15 three days after the Stingrays’ victory, was fearful of copping a ball to the face again but wanted to be out there with her teammates.

“About two weeks before the grand final, we were playing Sturt and during an innings break my coach wanted me to take a catch,” Gemma, of Moana, says.

“I got hit a high one and the ball slipped through my hands and onto the nose.

“I was concussed for the week, then saw the doctor and he said I would have to have an operation.

“The day before the grand final I got the bandage taken off my nose.

“I was a little scared but it was kind of good because I knew if I dropped the ball it would go onto my nose again, and I didn’t want that.”

Southern District women's A grade team after winning the 2019 Twenty20 final. Picture: Adam Butler
Southern District women's A grade team after winning the 2019 Twenty20 final. Picture: Adam Butler

Gemma’s top week was capped by being named in Cricket Australia’s under-18 team, set to take part in next month’s national championships in Tasmania.

The Wirreanda Secondary School Year 9 student is proud to have made the side.

“It was so cool to find out I had made the team on my birthday and it’s pretty crazy considering I have another year of being in under-15s,” she says.

“Being so young, it’s a pretty cool experience.”

Gemma began playing cricket six years ago.

Lining up in boys’ teams until she was 12, she says, has helped fast-track her development.

Her “ultimate dream” is to earn selection for the Strikers and then in Australia’s senior women’s side.

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/south/sport/surgery-just-days-before-grand-final-glory/news-story/f6fdbf1cfcefd6e2c626622c0315351a